No to religious terrorism! No to state terrorism! Only the overthrow of the world capitalist system would make peace possible

The President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, announced that on July 31, 2022, through an airstrike, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, was killed in Kabul.  On the basis of this ‘historic feat’, he spoke about the delivery of “peace and justice". The American government, which itself is the producer and supporter of terrorism around the world, can never be the hero of the fight against terrorism. Didn't Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, admit that "The people we are fighting today, we funded twenty years ago"? Didn't John Bolton, former National Security Adviser of the US, admit that he organized coups in various countries, including in Latin America?

Marxism and the National Question

National oppression and racism are fundamental features of capitalist states in the world today. In few of them does the national question play such a central role as in Canada. This is most clearly demonstrated in the case of Quebec, where national resentment periodically erupts to take centre stage in political life. It is seen in the rising national consciousness and demands of Indigenous peoples in Canada and Quebec. French-speaking communities outside Quebec which have survived Anglo-assimilation, notably the Acadians in Atlantic Canada, also claim nationhood. And it applies, arguably, to Newfoundland, where a separate society existed for three hundred years before its incorporation, by a fraudulent set of referenda, into the Canadian state in 1949.

The Red Review: Through the Looking Glass — Comparing Canadian and Australian Politics with Isabelle Moreton

In this episode of The Red Review, brought to you by Socialist Action, Emily and Daniel talk with Isabelle Moreton of Brisbane, Australia. Isabelle provides analysis and commentary on various political struggles, including disability justice, queer and trans liberation. With the Labor Party winning the majority of seats in the recent election, who better to speak to about what this actually means for the exploited and oppressed masses in Australia and for the international labour and socialist movement. Expect a more banter-y conversation with striking similarities drawn between the Canadian and Australian political context.

Palestine Land Day Rally in Toronto on April 2, 2022

Palestine Land Day was marked in Toronto by a rally at Land Back (Yonge-Dundas) Square on April 2, 2022.  About eighty participants chanted in English and Arabic, and applauded speakers who demanded an end to Zionist apartheid and the occupation of Indigenous lands, from Turtle Island to Palestine.  At the end of the 90 minute gathering a Socialist Action spokesperson addressed the crowd, calling for an end to Canadian state and big business complicity with Zionism.  SA's predecessor organizations opposed the creation of the colonial settler state by the United Nations (pushed by the USA, Britain, France, Canada and the USSR) in 1948.  SA supports the struggle for a Single Democratic, Secular state.  "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!"

Blockchain and Cryptocurrency – A Hypercapitalist Nightmare

The technology of blockchain continues to gain in popularity. It’s been advertised as disruptive, even revolutionary. Proponents believe it will change the world economy for the better, making it a more fair and equitable place. From the rooftops they shout, “Decentralization! Immutability!”

But is the hype all it’s cracked up to be? Is this a fad destined to fizzle? Or, even worse, is the blockchain push just a smokescreen for something much more sinister?

No War in Ukraine!

Socialists oppose all wars, except the class war.  Workers and the poor, women and children are the first and foremost victims of war, while a tiny, rich minority profit from the woe it inflicts on the vast majority.  The current conflict over Ukraine shows this again.  It stems from the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is led by Washington, London, Paris, Ottawa and their imperialist allies.  The unfolding tragedy can be halted by mass protest actions in every country, along with the construction of a broad, democratic anti-war movement.  Those are the key tasks at this moment.

Maybe the story is more complex than Russia bad, Canada good

The saber rattling is becoming scary. But Canadian officials labelling Russia “aggressive” while stoking unnecessary conflict has a long history.

Echoing a 2009 statement from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently denounced “an aggressive Russia”. Throughout their time in office the Liberals have blamed Russia for complicated conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as nuclear proliferation. In a major 2017 foreign policy speech foreign minister Chrystia Freeland called “Russian military adventurism and expansionism … clear strategic threats to the liberal democratic world, including Canada.” But NATO countries spend $1.1 trillion on their militaries each year while Russia’s military budget is $61 billion.

The Red Review — Oct. and Nov. 2021 Recapped

In this episode of The Red Review, brought to you by Socialist Action, Emily and Daniel discuss major developments across the Canadian State and provide an important update on the struggle for Palestinian liberation. Featuring catastrophic flooding in BC, RCMP invasion of Wet'suwet'en (again), COP26, Climate Action Tracker, 'Facebook' for Palestinians, criminalization of Palestinian human rights groups, Fairy Creek blockade, and striking CUPE workers in New Brunswick.

Socialist Action members join pro-Palestinian rally in Toronto on November 27

Socialist Action members in Toronto joined about 150 people who rallied outside the Israeli Consulate at Yonge and Bloor Streets on Saturday, November 27 to demand freedom now for thousands of illegally detained and tortured Palestinian political prisoners, an end to the Occupation of Palestinian land, and for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against the Zionist Apartheid state.

The Greenwash Con at Glasgow’s COP26

Literally hours before President Joseph Biden arrived in Glasgow for the COP26 United Nations climate conference, he addressed the G20 richest nations on Earth in Rome demanding that the 24 OPEC+ oil-exporting nations dramatically increase their fossil fuel production in order to reduce the monopolized skyrocketing price of gasoline in the U.S., today, approaching $5.00 per gallon. Biden’s late October Rome bluster aimed at placating angry U.S. election time voters at home beleaguered by rising inflation and historically high gas prices. His proposal was ignored by the oil monarchs who were satisfied with the $81 per barrel price of crude oil that had already reached recent new highs.

What is Trotskyism?

In answer to the question “What is socialism?”, James P. Cannon, a pioneer of the revolutionary workers’ movement in North America, famously said: “Socialism is both a political program and a political movement to achieve it.”

So, what then is Trotskyism?  Simply put, Trotskyism is modern-day revolutionary socialism.  My aim here is to summarize its main component parts.

Stop Funding Genocide, Save Lives in Tigray

On November 5, 2021 at 5 p m , members of Tigray community in Toronto rallied outside the office of Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland at 344 Bloor St. W., to demand an end to the funding of the genocide in Ethiopia.  In Ottawa a two-day rally drew thousands who demanded that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau take action to stop the assault on millions in Africa.  Members of Socialist Action joined these protests in an effort to raise awareness and bring justice to the people of Tigray.