Brazil: Organizing the Resistance from Below

Report from the Corrente Comunista Revolucionária (Section of the RCIT in Brazil), 3 December 2018, www.elmundosocialista.blogspot.com

The victory of right-wing extremist Jair Bolsonaro at the recent Presidential elections has massively shifted the relation of forces towards the counter-revolutionary putschists. It makes the creation of a united front of struggle – involving the PT, CUT, MST, MTST as well as the radical left – extremely urgent.

It is encouraging to see that there is also a spontaneous process of creation of local committees of action in order to build the resistance against the extremely right-wing government.

One example of such a local action committee is the one recently constituted in Heliópolis. This is the largest favela in Sao Paolo with about 100,000 inhabitants.

Last week, about 50 delegates came together in order to discuss the political situation as well as practical steps. Traditionally, the reformist PT is very strong in this community. However, the majority of the delegates were not organized activists of this party.

The meeting was initiated by two women who work as educators in the favela. There were also many women among the delegates.

A leading comrade of the CCR was invited to the meeting and asked to make a brief speech.

The meeting discussed about the necessity to organize resistance against the ultra-right project "Escola Sem Partido" (School Without Party) which shall encourage students to denounce leftists teachers. It resolved to create alliances with other similar committees in the country and to mobilize for future strikes and mass demonstrations. It also called the organizations of the workers movement to support the committee. Finally, it agreed on a date for the next meeting.

It is crucial to spread the creation of similar local action committees all over the country in order to build a strong mass resistance from below against the reactionary government. Such a movement must push the reformist leadership to organize a general strike against the Bolosaro government!