First Published: The Forge Vol. 2, No. 17, September 16, 1977
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Malcolm and Paul Saba
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The deluge of counter-revolutionary trash made the atmosphere unbearable at the “Third Conference of Canadian Marxist-Leninists” organized by In Struggle in Montreal September 9-11.
In Struggle, the counter-revolutionary clique Bolshevik Union, the Red Star Collective – an opportunist mishmash suffering from an extreme case of nationalism, going so far as denying that Canada is an imperialist country – and another group from Vancouver followed each other to the microphone to spew out their opportunist and counter-revolutionary attacks.
The conference was a platform for spitting on socialist China and Mao Tsetung Thought, a forum for conciliation with Soviet social imperialism, a circus where the opportunists and counter-revolutionaries profited from the occasion to try to spread ideological disorder and confusion.
In Struggle – one week after the publication of its paper in which it openly attacked the Chinese revolution – and its cronies in Boshevik Union slandered socialist China, not bothering to say one word on the victorious 11th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, on the smashing of the “gang of four”, on the nomination of comrade Hua Kuo-feng as chairman of the Party, and all the while attacking Mao Tsetung’s three world theory.
Contrary to what In Struggle says, it wasn’t opportunism that was the target of this sorry affair, but Marxism-Leninism itself!
For the first time In Struggle publicly denied that Chairman Mao himself formulated the three world theory.
In a declaration entitled “Against Right Opportunism in International Questions”, IS establishes “from the start” that in its opinion “ ’arguments’ like... those which consist of saying that we should believe that the “three worlds theory” was elaborated by Mao”... “don’t carry much weight” (p. 2).
There you have it, a typical example of the rubbish In Struggle spewed at its conference. For In Struggle is openly calling the Chinese Party a liar, all the while hurling abuse at Mao Tsetung by openly attacking the three world theory as opportunist. This is serious, extremely serious. The friends and sympathizers of In Struggle must wake up and act firmly. The leadership of In Struggle is far down the road of degeneration, and if it persists on this road, it will be tossed out by the Canadian working class.
It’s true that for In Struggle and their henchmen Mao is not the greatest Marxist-Leninist of our time. In their “joint message” read at the end of the conference. In Struggle, RSC, and the Vancouver Red Collective supposedly pay “homage” to Mao. Nowhere does this “homage” mention that Mao Tsetung Thought is a contribution to Marxism-Leninism, nowhere does it say that Chairman Mao’s works have an important significance for the world revolution!
Pushing their opportunist logic to its conclusion IS now maintains thai the theory of three worlds leads to “the disapperance of the international proletariat and the socialist countries”.
And In Struggle, splitters of the international Marxist-Leninist movement, did not hesitate, in one workshop, to brand some Marxist-Leninist parties in other countries, like the Communist Party (Marxist Leninist) of France, as “right opportunist”. Once again we see the total hypocrisy of In Struggle.
Many members and sympathizers of In Struggle have ahead, openly confessed their uneasiness about the recent developments in their group. This latest conference can only disturb them even more. It clearly shows that the leaders of In Struggle, these self-proclaimed great defenders of the “class viewpoint”, are dragging their group into the arms of reaction, towards the same positions of “CPCML”.
Denouncing Mao Tsetung Thought the theory of three worlds, and the Chinese revolution is now added to In Struggle’s disgusting practice of sabotaging class struggle in Canada and their manv kinds of compromise with modern revisionism. In Struggle’s leadership has persisted along this road which it consolidated at its second congress. This road leads inevitably to revisionism and counter-revolution.
But at the same time as opportunism is breaking out, more and more workers are turning towards Marxism-Leninism. This is where the future lies. Whatever the bourgeoisie does, the Marxist-Leninist movement will continue to develop in Canada, and the struggle to build the Marxist-Leninist party will advance in giant steps.