For an International Conference on the Struggle against the Global Capitalist Crisis!
Open Letter to the Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores Unidad (FIT-U) in Argentina
By the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 31 March 2020, www.thecommunists.net
Dear comrades of FIT-U and its participant organizations PTS, PO, IS and MST!
Our international organization – the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT) – strongly welcomes your initiative to organize a conference on the revolutionary struggles in Latin America which should take place in Buenos Aires between 1 and 4 May. (“Convocatoria a conferencia latinoamericana: Un nuevo escenario en Latinoamérica y la necesidad de una salida socialista y revolucionaria Destacado”) However, as you are surely aware, it is highly unlikely that this conference can take place given the state of emergency and the suppression of democratic rights for public assemblies. It is even more unlikely that visitors from abroad could travel to this conference.
Naturally, this is a highly regrettable development but most likely it will not be possible to change it for now.
However, we think that your idea for such a conference could and should be modified given the new global circumstances. As you are obviously aware the whole world is currently gripped by a capitalist triple catastrophe – the pandemic, a devastating economic slump a la 1929 and a global turn towards militarized state repression. In such a situation it is extremely urgent to discuss and initiate an international response of revolutionary and socialist organizations.
The alliance of FIT-U possesses excellent attributes to play a key role for such an international response to the global capitalist crisis. As a sizeable force with a number of deputies in national and regional parliaments as well as leaders in workers and popular organizations you have the resources as well as a certain authority for such a project. Even more, allow us to say this, exactly because of your strength, you bear a great responsibility not only for the liberation struggle in Argentina but in the whole world. You could make a difference in order to launch an international response against the global counter-revolutionary offensive.
Naturally, for the reasons mentioned above, such a conference could not be a physical conference. However, given modern means of communication technology it should be possible to organize a kind of virtual international conference. This is surely not an easy undertaking. It would also require a limitation of the number of international participants (probably only one Skype account for every participating organization). Maybe such an international conference has to be divided in several parts. However, these are practical and technical issues which can be discussed and solved.
The important thing is to have the will and to take the initiative for such an international virtual conference. We urge you to take up this responsibility. As we said in a recently published Open Letter: “Act Now because History is Happening Now!”
In summary, we make the following concrete proposals:
1) To organize an international virtual conference focused on the global crisis and the revolutionary socialist perspectives for fight against it;
2) Formation of an international preparation committee for such a conference
3) Establishment of an international discussion bulletin which should contain contributions, draft resolutions, etc. from organizations participating in such a conference
The RCIT considers a conference as an extraordinary crucial issue given the current global events. Such a conference could play a role similar to Zimmerwald during World War One. What we are currently experiencing are historic events of no less importance than the collapse of Stalinism in 1989-91. In such a situation, discussion, collaboration and if possible joint campaigns of revolutionary and socialist organizations is of utmost importance!
Your planned conference in Buenos Aires – if modified as outlined above – could play such a role. The RCIT is strongly committed to participate and contribute to such an event.
International Secretariat of the RCIT
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The RCIT has published numerous statements and articles on the COVID-19 crisis of which several have been translated into different languages. They are all collected at a special sub-page in our website: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/collection-of-articles-on-the-2019-corona-virus/
In particular we draw attention to these three documents:
COVID-19: A Cover for a Major Global Counterrevolutionary Offensive
We are at a turning point in the world situation as the ruling classes provoke a war-like atmosphere in order to legitimize the build-up of chauvinist state-bonapartist regimes
Manifesto of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 21 March 2020
Argentina: No to Repression and Militarization under the Cover of COVID-19!
Nearly 6,200 people arrested since the government imposed a state of emergency
Statement of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 27 March 2020
Act Now because History is Happening Now!
A call to all revolutionary organizations and activists to join forces against the global counter-revolutionary offensive under the cover of COVID-19
Open Letter of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 26 March 2020
https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/open-letter-act-now-because-history-is-happening-now/