On the one-year anniversary of the launching of Israel’s brutal genocidal war against Gaza, comrades from the South Dublin branch of the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland called a protest outside O’Reilly Hall in University College Dublin (UCD). The action was a huge success with around 30 in attendance and 7 new people that expressed their interest in joining the revolutionary communists!
The protests’ slogans, chants and speeches focused on highlighting the role the imperialists are playing in supporting Israel’s slaughter of innocent Palestinians, and the continued hypocrisy of the Irish ruling class on the question of Palestine. Support for Palestine from the Irish working class and youth has prompted our so-called leaders to come out in words expressing “concern” at the actions of Israel.
Yet their actions betray the true allegiances of the Irish ruling class, which remain entirely beholden to the interests of Western imperialism. Even after tens of thousands of people have repeatedly taken to the streets across Ireland in disgust at the ongoing genocide and Israel’s escalation in Lebanon, the Irish state continues to provide diplomatic cover to the imperialists through references to “Israel’s right to defend itself.” In addition to this, they provide material support by offering the US Military access to Irish infrastructure, by continuing trade with Israel in military goods, reassuring them they will not implement the Occupied Territories Bill, and keeping one thousand and one threads that link the Irish economy to the imperialists’ war machine.
As no other protest was organised on campus for this critical anniversary, Comrades saw this as an opportunity to prove that our energies will not dissipate with time or bread crumbs. We demand action! Four members of the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland spoke during the protest, making it clear to everyone within earshot that the genocide being carried out in Palestine is intimately connected to the problems of the international working class.
Comrades also spoke on how the U.S. and the Western imperialists cannot be relied upon to adhere to so-called international law. Only revolutionary action by the working class and youth can bring a genuine end to the war machine. Key points were also made relating Ireland’s strong history of anti-imperialist struggle to the struggle of Palestinians. The crowd at the protest chanted enthusiastically about the need for intifada and revolution.
The whole South Dublin branch of the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland was mobilised to build for the protest in the week prior to it, with hundreds of leaflets and posters spread around campus. Despite the day of action being a great success, this must be only the beginning. There are likely dozens, if not hundreds, of potential revolutionaries on the UCD campus who remain untapped. The task of revolutionary communists is to find them and recruit them to the only struggle that can bring an end to the slaughter in the Middle East – the struggle for socialism! This because, only by fighting with means of class struggle against this crisis-riddled capitalist system, that breeds wars, poverty, racism, sexism etc., can the problems facing the working class and youth all around the world be tackled.
The energy that we were able to harness with less than a week of preparation shows that there is a significant layer of students becoming quickly radicalised by the situation in the Middle East and even arriving at revolutionary conclusions. They are sick of the band-aid answers that do nothing to set a fresh foundation upon which a new generation can grow. They are tired of supporting supposed ‘progressives’ who abandon their principles the moment they have any success, who don’t realize their minor victories are at best bread crumbs arrogantly tossed down by those who stole the loaf and have no interest in ending the hunger, only in stymying revolt.
The concessions they make are not going to solve the problems they’ve caused and profit from. We must seize the levers of control and direct the power of workers and youth toward emancipation from the tyranny of capital. Only when the working class has control of the means of production will imperialist wars and genocides come to a halt. We must stand together and fight!
No war but class war!
Viva la Intifada!
