A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #365 - International - Black Rose/Rosa Negra: "State threats make some more reluctant to act" (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Since the beginning of the year, Trump has spared no effort in his fight 
against his political opponents. He doesn't hesitate to send in the army 
to hunt down migrants or to violently suppress the slightest expression 
of dissent against his policies. Since the assassination of influencer 
Charlie Kirk, he has even sought to ban "  antifa  " and Democrats, 
whatever that means. A member of the American organization Black 
Rose/Rosa Negra agreed to answer our questions to provide an update on 
the situation.

Can you briefly describe the political situation in the United States  ?

Trump returned to power, this time with a much more competent and 
unified team of advisors. Since then, his administration has unleashed a 
deluge of executive orders. His allies in Congress have passed 
legislation that drastically reduces social protections while 
dramatically increasing anti-immigrant policies and border patrol. 
Militarized raids have taken place in cities with high concentrations of 
migrants, and in some cases, Trump has mobilized the National Guard and 
the Marine Corps to participate.

The centrist Democratic Party did little to counter this authoritarian 
assault, relying mainly on lower courts to temporarily block certain 
laws. But the Supreme Court is now controlled by the far right and 
consistently rules in favor of Trump.

It was in this context that the assassination of Charlie Kirk took place 
on September 10. Kirk was a far-right podcaster and social media 
influencer who rose to prominence through the far-right youth 
organization he founded, Turning Point USA. He was known for his racist, 
misogynistic, and transphobic provocations. Kirk was also a close ally 
of Trump and is credited with increasing the youth vote for the right 
wing. He also raised millions of dollars for Trump's reelection 
campaign. This high-profile assassination follows other recent political 
killings, including those of lower-ranking officials such as Democratic 
politician Melissa Hortman and her husband in June.

Little is known about the motives of Kirk's killer, Tyler Robinson: the 
shotgun shells he allegedly used bore references to obscure internet 
memes, video games, and the Italian folk song Bella Ciao . Even before 
the killer's identity was discovered, the far right began claiming it 
was the work of the left, fanning the flames of reaction and calling for 
state repression.

How does this affect you as revolutionary activists  ?

The immediate response from the right was to call for the elimination of 
the center and the left (which they, incidentally, struggle to 
distinguish). Vice President JD Vance made a dramatic appearance on 
Kirk's podcast a few days after the assassination, during which he 
threatened that the state would begin using every mechanism at its 
disposal to "  go after the left .  " The initial targets appear to be 
center-left NGOs, but it is likely he will extend his efforts to other 
left-wing political organizations if successful.

Black Rose/Rosa Negra is an anarcho-communist organization that was 
created in 2014 in the United States.
For us, activists of the revolutionary left, we see the need to take the 
legal question of self-defense, security, and preparing ourselves to 
protect ourselves by other means much more seriously. We recognize that 
it is not possible to rely on the courts and lawyers to defend us, 
especially when the state has shown an increasing willingness to act 
absolutely to achieve its ends. Furthermore, we want to avoid the 
tendency to emphasize secrecy and anonymity to enhance our ability to 
function as a visible force for revolutionary ideas and strategies. 
Nevertheless, all measures seem worth exploring at this time.

It also remains to be seen what outcome these events will have on our 
grassroots organizing efforts. I can share anecdotally that the 
increased threats from the state and the right wing have already made 
some people more reluctant to act, creating difficulties for the 
campaigns I participate in as a union activist.

How did the population react  ?

The reaction was mixed. The most politically active individuals were the 
most vocal, as expected. This included approval of Kirk's assassination 
by some on the left and calls for revenge from many on the right. These 
exchanges took place primarily on social media, where rhetoric is 
generally heightened and exaggerated. The more radical left remained 
largely silent, quietly disapproving of individual terrorism as a tactic 
while acknowledging that Kirk was an outspoken reactionary whose 
presence would not be missed.

Aside from the highly politicized segment of the population, most simply 
accepted that this was just another murder, albeit a more publicized 
one, in a society already overwhelmed by violence and fractured by 
political polarization. For example, on the very day Kirk was murdered, 
a 16-year-old who had expressed sympathy for neo-Nazis started a 
shooting at his high school in Colorado.

What are your perspectives and your role in this crisis situation  ?

Our role remains the same, but with a new emphasis on self-defense and 
security. We must first focus on articulating a positive revolutionary 
vision, grounded in principles of collective freedom and solidarity, to 
win over those who are desperate and angry at the system of domination 
and exploitation in which we live. As American society becomes 
increasingly torn apart by the contradictions emerging from this system, 
a segment of the population, still small but growing, is becoming 
receptive to revolutionary alternatives, both on the right and the left.

To win over this segment of the population to our project of social 
revolution and to counter the fascists who see the same opportunity, we 
must be able to present a concrete strategy. This takes concrete form 
through our work within social movements that engage and organize our 
class around their daily problems at work, in their neighborhoods, or at 
school. Currently, this mostly resembles defending the existing gains 
won by previous social movements, but it also requires building the 
capacity and confidence to move forward.

Interview by Alexis (UCL International Relations Committee)

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Black-Rose-Rosa-Negra-Les-menaces-de-l-Etat-rendent-certain-es-plus-reticent-es
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