Red Guards (United States)

Red Guards
Dates of operation	2015-2018
Motives	Reconstitution of CPUSA and initiation of a protracted people's war in the United States.
Ideology	Marxism–Leninism–Maoism
Status	Inactive
Size	~200
Opponents	Democratic Socialists of America Party for Socialism and Liberation Other local opportunist nominally "socialist" organizations

The Red Guards in the United States were a collection of decentralized Marxist–Leninist–Maoist organizations.

The priorities of the US Red Guards included a strong opposition to reformism, and eventual initiation of a protracted people's war against the government.

History

Formation

The Red Guard movement in the United States first originated in the city of Los Angeles, California, when in 2015, communists that were previously participating in an effort to reconstitute the CPUSA based around Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology split.

Anti-electoralism during the 2016 election

Members of Red Guards Austin.

At around the time of the 2016 election in the United States, the Red Guards began to escalate both their rhetoric and tactics, with Red Guards beginning to take militant action against far-right supporters, and calling on voters to boycott the presidential election and instead take revolutionary actions against the bourgeois democracy.

Later activities

After the conclusion of the presidential election, and in the immediate years following it, the Red Guards would largely maintain their anti-reformist rhetoric and anti-fascist stance, with the Austin Red Guards publishing a statement which called on other collectives to begin "militarization," and declaring that "the war is not coming, it is here and now." At this time, the Red Guards further intensified their attempts at creating and expanding aligned-cells. However, also at this point, the Red Guards would soon begin to direct criticism and even take forceful action against organizations which failed to adhere to a similar Maoist line, which included reformist "socialists" and even other nominal communists, with their tactics beginning to encapsulate what has been described by their enemies as "street gang tactics."

Red Guard graffiti.

Around this time, members of a Red Guards chapter would attack and otherwise disrupt organizing efforts from revisionist groups like Democratic Socialists of America.

Statements of dissolution

Following increasing controversy over alleged attacks on DSA and other organizations by Red Guards, along with other reasons, on December 17, 2018, a Red Guards Austin (RGA) WordPress account published the statement, "this project has reached its conclusion, we are no more." A Red Guards Los Angeles (RGLA) WordPress published a similar statement on May 17, 2019, stating, "Red Guards Los Angeles, as of today, is no more."

With the largest and most influential Red Guard collectives disbanded, most other Red Guards followed suit and dispersed.

Further reading

• If You Don’t Dare to Struggle, You Don’t Deserve to Win, by the Tampa Maoist Collective

See also

• Sunbelt thesis
• Red Guard Party

External links

• Red Guards Austin
• Red Guards Kansas City
• Red Guards Charlotte
• Tampa Maoist Collective