We publish this joint declaration of the Red Guards Collectives from the USA, which was sent to us:

Regarding the class combat of left and right lines in Germany and the incidents following May 1, 2018

It is the responsibility of revolutionaries all over the world to analyze contending ideological lines as internationalists, and we must take the position of combating centrism and rightism. In regard to the events that transpired on May 1, 2018, and the subsequent numerous statements, we have remained silent for too long. For this we are self-critical and seek to rectify this matter by staying abreast of the important struggles going on in the International Communist Movement and making our support clear and timely. In short we must learn to separate the revolutionaries from the revisionists and firmly support the revolutionaries. Both sides have made their documents available online for months, and it is through the careful study of these documents that we come to the following positions:

First, we condemn the unprincipled actions of the Jugendwiderstand, an organization we have expressed our support for on numerous occasions, another point on which we are humbly self-critical. Any organization that calls itself Maoist, especially ones who propagate martial training, have a responsibility to the masses and the ICM to maintain a high level of discipline. The unprincipled attack was either a military attack against Communists or it was a personal expression of hatred for revolution by those individuals who carried it out, in the absence of a command; this does not alter its military character. The first scenario must be understood as possible only as the result of a centralized rightist line, and the second scenario as possible only due to the imposition of lumpenproletarian discipline against proletarian discipline. In short, this attack was not as the JW present it “just a slap.” When Communists or anyone claiming to be Communists use violence and physical confrontation, the weapon and intensity are secondary to the politics and people behind the action. The decentering of politics highlights the rightist line in the JW. We understand both scenarios as alike in essence—unacceptable, indefensible, and reactionary and condemn it as such.

While outraged and disgusted at this action against the comrades and supporters of the Committee Red Flag, we are even more disappointed at the official response from the JW, which amounts to a wholesale rejection of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. We would like to offer the following points and make it clear that this statement combined with the crimes it seeks to whitewash have ended any support we have had for their project.

We have always been concerned and confused about what the ideological and political differences were that led to the JW defecting from the initial drive to reconstitute the Communist Party in their country. The JW have not been publically clear about this and has relied for a long time on an eclectic sort of propaganda that carefully avoids the ideological and political lines that demarcate them from the Committee Red Flag. This all came tumbling down into the great refuse pile when they issued their statement in response to the actions on May 1. In this statement they unpacked a series of lies and distortions that force us to take a position of defense.

JW take up their post in the white-right-opportunist line firmly by using the exact same arguments against the CRF that are used against our movement in the US. They bring charges of “cultism,” of “Gonzaloism,” that their opposition are a “tiny sect,” and so on. These baseless and opportunist claims are only to gain favor from the most backward sections of the ICM, which stand opposed to the innumerable lessons of the People’s War in Peru. This attack on the CRF is an attack on MLM, and it is therefore an attack on us too.

We have done much work to defeat these slurs hurled against us in the US by revisionists and opportunists, and it is absolutely disgusting that any organizations claiming the banner of MLM would regurgitate such vile arguments.

We hold that there are numerous universal aspects of Gonzalo Thought, that upholding Gonzalo Thought is used to demarcate outside of Peru in exactly the same way Mao Zedong Thought was used outside of China to demarcate among Marxist-Leninists in the 60s and 70s. We hold that MLM as a science is not foreclosed as the “final stage” of Marxism, as the JW claim. By the application of the universal to the particular, a Guiding Thought can emerge and contain universals, and when these are applied to other places and all three component parts of Marxism are elevated, developed, and enriched, a new stage can be achieved. Nothing in Maoism forecloses on development. It is not the end of ideology. Such a strange position reveals a lack of theoretical understanding among the JW.

We oppose the charges of focoism used against the CRF by the JW. Foco theory requires a guerrilla war in the absence of a Party, using the Party as an afterthought. Our understanding is that no Maoist, least of all the CRF, believes that the Party can be postponed to after the war. This reveals that the JW understand neither the Maoist concept of the Party nor PPW, nor foco theory for that matter. The same charges of focoism have been used against us by our domestic opportunists as well. This means that there are two distinct ideologies contending that both claim to be Maoist.

JW claim the contributions of Chairman Gonzalo to be “exaggerated”, and this claim can come only from arrogance or ignorance. Chairman Gonzalo is the synthesizer of our ideology, MLM—he is not on par with other Maoist leaders. He led the ICM to adopt MLM as its ideological basis. The JW seek to demote him to the rank of any other leader. We consider Gonzalo to be not only the Great Leader of the Peruvian revolution but also the world’s foremost political prisoner and the sixth great teacher of Marxism. The greatness of his contributions and interventions is undeniable. While we celebrate and adore leaders in the ICM past and present, we cannot devalue the role of the great teachers. This false flattening reveals a deep conservativism in the JW.

It is for good reason that Parties and organizations all throughout the ICM have issued letters of support for the CRF. We especially wish to highlight the letter from the Communist Party of Brazil (Red Fraction), which correctly exposes the matter with great precision. We view the CPB (RF) as the most advanced formation in the Americas. We especially value their commentary on the ILPS, which has had a negative role in the revolutionary project in the US through its wholesale endorsement of reactionary and revisionist organizations. It is no surprise to us to see an uncritical approach to these types of groupings from the JW, which is par for the course for right-liquidationists.

We did not easily come to our current positions on this matter; it was after months of analysis and internal two-line struggle. But we say finally, resolutely, unanimously, and without reservation, long live the Committee Red Flag of the FRG!

Long live the International Communist Movement!

Long live the universal contributions of Chairman Gonzalo!

Down with centrism, rightism, and attacks on the ideology of the proletariat!

Reconstitute and build the Parties in all oppressed and imperialist nations!

Signed,
The US Maoist Party-building effort: Red Guards Austin, Red Guards Los Angeles, Red Guards Pittsburgh, Red Guards Charlotte and Red Guards Kansas City