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Anti-Capitalist Bloc Call for the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, MN

A Call for an Anti-Capitalist Bloc (Red & Black Bloc) at the RNC Protests September, 2008

Twin Cities, Minnesota * [email protected]

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On “Labor Day” 2008, and throughout the Republican National Convention (RNC), tens of thousands of people from our community and from across the Unites States resist the wholesale ownership of both political parties by corporate America and their parallel agendas of war, environmental devastation and corporate domination. The Anti-Capitalist Bloc will join these mobilizations not just to protest a bad president or failed policies, but in defiance of the whole system of exploitation and oppression: capitalism.

 


It is the inherent character of capitalism that is creating the current economic crisis. Tens of thousands of laid-off workers; millions of African American workers criminalized and incarcerated; thousands of homes in foreclosure; quickening inflation of gas and food prices; global climate change guised under the moniker of extreme weather; and a government-sponsored racket in immigrant workers whose communities can be terrorized by ICE with impunity. These are all signs of a system out of control - a system where the sins of the bosses are visited on working people, their communities, the land, air and water.

Capitalism thrives on war and cannot exist without the exploitation of working people
and the earth. The war in Iraq was not simply a blunder by W., but the extension of a long-term strategy of U.S. domination in that region. The forced displacement of the poor of New Orleans is a new episode in an old legacy of racist subjugation. The recent raids against immigrant workers show the insidious connection between racism, and the system's need for a low waged precarious workforce. Continued oppression of women and the hatred whipped up against the GLBT community are designed to reinforce an authoritarian patriarchal culture. The ongoing assault on the cultural sovereignty of Indigenous communities and the ongoing theft of native lands are not vestiges of an imperialist past - they are necessary conditions for the maximization of corporate profit and will not go away with a new law or a new president.

Not a conspiracy or mistaken policy, capitalism is a system in which a small ruling class profits from the labor of the working class majority. The stolen wealth is used to dominate the political system (including both major political parties), and finance a massive apparatus of repression, co-option and division necessary to maintain capitalist rule. While the earth warms, and bridges collapse, the capitalists continue to do whatever is necessary to increase their profits. To defeat their attacks we must defeat their entire system.

The Anti-Capitalist Bloc exists to create solidarity, take direct action, and prepare our class for a general strike and revolutionary change.
We advocate an economic system controlled collectively and democratically, and an end to the racism, sexism and violence of the capitalist system.

Is this a black bloc like in Seattle? No.
While remaining tactically flexible, our goal is not a confrontation with the police, but to raise the profile of organized working class direct action against capitalism.

**The Anti-Capitalist Bloc is independent from, but not competitive with or hostile to the RNC Welcoming Committee.**

Join Us Under the Red & Black flags of the Anti-Capitalist Bloc!

 

 

Schedule of Anti-Capitalist Bloc events:

The Circus Before The Circus! Saturday August 30th - Benefit Concert for the Starbucks Workers Union and Legal Defense Fund - 10:30 PM Bedlam Theatre 1501 S 6th St

Sunday August 31st - Rally to Protect the Right of Starbucks Workers to Organize Democratic Unions + Direct Action Against Capitalism - 1 PM at the Lake and Hiawatha light rail stop

Monday September 1st - Anti-capitalist Bloc in the March on the RNC To Stop the War - 10 AM Minnesota State Capital in St Paul - Look for the red and black flags

Tuesday September 2nd - Solidarity with Independent Truckers Fuel Protest - 10 AM Stockman's Truckstop: I-494 Exit 64a

Tuesday September 2nd - Anti-capitalist Bloc in the Poor People's Economic and Human Rights Campaign "March For Our Lives" - 3 PM at the corner of 6th & Sibley

Wednesday September 3rd - Panel Discussion: Anti-Capitalist Perspectives Across Movements - 10 AM at Macalester College [Fine Arts Lounge in the Fine Arts Building] Bagels and coffee - yum!

Macalester College • 1600 Grand Avenue • Saint Paul, MN 55105

 

To endorse, or to read the list of endorsing organizations, click here