Patriotic Socialist Front 'Rages Against The War Machine'
The Rage Against the War Machine machine rally in Washington D.C. was a fantastic success, not only for the anti-war movement but also as the first public demonstration of the Patriotic Socialist Front. Before arriving in Washington, comrades from the PSF went to visit East Palestine to participate in a mutual aid endeavor. President Joe Biden has claimed “there was not a request for me to go out”1 to visit the town and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg arrived on the scene well after the PSF and other patriotic organizations had already been in the town to help the suffering community. Ohio Senate GOP spokesperson Tom Evans noted that Buttigieg was “wearing dress shoes to East Palestine”2 during his visit. While the forces of reaction were ignoring a town that has been poisoned by corporate interests or treating the suffering of the people as a mere photo opportunity, Patriotic Socialist Front comrades were meeting with locals, distributing clean water to needy families, and spreading the message of political solutions to the masses. While the political class was visiting Kiev to send billions more taxpayer dollars to the illegitimate Kiev junta, the PSF was there to help actual Americans who were in need.
Following the first of what will be many examples of direct community aid, PSF comrades and friends met in Washington to prepare for the anti-war rally. Gathering together, we brought leaflets, stickers, and flags to the rally. Several thousand people from a broad coalition of the Left and Right came together to oppose the continued warmongering of the military-industrial complex and the ever-increasing threat of a nuclear conflict between the West and the Russian Federation. When we arrived, it was inspiring to see folks who may have a number of political differences, but who were able to put them aside for the purpose of promoting peace between nations. While I certainly have many critiques of Libertarians and some of the Leftist groups that were in attendance, solidarity ruled the day.
Various photos from the protest.
We were interviewed by journalists from Russia, the United States, Germany, and elsewhere; providing a great opportunity to give our perspective on the ongoing conflict, NATO expansion, and the persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Our words and images were broadcast on traditional media outlets and social media to millions of people, providing a great launch for the Patriotic Socialist Front.
Mathew Heimbach interview with News2Share.
The only folks there who weren’t in solidarity were a collection of Antifa “journalists” who decided that they wanted to spend their time mocking other attendees and coming over to try to grill us. The motley crew of antifascists refused to take a position of opposing increased military funding and aid to Ukraine, refused to condemn NATO aggression, and also refused to condemn the persecution of Russian Orthodox believers by the Kiev government. While neocons and anarchists may appear on paper to be opposed to one another, at the end of the day both these sides support imperialism and oppression of any group that opposes Western domination. It would not be an endorsement of our specific platform for them to say “I oppose the war and the military-industrial complex” but all of the antifa decided to stay steadfast on refusing to condemn actual American-funded neo-nazi war criminals, to the surprise of no one.
One of the best parts of the day, besides the speakers, was the number of people who came up to speak with us. While some folks were initially unsure about our organization, we made plenty of friends and connections after being given the time to speak with them and explain what we actually believed. Shaking hands with Socialists, even a few anarchists, and conservatives, all in the promotion of peace, was an inspiring time. Holding the banner of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation, and the Russian Imperial flag, our comrades sought to recreate an example of the National Salvation Front, the movement of communist, Orthodox, and nationalist movements that united against the illegitimate regime of Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s. The National Salvation Front was a coalition of forces that cared for the people, socially, economically, and politically; the exact opposite of the traitors that sought to sell out the Soviet people in exchange for rich oligarchs and Pizza Hut locations in Moscow.
Following the rally, we marched back to our hotel and had the pleasure of attending the Center for Political Innovation summit that was held that evening. Caleb Maupin brought together a great set of musicians, speakers, and people from the rally for a night of fraternity, socializing, and solidarity. While CPI is an organization that is clearly separate from PSF, I have nothing but respect for the work that Caleb Maupin has done in his fight for working families and against imperialism. PSF comrades listened with interest to representatives from the Uhuru Movement and had a great time discussing with them after their presentation the original Rainbow Coalition and ways that White and Black socialists can work together against oppression. Friends from New Frontier also attended the rally and CPI event and it was great to make new friends and connections that shall certainly create new opportunities for cooperation in the future. Overall, the Rage Against the War Machine rally was a fantastic time and is only the beginning of the public work for the Patriotic Socialist Front.
PSF at CPI and with the Uhuru movement.
Footnotes
1 https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/24/politics/joe-biden-east-palestine/index.html
2 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/buttigieg-mocked-appearing-wear-dress-boots-while-ground-east-palestine-ohio