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The International Communist League (ICL)
An Association of Maoist and/or Gonzaloist Political Parties and Organizations
The International Communist League is an association of parties and organizations of one trend within the world Marxist-Leninism-Maoist revolutionary movement. It has an Internet newspaper called the Communist International which is online at: ci-ic.org
We are still looking at its documents and positions, but it seems that the ICL and many of the parties and organizations which are part of it are highly sympathetic to the line and approach of the Communist Party of Peru (also known as “Shining Path” to distinguish it from other parties using the name CPP) which was led by Abimael Guzmán [“Chairman Gonzalo”] until his capture by the Peruvian government in 1992. Chairman Gonzalo died in prison in 2021, but the CPP which he once led still exists, although it may now itself have several factions. All the parties and organizations in the ICL seem to believe that the only valid strategy for revolution in any and every country today is what Mao called “People’s War”, and apparently all of them reject (even for advanced capitalist countries such as the United States, Britain and Germany) the Leninist strategy of education and organization of the workers and masses until it becomes possible to lead an insurrection (which would then most likely be followed by civil war).
[Further introduction to be added as we learn more about the ICL.]
If you know of other statements or documents that should be posted here, contact us at: freespeech@bannedthought.net
Major Documents:
- “Historical News of the Successful Holding of the Unified Maoist International Conference: The International Communist League was Founded!”, 30 pages, not dated, but probably prepared in late 2022. Curiously, this document fails to give much of an explanation of exactly what they mean by their central strategy of “People’s War”. (For example, is it precisely the same in every country today as what Mao and the CCP used in China, including the countryside surrounding the cities? And does “People’s War” imply urban guerrilla warfare in highly urbanized countries?) The English translation here, downloaded from their website on Jan. 9, 2023, is somewhat rough. This document is signed by the following organizations, many of which are probably very small:
Committees for the Foundation of the (Maoist) Communist Party of Austria (KG(m)KPÖ) [Austria]
Communist Party of Brazil (P.C.B.) [Brazil]
Red Fraction of the Communist Party of Chile (FRPCCh) [Chile]
Communist Party of Colombia (Red Fraction) (PCC(FR)) [Colombia]
Poder Proletário – M-L-M Party Organization Colombia (PP-OP-MLM) [Colombia]
Communist Party of Equator – Red Sun (PCE-SR) [Ecuador]
Maoist Committee in Finland (MKS) [Finland]
Maoist Communist Party (PCM) [French State]
Committee Red Flag (KRF) [Federal Republic of Germany]
Committee for the Reconstitution of the Communist Party of Mexico (CR-PCM) [Mexico]
Serve the People – Communist League of Norway [Norway]
Communist Party of Peru (PCP) [Peru]
Maoist Communist Party (PCM) [Spanish State]
Communist League of Sweden [Sweden]
Communist Party of Turkey/ Marxist-Leninist (TKP/ML) [Turkey]
English: Searchable PDF format [271 KB]Statements and Other Documents:
- [To be added...]
Comments On, or Criticisms of, the ICL from Other Sources:
- “It Is Quite Wrong Today to Try to Create a New Communist International, which Applies Democratic Centralism”, by the Kommunistiska Arbetarföreningen/Communist Workers’ Union, of Sweden, February 28, 2023, 25 pages. Searchable PDF format [258 KB]; Open Office format [55 KB]
- “Communiqué on the UMIC and the ICL”, by the Construction Committee of the Maoist Communist Party of Galicia, January 19, 2023, 2 pages. Searchable PDF format [563 KB]
- “On the Announced Formation by the International Communist League”, by the Central Committee, Communist Party of the Philippines, January 18, 2023, 3 pages. Searchable PDF format [119 KB]
- “Notes on the Founding Declaration of the International Communist League (ICL)”, by the Revolutionary Communists, Norway (RK), January 6th, 2023, 17 pages. A critical review and commentary. Available in official English and Norwegian translations, and in unofficial Spanish and Chinese translations (which should be verified against the English or Norwegian versions). English: Searchable PDF format [140 KB]
“Merknader til Stiftelseserklæringen til den Internasjonale Kommunistiske Foreningen (IKF)”, the official RK translation into Norwegian, is available at: https://www.maoisme.no/2023/02/merknader-til-stiftelseserklaeringen-til-den-internasjonale-kommunistiske-foreningen-ikf/
A Spanish translation (unofficial) is available on the “Dazibao Rojo” blog at: https://dazibaorojo08.blogspot.com/2023/01/noruega-notas-sobre-la-declaracion.html
A Chinese translation (unofficial) is available at: https://www.maoisme.no/2022/02/%e5%85%b3%e4%ba%8e%e6%88%90%e7%ab%8b%e5%9b%bd%e9%99%85%e5%85%b1%e4%ba%a7%e4%b8%bb%e4%b9%89%e8%81%94%e7%9b%9f%ef%bc%88icl%ef%bc%89%e7%9a%84%e5%a3%b0%e6%98%8e/- “Why Did the Communist Workers’ Union (mlm) Not Participate in the Maoist International Conference Organized by the CCIMU?”, by the Communist Workers’ Union of Colombia (mlm), Dec. 27, 2022, 3 pages. Searchable PDF format [65 KB]; Open Office format [28 KB]
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