Working people everywhere have a stake in getting out the truth about Hamas’ deadly slaughter of Jews in Israel Oct. 7, and the threat posed to the working class by Jew-hatred.
At protests backing Israel’s right to exist as a refuge for Jews, on workers’ doorsteps, at factory gates and elsewhere, members of the Socialist Workers Party in the U.S. and Communist Leagues in Canada, Australia and the U.K. join in and bring copies of the Militant, books by SWP and other revolutionary leaders, and SWP election campaign statements to discuss advancing a class-struggle road forward for working people.
Party members look to expand the reach of the paper, take today’s burning political questions to workers and into the unions and to recruit new members.
On Dec. 1, SWP members Dennis Richter and Josefina Otero campaigned in Madisonville, Texas, a city of just over 4,500, known as the mushroom capital of the state. Outside the gates of Monterey Mushrooms, the biggest employer in the town, workers driving out of the parking lot at the end of their shift streamed by the Spanish-language sign “Defend Israel’s right to exist: Socialist Workers Party” that Richter held up.
Over the course of an hour, 15 workers got copies of the Militant and one bought a Spanish-language copy of Are They Rich Because They’re Smart? Class, Privilege, and Learning Under Capitalism by SWP leader Jack Barnes.
“We introduced ourselves to the workers in each passing vehicle,” Otero told the Militant, “and explained that the Militant was a socialist newspaper published in the interests of working people. We also handed out a statement by Alyson Kennedy, the Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. Senate from Texas, explaining why the party supports Israel’s right to exist as a refuge for Jews.
No one they spoke to expressed disagreement with the need to fight Jew-hatred, she said, and they agreed Hamas has to be stopped, as it has vowed to attack Israel again and again.
The workers we met, Otero said, also agreed with the party’s stance in support of Ukrainian sovereignty and the fight to defeat Moscow’s invasion of their country.
Some spoke about conditions in the plant, where 700 workers — many from Mexico, Central America and the Philippines — grow and package close to a half-million pounds of mushrooms every week. The factory operates 365 days a year, and shifts only end when the work is done, one worker explained. It could be four hours, eight hours or much longer.
One worker was reaching for his money to get a subscription when a company official showed up and told Otero and Richter they had to leave.
Canada rally backs Jews in Israel
Communist League members and supporters in Canada traveled to Ottawa, the country’s capital, Dec. 4 to join a rally of thousands backing Israel’s right to exist. It was sponsored by the Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA. The English and French-language signs they wore around their necks said, “Fighting Jew-hatred is a union question” and “Oppose Jew-hatred: Calls for a cease-fire mean supporting Hamas.” The placards drew many thumbs up, with people taking photos and wanting to talk.
Beverly Bernardo told the Militant they sold 12 copies of the paper and a copy of The Jewish Question by Abram Leon. “We received $23.50 in donations from those who appreciated our unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself and against Jew-hatred,” she said.
Branches of the SWP and Communist Leagues are building Militant Labor Forums where workers and youth can come and hear presentations and panel discussions on key questions facing the working class and debate the stakes for the labor movement in the fight against Jew-hatred. These weekly programs help workers chart a course of action forward.
To get a subscription to the Militant or join members of the SWP or Communist Leagues campaigning in the working class, contact the nearest branch.
