By Ramón Mercader

[from the kites April Fool’s Day 2024 online issue]

On March 8^th, 2024 at the People’s Forum in New York City, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) held an International Women’s Day celebration titled “Women, Nonbinary, and Trans Folx in the US for Forcible Hijabs in Iran!” In his keynote address to the celebration, Brian Becker explained that “since the Islamic Republic of Iran is at odds with US imperialism, all of its policies must be understood as anti-imperialist. So when the Iranian revolutionary government insists that all women must wear hijabs in public, this is a defiant act of resistance against US imperialism. When the Iranian government imprisons women for not wearing hijabs, this is anti-imperialism. And when women decide they do not want to wear hijabs, it is because the CIA is paying them.”

Another speaker at the event, Gloria La Riva, gave a talk titled “Why the Kurdish people are not an oppressed nation.” La Riva explained that “while the Kurdish people fit the Marxist-Leninist criteria of an oppressed nation, the Kurdish liberation movement does not fit with our analysis of who the good guys and who the bad guys are in the world today, so the Kurdish people are not an oppressed nation.” La Riva also suggested that Mahsa Amini, who was jailed and tortured to death by the Iranian authorities, was likely a CIA plant trying to stir up trouble rather than a defiant Kurdish woman whose hijab happened to be a little crooked on September 13^th, 2022.

Claudia de la Cruz, presidential candidate for the PSL in the 2024 election, also addressed the crowd. She explained that while the PSL did not expect to win the presidential race, or even really compete in it, running for president fit into its strategic conception of revolution as anything other than the armed overthrow of the ruling class. After her rousing words, the PSL’s Manhattan real estate agent pledged a $10,000 campaign donation, saying that he couldn’t wait to see more of the same-style, same-font signs around town that the PSL (and Workers World Party) have been known for for decades.

The kites reporting team at this event sought interviews with audience members to understand the appeal of the PSL’s politics. While most people we approached claimed they had social anxiety and were only comfortable interacting with people online, a few agreed to comment. Rhea Al Blockhead ardently defended the celebration’s title: “In the US, challenging gender norms is a revolutionary act. In Iran, it’s completely reactionary and siding with US imperialism.” Blockhead added that “using the event title as a slogan for memes was also a good way to make me feel edgy online.” Edie Josie had little to say about the content of the talks, but appreciated being part of the audience: “I spend a lot of time online, and this event felt like my Twitter feed but in real life.” Jimmy Higgins explained what drew him to the PSL even before this event: “As a member of the PSL, I really don’t have to think that much, I don’t have to talk to people outside my Leftist circle of friends, and I don’t ever have to risk arrest if I don’t want to. It’s the right level of commitment for joining a revolutionary socialist organization.”