[Los Angeles] The Fascist Threat, Then and Now
[Before going to our main topic, we’ll begin the meeting with a brief discussion of the Gaza war, for which people are invited to read the Statement of the Steering Committee of the IMHO, here https://imhojournal.org/articles/the-middle-east-and-the-world-after-october-7-and-israels-war-on-palestine/ or some of our subsequent articles, for example, here https://imhojournal.org/articles/clarifying-our-perspectives-on-palestine-and-israel-after-october-7/ and here https://imhojournal.org/articles/impact-of-israeli-genocidal-war-in-gaza-on-the-middle-east/ and here https://imhojournal.org/articles/los-angeles-march-for-gaza/
The U.S. presidential election is virtually certain to include the far right and neofascist Donald Trump as a candidate, who as of now is in a strong position. Meanwhile, India suffers under a Hindu revivalist government with increasingly fascist tendencies, Argentina has elected a far right president with clear fascist inclinations, while in France the neofascists are poised to do very well in the next election. How are we as Marxist-Humanists to think about the threat of fascism today? How can we fight the fascist threat without validating a liberal democracy so flawed that – the U.S. and Western Europe, it facilitates a genocidal war against the Palestinians? To what extent and how should we defend the democratic republic? This meeting will explore these issues via both a classic article by Leon Trotsky and more recent theorizations of the fascist threat by Karel Ludenhoff and Peter Hudis.
Speakers:
Jackson Aquino, LA student activist
Paul Kim, philosopher and student activist
Location:
Community Room (second floor – we regret no elevator or wheelchair accessibility — but see Zoom link for remote attendance)
The Original Farmers Market
6333 W. 3rd Street (corner Fairfax Ave., next to the Grove, 1.5 hrs free parking with food or drink purchase in Farmer’s Market lot. Use https://www.metro.net/riding/trip-planner/ for public transit.)
Los Angeles 90036
OR
Remotely on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82808838936?pwd=UEs2UHAzUTNnRUREek9UQ0hwblJJdz09
More Zoom details below
Suggested readings:
Leon Trotsky, “Bourgeoisie, Petty Bourgeoisie, and Proletariat: Jacobinism, Social Democracy and Fascism – The Political Programs of the Petty Bourgeoisie” (1932) https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1932/08/onlyroad2.htm
Karel Ludenhoff, “In the Ocean of Crisis: Right-Wing Populism and Awakening Fascism vs. Marxist-Humanism and Freedom” (2017)
Peter Hudis, “This Was No Joke—Trump’s Attempted Coup Against Democracy on January 6” (2021)
[Note: Watch for our April 28 meeting, topic TBA]
Sponsored by Los Angeles Chapter, International Marxist-Humanist Organization
More information: [email protected]
http://www.imhojournal.org https://www.facebook.com/groups/imhorg/ https://www.facebook.com/LAMarxists/
Consider a donation to the IMHO to support our work bit.ly/IMHO-DONATE
Zoom details
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82808838936?pwd=UEs2UHAzUTNnRUREek9UQ0hwblJJdz09
Meeting ID: 828 0883 8936
Passcode: 138950
One tap mobile
+16694449171,,82808838936#,,,,*138950# US
+16699009128,,82808838936#,,,,*138950# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location
- +1 669 444 9171 US
- +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
- +1 253 205 0468 US
- +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
- +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
- +1 719 359 4580 US
- +1 305 224 1968 US
- +1 309 205 3325 US
- +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
- +1 360 209 5623 US
- +1 386 347 5053 US
- +1 507 473 4847 US
- +1 564 217 2000 US
- +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
- +1 646 931 3860 US
- +1 689 278 1000 US
- +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
Meeting ID: 828 0883 8936
Passcode: 138950
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbvakZ9KUu
