By Luis Meiners ISL US
On April 15 a group of heavily armed protesters stood on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol building in public defiance and rejection of stay-at-home measures. Over the following days, similar actions took place in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Idaho, Arizona, Ohio, Maryland and Texas. On Friday Trump cheered them all forward calling on twitter to “liberate” certain states and defended them again during his briefing on Sunday. The protests come at a moment in which both governments and big business have more openly started to express their desire to open the economy as quickly as possible.
The situation created by the combination of the pandemic and a deepening economic crisis is one of increased polarization. Over the past weeks we have witnessed an important wave of working-class resistance in workplaces and neighborhoods. Now, it is conservative and ultra-right organizations that are trying to seize the moment.
The meaning of the protests
The current protests have been compared to those that sparked the Tea Party movement in 2009. Both responded to a situation of economic and political crisis by mobilizing a right-wing conservative base. Much of this movement later fed into the Trump campaign. Not surprisingly, anti-lockdown protesters wear Trump hats and t-shirts and while waving confederate flags.
The main demand put forward by demonstrators is the immediate end of stay-at-home measures. It is presented in an inflamed denialist rhetoric that combines many of the typical themes of ultra-right conservative groups. Amongst the groups calling the protests are organizations with strong ties to right wing organizations and the republican party. The Michigan Freedom Fund, for example, is linked to cabinet member Betsy DeVos. Extreme proto fascist white supremacist groups like the Proud Boys and the Michigan Liberty Militia were also present. These protests are being backed by not-for-profit organizations that are funded by right wing millionaires who have clear economic interests in opening up the economy.
Not surprisingly, the movement has been launched at the same moment in which Trump and several governors make a push towards relaxing stay-at-home measures with disregard to the underlying flaws in testing and healthcare capability. These fundamental flaws are linked to the for-profit system that is completely unfit to deal with the pandemic. Republican governors of six southern states have formed a coalition to take steps in this direction.
Polarization
With further right wing protests in the upcoming days and massive media coverage of these actions despite the fact that they have not drawn massive crowds to the street, it is important not to lose sight of the overall dynamics of class struggle that the current crisis has brought about. Undoubtedly, the political situation will tend become more polarized. But thus far, the most dynamic element of the general situation has been increased working class response to the crisis through a growing strike wave.
On Tuesday, Amazon workers went on a national strike action demanding a response to the growing number Covid19 cases in the warehouses while the company declares record earnings. Hundreds of workers from at least 50 warehouses across the country are taking part in the massive call out. On April 15nurses staged a national day of action for protective equipment and working conditions. Not only has their struggle continued, but they have also been in the frontline facing right wing protesters in Denver and Phoenix. In New York, a protest caravan of migrant workers took the streets demanding Democratic governor Cuomo to give a response to the communities most hardly hit by both Covid19 and the economic crisis.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to push forward a right-wing agenda in the midst of the crisis, further polarizing the situation. On Monday night he tweeted that he would restrict immigration rights through an executive order. And on Wednesday he used twitter to threaten Iran with military action. Democrats don´t lag behind, with Biden´s campaign taking on Trump for being “too soft” on China.
The need for a socialist response
As the crisis deepens, we can expect these trends to continue unfolding. People´s lives have been upended and there are no signs things will get better any soon. All the deep inequalities upon which the capitalist system is built have been exposed in their most brutal expressions. Millions are rightfully enraged.
While Republicans and Democrats give away billions of dollars in big business bailouts, more that 22 million people have lost their jobs, an estimate of 35 million have lost their health insurance and millions more are increasingly worried they are going to come next. While the working class suffers the hardest consequences of the crisis, small businesses are also struggling to survive. Against this backdrop, the right tries to gain ground by channeling frustration and anger, targeting it towards stay-at-home measures.
While they have not yet been successful, with a deepening crisis and both the media and mainstream politicians pulling the public debate to the right, they might get bolder. The wave of working-class radicalization has been steering anger towards the bosses, acting as an effective barrier against the growth of the right wing.
This makes the need for a socialist response even more urgent. Only socialists can provide a way out of a debate which leaves people with the choice between their lives and their livelihoods. This can only be achieved by putting people´s health and livelihoods before profits. We must first stand the ground that nobody will go to work until general safety conditions are guaranteed. This means that we must stand with the struggles of essential workers fighting in hospitals, grocery stores, warehouses and other workplaces for all the safety measures needed. It also means that all workers must be guaranteed fully payed sick leave. We must fight back against the bosses and the governments that want to send everyone back to work. We need to demand radically expanded testing before any move towards opening the economy is made. Even more, we can´t let this decision be left to the governments and bosses, all decisions regarding stay-at-home measures should be taken by democratic organs in which the voices of healthcare workers, scientists and workers in general stand above profit driven interests. We must demand that all workers continue receiving their full wages, and regular monthly payments for everyone unable to work due to the pandemic or unemployed, regardless of their immigration status. All rent, mortgage and utility payments must be suspended. We stand with healthcare workers and demand a fully nationalized healthcare system and an emergency budget to face the pandemic. All this is possible if we make billionaires, like Jeff Bezos of Amazon, who are even becoming richer in this crisis, pay for it.
Socialist must make it clear that the ruling class and both of its parties are responsible for the present situation. Their policies built the current health crisis by undermining the healthcare system´s capacity to respond. They took the political and economic decisions that brought us here. We won´t go back to “normal”, those are the conditions that brought us here.