IMT vs TPUSA: Help Fund the Forces of American Marxism!

Recently, a public meeting held by Socialist Revolution, the US section of the International Marxist Tendency, was ‘infiltrated’ by a member of the far-right group ‘Turning Point USA’. We encourage readers to watch the video made by Socialist Revolution in response to the vacuous 'exposé' produced by these reactionary idiots. It is clear that big sections of the US capitalist class, and its rabid dogs on the far right, are spooked by the increasing popularity of Marxism and communism, particularly among the young. Their fears are warranted! The comrades of Socialist Revolution are conducting a fundraising campaign to redouble their efforts to spread revolutionary ideas across the country. We encourage all our readers to support the comrades in this task!

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In the fall of 2022, over 300 revolutionary socialists registered to attend the 2022 Marxist Schools in cities across the US. These regional events, hosted by Socialist Revolution branches in Phoenix, Minneapolis, Atlanta, New York City, and Bellingham, WA, brought together comrades from more than 40 cities across 25 states.

The schools consisted of 30 sessions across ten days, discussing various topics of revolutionary theory, strategy, history, and perspectives for the period ahead. To commemorate the centenary of the founding of the Soviet Union, each school featured a session on the rise and fall of the USSR, the legacy of the October Revolution, and the material reasons for the subsequent Stalinist bureaucratic degeneration.

Another common theme discussed across the regions was the historic impasse of capitalism and the many factors that are propelling the US toward a revolutionary situation. These sessions highlighted the revolutionary nature of the epoch we’re living in today, and the urgent need to build the forces of Marxism into a serious point of reference for the millions of workers and young people who are drawing revolutionary conclusions.

These efforts represent the culminating point of this year’s #CommunismOnCampus campaign, which the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) is conducting across dozens of countries around the world. As a result of the global effort to systematically raise the banner of revolutionary Marxism, the IMT has come into contact with thousands of young workers and students who are interested in getting organized to fight for socialism in our lifetime.

As a result of the global effort to systematically raise the banner of revolutionary Marxism, the IMT has come into contact with thousands of young workers and students / Image Socialist Revolution

Our enemies take notice

The preparations for the Marxist Schools involved mobilizing comrades for systematic outreach and promotion, putting up hundreds of posters in public places across dozens of cities. In addition to the outpouring of support and interest this generated, our comrades also caught the attention of some of the most rabid sectors of the far right.

In September, three IMT comrades who were tabling on a University of Wisconsin campus in Madison were harassed by a group of five Turning Point USA (TPUSA) members. These far-right activists insulted and photographed the comrades in an attempt to intimidate them. One of the most vocal of TPUSA members was a self-professed “Catholic theocrat” and an antisemite who accused the comrades of being “funded by the Jews.”

A few weeks later, TPUSA sent an undercover agent to “infiltrate” a public meeting at the Marxist School in Minneapolis. As we show in our video, he collected secret footage of various sessions and discussions over the weekend, which mostly consisted of comrades calmly and articulately explaining our revolutionary ideas. This footage was then edited and served up on TPUSA’s daily show “Frontlines” in an exclusive report to uncover “the dangerous anti-American values” being discussed at the “Marxist training camp.” Lacking anything intelligent to say about our ideas, the conversation between the host and the “undercover reporter” quickly devolved into repulsive vitriol as they took turns spewing their hateful transphobia and boorish mockery of our comrades’ appearance and identity.

Fascists funded by billionaires

But their tone quickly changed whenever the conversation turned to the topic of finances. They repeatedly remarked with a sense of disbelief that the comrades gathered at the Minneapolis school managed to raise $79,000 in pledges for the Fighting Fund.

Not only did they raise $79,000 in less than an hour, but they give monthly! They give monthly so that they can have full time revolutionaries.

It was apparently unthinkable for these right-wingers that our political activities could be funded by the sacrifices of working-class youth, motivated only by a deep sense of revolutionary commitment.

Do I think that some of them truly believe that what they are pushing and teaching themselves, do I truly believe that they believe that this could work? I really do. But that just goes to show how far the indoctrination goes.

This kind of political commitment is naturally difficult to understand for members of the billionaire-funded TPUSA, which has an annual budget in excess of $50 million, provided exclusively by wealthy mega-donors of the right wing.

In addition to TPUSA, another hysterical right-wing outlet funded by billionaires, Campus Reform, published an overview of the various Marxist Schools organized by the IMT and included coverage of our international efforts around the #CommunismOnCampus campaign. Campus Reform describes its surveillance operations as an effort to “report on the proliferation of Marxist and other leftist influences in higher education.”

Though they attempt to put forward an image of being a mere network of conservative students, in reality, the outlet is run by the “Leadership Institute,” the notorious right-wing think tank that aims to “train freedom fighters to effectively defeat the radical Left.” Over the years, the Leadership Institute has received hundreds of millions in funding through foundations controlled by the notorious billionaire Koch brothers.

And although the Institute is a major player in mainstream conservative politics—having groomed the likes of Mitch McConnel, Karl Rove, and Mike Pence—it also provides training to extreme far-right elements. In 2016, the Huffington Post quoted a neo-Nazi activist, Matthew Heimbach, who attended the Leadership Institute and reportedly encouraged all the chapter leaders of his racist organization to attend the youth leadership courses put on by the Institute. In his words, “They trained this entire next generation of white nationalists.”

Marxism is on the rise… but we need your help!

Despite the efforts of fanatical trolls funded by reactionary billionaires, it is a fact that Marxism is on the rise in the US. For years, numerous polls have consistently indicated that tens of millions of young people view Marxism and communism in a favorable light. And this is ultimately because of the historic impasse of the capitalist system, which has long outlived its usefulness to humanity. No amount of right-wing propaganda can change that basic fact, which expresses itself as a deep-seated crisis in the foundations of society.

But it’s not enough for tens of millions to reject capitalism and have a positive opinion of revolutionary socialism. What is needed is to organize those millions into a serious revolutionary force that can transform society! For that, we need your help! We do not have the backing of billionaires. All our activity is funded exclusively by the dues, donations, and contributions of our members and sympathizers, who are confident that the International Marxist Tendency has a historic role to play in the present era.

Our financial independence guarantees our political independence. We are beholden to no one but our own comrades and the ideas of revolutionary Marxism. If you share the goal of living to see the end of capitalism and helping humanity to take the next step forward, we appeal to you to make a financial contribution through the form below to help our efforts, or better yet, become a member and join us in this fight!

Donate to Socialist Revolution here