The West Still Fears the Bolsheviks

Although it's been over a century since the 1917 Russian Revolution, scrolling through social media might make you feel as though Lenin and Stalin have just seized power. A new Red Scare is emerging, with both historical revolutionaries and modern-day Marxist-Leninists becoming targets in the capitalists' crosshairs. 

As conditions deteriorate for Americans during yet another election that offers little improvement to the lives of the working class, the rise of a new political party is prompting the Western media to intensify its anti-communist rhetoric. Domestic attacks by the FBI and local police departments are also increasing against organizations and groups for having any semblance of a connection to the country formerly controlled by the Bolsheviks. Whether it is on social media or having your home raided by federal agents, in the future we may all look back on 2024 as the beginning of a new, total crackdown on Communists in the United States. 

How the Mighty Have Fallen

There has always been a pattern in U.S. political discourse where both Republicans and Democrats have historically used anti-Communist rhetoric, though they do so in different ways. The political Right tends to label progressive movements or policies as "socialist" or "communist," particularly in debates over social programs, LGBTQ+ rights, or economic regulations. Meanwhile, the political Left often criticizes countries like China and Russia on the basis of human rights or authoritarianism, distancing themselves from Soviet-style communism, while upholding liberal capitalist ideals. 

The difference in our present moment is that new actors are now speaking up against Communism, even those who were once unwittingly among the biggest critics of Western imperialism. One notable example is the recent heel turn of Kim Schmitz, better known by his online persona Kim Dotcom. Kim has been on the run from U.S. authorities over his website MegaUpload being charged with violating copyright laws. Kim has long been an outspoken critic of Western imperialism and worked to expose how they use their power to censor opposing voices. Yet, Kim suddenly changed his tune and instead began an onslaught of tweets attacking the Bolsheviks, as though he were tweeting live from the 1917 revolution. 

Kim tweeted the following on September 3rd: “The largest slaughter of innocent life in history was the Bolshevik Revolution with 60 million dead. Understand what happened and who was responsible and you’ll know what’s coming.” Kim went from supporting the Special Military Operation in Ukraine to slandering the Bolsheviks while many of the Russian military members still don the hammer and sickle. 

What would lead someone to publish textbook imperialist lies after being one of the biggest critics of Western disinformation? Two weeks before Kim’s tweets, it was announced that his time in New Zealand might be ending soon as their government agreed to extradite Kim to the United States to face punishment for the crimes brought upon him over his time with MegaUpload. With over 1.6 million followers and as an authoritative voice on cybersecurity, was Kim given the choice to either get in line with the new Red Scare or face extradition? It is interesting that since the news of his extradition was released, Kim has barely tweeted, but that, when he has, it is not the same critical voice opposing Western imperialism and control of the media.

Instead, Kim now appears to be a standard conservative voicing their support for Trump in the upcoming election. Since Kim took this new approach of not criticizing anyone except Kamala Harris and the LGBT community, news of his extradition has been muted. For someone like Kim, it would be hard to believe he defanged himself without any outside influence. 

Hit Piece on the American Communist Party

The attacks from the Imperialist media is not limited to past Communist movements, and they are equally taking steps to manufacture an incorrect image of modern Communist organizations. Following the American Communist Party’s launch in July, there has been no shortage of attacks against the newly formed party. While attacks from internet “leftists” were to be expected, the mass media quickly took the opportunity to disparage the American Communist Party (ACP).

On September 15, CNN released a video titled “MisinfoNation: The Lost Left”. The description of the video reads, “O’Sullivan meets former “Bernie Bros,” whose disillusionment with politics has led them to embrace far-right extremism. Some of them spend most of their waking hours online playing video games, say they feel left behind in the United States, and are now embracing conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, and even Vladimir Putin.”

As anyone familiar with the manipulation tactics of the Western media, the leadership of the ACP was not fairly portrayed, and the selective clips of an interview with Jackson Hinkle point to an obvious hit-job. Would it not be beneficial to anyone seeking to learn about an organization to interview the leader of said group? That would be considered fair journalism; so of course, we had no footage of ACP Executive Chairman Haz Al-Din explaining the motives and goals of the ACP, even though an interview was conducted with Al-Din.

Even the description of the video misleads viewers, fostering a negative perception of the ACP even if they don't bother to actually watch the content. The ACP has only been around for two months, yet the Western media wasted no time tarnishing the ACP as nothing more than a new group of radical, online socialists who are only different insofar that they are also "white supremacists." 

Where are the critical documentaries of The Communist Party USA, Democratic Socialists of America, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the numerous other “socialist” organizations that claim to be anti-imperialist but routinely take the same positions as one faction of the bourgeoisie they claim to vehemently oppose? These groups have had a significant head start compared to the ACP, but never has there been such a coordinated attack against any of them at the hands of the American media. Now that they have begun their attacks against the ACP, in hopes people will shrug them off when they eventually notice the work ACP does, we can expect the accusations to increase in frequency and absurdity. 

Associated with Russia? You’re in Danger Too

Whether online or in-person, having an opinion that conflicts with the United State’s policy of war and terror is now exposing yourself to possible retribution from the state. The Uhuru Movement has been fighting a years-long battle against the U.S. government for this reason. 

The Uhuru Movement is a political and social organization led by the African People's Socialist Party (APSP), founded by Omali Yeshitela. The group advocates for the liberation and self-determination of Black people worldwide, particularly those of the wide-ranging African diaspora. In 2023, they were accused of acting on behalf of the Russian government in a campaign aimed at spreading pro-Russian propaganda and influencing local elections. 

The case of the Uhuru Movement was settled on September 12 this year as a federal jury delivered a mixed verdict in the case involving four members of the Uhuru group, convicting them of conspiring with Russian agents but acquitting them of the more serious charge of acting as agents of a foreign government. While Yeshitela feels this was a positive ending in the verdict, the hardship imposed on the Uhuru Movement by the federal government should be seen as a warning to others in the United States who voice their opposition to U.S. imperialism. It is important to ask, would the verdict in the Uhuru Movement have been the same if the mainstream media also conducted a documentary-style hit piece on them?

While we cannot be sure, it is definitely clear that we are in a new Red Scare that is going to try to drag down all anti-imperialist voices in the coming years.