23 September 2020

The weekend school of Anti-Capitalist Resistance on the 12 & 13 September marked a positive step towards establishing ACR as a revolutionary Marxist organisation in England and Wales.

Over 75 people attended both days in what was a series of comradely and constructive discussions on Analysing the World Capitalist Crisis, Understanding the New Working Class, Building Resistance to Disaster Capitalism, and what are the next steps towards a new Anti-Capitalist Resistance organisation.

Comrades from Socialist Resistance, Mutiny, and independent activists were in agreement over the need to put forward a radical socialist alternative to the combined crisis of the economy, the pandemic, the rise of the far-right, and environmental devastation. In other words, the choice that we all face across the world is ecosocialism or disaster capitalism.

The immediate campaigning priorities that ACR supporters set themselves are: to oppose a Tory No-Deal Brexit and its disastrous consequences, to defend migrants in the increasingly hostile environment, and to mobilise around the COP 26 Climate Summit to keep the rise in global warming below 1.5°C by 2030.

The weekend school attracted new and old activists who see the need a new revolutionary Marxist organisation in the new political situation following the defeat of Corbynism in the Labour Party and an aggressive English nationalist government.

In the discussion on the next steps for ACR, those participating want to see an organisation that is a democratic revolutionary socialist, not a top-down ‘democratic-centralist’ organisation, and which is rooted in the struggles of the working class and the oppressed.

The general constructive and comradely conduct of the discussion is encouraging for the prospect of a new organisation. In the next few months, supporters of the project for the new organisation will be encouraging other activists to join ACR to contribute in shape it. A founding conference would then take place in the early part of 2021.

Socialist Resistance will continue collective participation in the ACR process, actively help in its establishment and fully participate in its internal life. Socialist Resistance supporters will maintain their current relationship with the Fourth International.

This article was originally published on the Socialist Resistance website.