Video: MHI Public Meeting on “Assisting the Self-Development of #TheResistance”

 
by MHI

 
On June 6, Marxist-Humanist Initiative held a public meeting, entitled “Assisting the Self-Development of #TheResistance to Trumpism & to Authoritarianism in Europe,” at the historic Jefferson Market Library in New York City. Presentations by Ravi Bail and Andrew Kliman were followed by open discussion from the floor.

Trumpism and resurgent authoritarianism have generated a tidal wave of opposition around the globe. In the U.S., a movement of millions of people in active revolt against Trumpism—known as #TheResistance—has emerged. Its self-development requires that we support its independence from the Democratic Party and from “leftists” who would co-opt or derail it. We must also combat the idea that the left can somehow win over the “base” that supports Trump and other authoritarians and turn white nationalists towards revolutionary socialism. That is a pipe dream of a segment of the “left” that wants power for itself and which acted in ways that helped Trump win the 2016 U.S. election.

Here is the complete video of the meeting:

 
Ravi Bali is a veteran activist of the British left. He currently works in London with Marxist-Humanist Initiative, having rejected both the vanguardism and the acceptance of capitalism that mark his former comrades. He sees the election of Trump and the growth of racist reaction in Europe as a threat to humanity and a barrier to achieving a decent society for all. Bali writes for MHI’s web journal With Sober Senses, and he works as an electrician.

Andrew Kliman is the author, most recently, of “Combatting White Nationalism: Lessons from Marx.” His many writings include two books, Reclaiming Marx’s “Capital”: A Refutation of the Myth of Inconsistency (Lexington Books, 2007) and The Failure of Capitalist Production: Underlying Causes of the Great Recession (Pluto Books, 2012). He also writes frequently for With Sober Senses.