Democracia Obrera

United States imperialism has been shaken to the core by the revolutionary masses in Egypt and Tunisia. They realize that if their puppet Mubarak steps down now due to the pressure of the masses, all their puppet regimes in the region, if not around the world are immediately threatened by similar mass revolutionary risings. The Egyptian and Tunisian masses lead the way for the world proletariat. This is why United States imperialism, gathering all other imperialist forces behind them are determined to crush the Egyptian workers’ revolution. This is why even yesterday (Tuesday 1.2.2011), when millions of the masses were in the streets they sent paid groups of thugs and agents into the streets to try to disrupt the protest. They wrote Mubarak’s speech as a deliberate provocation, playing on the nationalist feelings of the masses, to sweep up part of the backward sections of the working class and trying to scare a section of the middle class into support for the regime or to turn against the revolution. On Wed 2nd February 2011 co-ordinated attacks by armed thugs, openly supported by the police, were launched on the unarmed masses in Tahrir square. They were trying to defeat the masses and were trying to give the impression that a sizeable portion of the Egyptian masses still support Mubarak. Al Jazeera and other capitalist press helped to create the impression that there was really mass support for Mubarak, and that Obama and US imperialism was not directing the actions of Mubarak but that Obama was really concerned about the suppression of the masses. The fascist thugs were beaten back by heroic resistance by the unarmed masses.

United States imperialism worked together with El Baradei, the Muslim Brotherhood, the April 6 movement and Mubarak to disarm the masses
Obama, El Baradei, the Muslim Brotherhood, the April 6 movement, even some supporters on the Socialist ‘left’, all praised the army. The army, together with some of the members of the Popular committees (influenced by the ‘leaders’) worked together to disarm the masses as they entered the Tahrir Square. US imperialism achieved its objective, namely when millions gathered all over Egypt, they were all disarmed and thus the question of the masses taking power was made impossible. The army is not uniform, there is the rank and file and then there are the officers. The officers are all tied to US imperialism and thus to Mubarak. Conveniently army trucks were left abandoned for open use by the thugs. We cannot say that the army as a whole supports the masses. They do not. There are class divisions in the army and the base must be won away from the officers. US imperialism worked with El Baradei and the Muslim Brotherhood to divert the mass protest into a exercise to blow off steam. Obama and the United Nations say the masses can blow off steam but cannot take the power in their own hands by their own revolutionary action.

El Baradei plays a treacherous role. On Tuesday when the masses wanted to march to the Presidential Palace, he ran away and spent the day talking to the US envoy. On Wednesday when he knew the masses were unarmed and kept in the open prison of Tahrir square, he called on them to defend the square with their bare hands against thugs who were armed to the teeth. Tahrir Square served its purpose as a mobilising centre but now it has become a prison for the masses to be disarmed by the army and to be slaughtered by fascist gangs of the state and imperialism.

Arm the masses: Now that imperialism has sent armed gangs into the streets there can be no question of the masses being unarmed. The coming 24 hour curfew by imperialism is to prepare an attack on the rank and file militants who have really led the revolution. There needs to be an immediate arming of the masses to defend themselves against the fascist thugs of the state and imperialism. The masses can not go to the square anymore without arms. The fight needs to turn against those institutions that are planning and sending the armed thugs against the masses. The revolutionary masses need to send the masses to the barracks to fetch their family members who are soldiers. These soldiers need to break with the officer caste who are with Mubarak and who refused to defend the unarmed masses against the armed thugs. Metal factories and the arms factories, all possible work needs to be done for the masses to get arms to defend themselves from the thugs and the imperialists who are directing them. The United Nations cannot be trusted because the troops they may send will also sit with folded arms while the masses are attacked. Just ask the masses in Rwanda about the track record of the UN. Preparation must be made for the masses to learn how to defend themselves against the armed thugs.
Set up local, regional and national command structure. The Popular Committees need to draw the lesson of their pacifism of the past and include delegates of the rank and file soldiers in their ranks, extend an armed workers militia as part of each committee. Ensure that there are workers delegates from all the factories and workplaces in their areas are represented. They should ensure that delegates of the unemployed and all sectors in struggle are part of their structures.
The national council of delegates from all the grassroots committees in struggle should immediately be called, which should set up a revolutionary provisional government. This provisional revolutionary government based on the grassroots committees should spearhead the fight to defeat the counter-revolution, to disperse every last part of the Mubarak regime and to take power into its own hands.
Take over the food supplies and distribution. The masses need to take over the existing supplies of food from the capitalist companies and call for support from the smaller trader. The capitalist supermarkets and all capitalist food distribution companies should be taken over. Food and its distribution should be placed under workers control (agricultural and urban workers).
Any large capitalist company and bank that refuses to pay workers their wages must be taken over by the workers. All the large companies and banks have made massive profits over the years because of the repressive Mubarak regime.
Take over all public transport and capitalist company vehicles. If there are reports of attacks by thugs, there should be a transport system to move defence committees quickly to the defence of the masses. It follows that the oil stocks must be taken over so that the workers defence committees are able to move at all times.
International Solidarity: The best international solidarity is for the masses of the world to draw the lessons of the pacifism of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt so far, and to launch similar revolutions against their own imperialist puppet leaders in the semi-colonies, and against their own imperialist in the advanced countries. There should be mass protests at every United States and Egyptian embassy around the world, voicing support for the Egyptian revolution and condemning the brutal counter-revolution of imperialism. Workers at the docks and transport workers should prevent any weapons reaching the murderous Mubarak regime. The masses in Gaza should unite with the Egyptian masses and tear down the Rafah border. Our war cry is: Hands off the Egyptian and Tunisian masses, hands off the grassroots committees of action. Down with Obama, Down with imperialist puppets everywhere!.
We call for an urgent conference of revolutionary workers organizations and internationalist Trotskyists to be held in Egypt to refound a revolutionary International, which for us is the Fourth International. Let us send workers brigades to support the fight of the revolutionary Egyptian masses at the barricades. We know that imperialism will try all their dirty tricks to kill off the revolution. Now is the time for the world proletariat to stand up and be counted.

South Africa: Workers International Vanguard League
Bolivia: LTI
Peru: LTI
Argentina: LOI-CI
Brazil: Liaison Comittee calling for the refounding of the Fourth Internacional
Chile: POI-CI
Zimbabwe: WIL-FI (candidate membership)

United States imperialism launches the counter-revolution to attempt to crush the heroic Egyptian masses