Success of the Founding Congress of the Anti-Imperialist Front (USA)!

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Significance of the Congress

While the world bears witness to the beginning of the end of US hegemony in the Middle East, US imperialists face another thorn in their side with the Founding Congress of the Anti-Imperialist Front (USA). From within the belly of the beast, the Anti-Imperialist Front (AIF) is taking a bold step forward in assuming its responsibility to the international working class and oppressed peoples, who are fighting and dying everyday to sweep imperialism and its lackeys off the face of the earth!

The Congress was a significant step forward for the anti-imperialist movement in the US and the world over. It represented a leap in the unity of anti-imperialist revolutionaries in the US, dedicated to forging an Anti-Imperialist Front within the world’s sole imperialist superpower to fight against the main enemy of the peoples of the world – US imperialism. The theme of the congress can be summed up by its main slogan: Anti-imperialists of the World, Unite!

The AIF Congress was timely, following the inspiring Founding Congress of the International Anti-Imperialist League held in Colombia, in April of this year. An event of historic importance for the struggling people of the world, and which the AIF understands to be a significant step in the advancement of the struggle against imperialism internationally.

In the year and some months leading towards the congress, the unity necessary to construct the AIF was forged through participation in several national campaigns. Primarily, the Campaign to Forward the Construction of the International Anti-Imperialist Front! Developed the AIF’s ideological and political unity by studying and promoting the calls of the Anti-Imperialist League, and utilizing its consistent anti-imperialist framework and analysis of the world as a point of departure for our work.

Alongside this main campaign, the AIF took up solidarity actions with global anti-imperialist struggles, including for the Palestinian Resistance and in commemoration of the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, for the broader Axis of Resistance against US imperialism in the Middle East (in particular support for the Iranian State’s war of resistance) and a campaign in support of the People’s War in India. Additionally, the AIF has been engaged in work against ICE terror in working-class neighborhoods and recently held a campaign in commemoration of Black August in mainly Black neighborhoods.

Congress Report

The first day of the Congress opened with greetings from the Anti-Imperialist Front (USA) Coordinating Committee, the greeting highlighted the world situation’s ripeness for revolution, and the pressing tasks of anti-imperialists within the US to increase our support for the People’s War in India and the Axis of Resistance in the Middle East. These two tasks resonated throughout the entire Congress, as key ways to serve the development of the World Revolution.

The congress shared a greeting in solidarity with the activists of the Palestine Action Network, Masar Badil, and Autistici/Inventati, who were recently sanctioned by the US State Department for ‘supporting terrorism’, due to their solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine. You can read the full greeting here.

Greetings to the Congress were shared from organizations within the US and internationally. From the United States, greetings were shared from the People’s Defense Committee and the Revolutionary Youth Organization. In addition, we were honored to receive greetings from comrades in India from Nazariya Magazine and Revolutionary Students’ Front, West Bengal. Nazariya Magazine reminded comrades of the significance of the anti-imperialist movement in the US:

“To confront imperialism in its own heartland is to strike at the political and ideological foundations through which it maintains its domination across the world. The development of a revolutionary anti-imperialist movement within the United States is therefore an important front of the international struggle against imperialism and can become a source of strength for the struggles of oppressed peoples everywhere.”[Our Emphasis]

And the comrades from Revolutionary Students’ Front West Bengal spoke to the importance of being vigilant against opportunism and all tendencies counter to the working-class character of the anti-imperialist movement, as well as the importance of developing firm unity:

“[We] hope that this process will contribute to bringing the anti-imperialist struggle directly into the masses, particularly among workers, students, youth, and the oppressed nationalities.At the same time, the revolutionary anti-imperialist movement must remain vigilant against revisionism, opportunism, liquidationism, economism, liberalism, and all tendencies that seek to dilute the class character of the anti-imperialist struggle. The unity required for an anti-imperialist front cannot be a unity without principle. Genuine unity must be forged through principled struggle, political clarity, two-line struggle, and a shared commitment to confronting imperialism and reaction.” [Our Emphasis]

The message and lessons provided within the greetings raised enthusiasm and provided guidance which carried through the rest of the Congress.

Following the opening remarks and greetings, a summation of the AIF’s construction process and a political report were given. The summation highlighted the work carried out across the country in the service of our ideological and political construction. The political report focused on the development of imperialism, the history of the anti-imperialist struggle in the world, and importantly the duty and tasks of anti-imperialists within the United States.

Finally, founding documents of the organization were ratified by vote, such as the Manifesto of the AIF. All of the documents were discussed extensively through discussion groups at the Congress, with views being exchanged to deepen the debate to achieve higher collective unity.

Day two opened with a tribute to the martyrs of the massacre of 19 people on Negros Island on April 19 by the Filipino government in its operations against the Communist Party of the Philippines. In this massacre, two Filipino-American activists were martyred by the reactionary Armed Forces of the Philippines. A friend of Lyle Prijoles, a human-rights activist from the California Bay Area, spoke in depth about what it means to serve the people as comrade Lyle did. An activist from the Seattle area spoke about Kai Sorem, a youth organizer from Seattle, and the impact they left on the community they worked and organized in.

Following the opening statements, the second day of the Congress focused on discussing and voting on resolutions that will guide the AIF in more effectively serving its tasks. Our discussion of these resolutions brought forward rich material to consider on differences in conception on the tasks of the AIF, and how we best serve that process.

In the first place, the resolutions highlighted the essential task of uniting all who can be united against the main enemy: US Imperialism. The resolutions recognized opportunism as the main danger in the anti-imperialist struggle, and instilled the necessity to go to the deepest most oppressed masses to carry forth the struggle against opportunism in the midst of the class struggle.

Although there is still struggle to be had, we were able to concretize what what we mean when we talk about deepening our work and leave with a more unified understanding of the work we are carrying out. We agreed that the holding of this Congress represents a positive step toward making us more capable to lead the anti-imperialist struggle in our cities, neighborhoods, and workplaces, and toward contributing to the building of a cohesive, powerful, and working-class anti-imperialist movement within the US.

With the passing of the resolutions, we have achieved the clearest direction on the work of the AIF thus far, and we’re eager and determined to develop our work along these lines.

The congress ended with thunderous applause, chanting, and cultural performances. The cultural performances fostered an environment of new culture, a culture in service of the oppressed people’s of the world and the struggle to wipe imperialism off the face of the earth! Of particular note was a performance in solidarity with the People’s War in India, consisting of an Indian dance set to the revolutionary song ‘Red Flag’ [Erra Jenda] in Telugu, which honors the martyrs in India who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of all peoples in India and the world. The performance concluded with the chants of Lal Salaam! [Red Salute] to the martyrs of the Indian Revolution, especially to the martyred Comrades Basavaraju, Renuka, and Hidma.

The AIF Founding Congress conquered a humble step forward in the building of a more cohesive and genuinely working class anti-imperialist movement. The congress reinforced the duty that anti-imperialists in the US have toward the global front against imperialism. We discussed in depth that genuine anti-imperialists must bring forth into the fight what is good for revolution, and leave behind what is not. The AIF strives to assume the responsibility demanded of the anti-imperialist movement within the US. It must take complete responsibility for the successes and failures towards the aim of developing a powerful anti-imperialist movement from behind enemy lines. But the AIF cannot construct this rising anti-imperialist movement alone. We resolve to unite with all who can be united to make the revolutionary anti-imperialist movement in the US a source of strength for the struggles of oppressed people everywhere!

Imperialism and all Reaction are Paper Tigers!

It is Right to Rebel!

Anti-Imperialists of the World, Unite!

Signed,

Anti-Imperialist Front (USA)