First Published: The Call, Vol. 8, No. 6, February 12, 1979.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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According to Washington press reports, a small sect of provocateurs tried to counter the overwhelmingly friendly greeting for China’s Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping (Teng Hsiao-ping) last week by shouting anti-China slogans and throwing “bottles, poles, lighted road flares, and hundreds of nails, heavy washers and fishing sinkers.”
This group, which calls itself the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) and “Maoist,” are in fact fascists with “Red Books,” parading around under the red flag. Their police-agent-like attack against socialist China, in chorus with backers of the reactionary clique on Taiwan and the pro-Soviet revisionist Communist Party, did little except to further reveal the reactionary outlook of these opportunists.
The RCP is an infantile group of “leftists.” Until recently they claimed to support China and Mao Tsetung Thought, but in practice they always opposed them. Their provocation during Deng’s historic visit has its roots in their basic hatred of socialism.
The RCP, led by Bob Avakian, idealizes all the backward things in China, the vestiges of colonialism which have been left over from the old feudal society. For example, they claim that the present Chinese leadership are “traitors” because they are calling for the modernization of China. The RCP supports the policies of the “gang of four,” who played into the hands of imperialism by trying to isolate China in the world and setting her up for attack from the superpowers. They oppose Mao Tsetung’s revolutionary ideas, such as the “three worlds” theory, while taking pleasure in wearing his button on their collar.
The RCP has also become infamous in this country for their blatant white chauvinism, attacking the right of self-determination for the oppressed nations, trying to dictate the course for the third world countries, while exhibiting a deep hatred for the masses.
In Washington last week, Avakian threw his handful of fanatical followers into a blind charge against the police. It was reminiscent of the “Weathermen” terrorists in their 1969 “Days of Rage” (an event, by the way which Avakian supported wholeheartedly) except that the “Weathermen” terrorists were more progressive than the RCP. The moral anguish, frustration and outrage of the “Weathermen” was at least directed at U.S. imperialism rather than at socialism.
The “shock-troop” method of struggle is promoted by Avakian. Admitting his disdain for mass revolutionary people’s struggle, Avakian has claimed that the workers in the U.S. are so backward that they “must be shocked” into accepting “communism.” The Washington Post quoted him telling a group of his followers in a Washington church just before last week’s adventure that “people will think we’re crazy, but serious.”
Whether Avakian is crazy or not isn’t the point here. The point is, he and his followers are seriously anti-working class, anti-Marxist and anti-socialism. Of this there can be no more doubt.
In one sense, the RCP provocation was a giant failure. Deng’s welcome was enthusiastically received by the overwhelmingly majority of workers and other people, and great gains were made in developing normal and friendly ties between the U.S. and China.
But, in another sense, the puny disruption could be called successful. The RCP educated more people about the character of opportunism. Lining up openly and squarely with a decrepit gang of right-wing yahoos and Moscow revisionists, they showed us all how anti-China politics play right into the hands of fascism and reaction.