Communist, socialist activists push 20-hour workweek, property seizures as presence at protests grows

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Communist and socialist activists are increasingly joining broader liberal protest movements by promoting a 20-hour work week, rent caps, private property seizures, and the confiscation of billionaires’ fortunes.

The proposals outlined in interviews with Fox News Digital at a recent rally in Minneapolis, if they come to fruition, would mark a dramatic shift from private ownership and free market principles to a worker-controlled model, fundamentally changing the United States as we know it.

The changes reflect a broader pattern identified in Fox News Digital reporting; far-left ideas were once considered outliers They are increasingly taking part in more mainstream protest movements, demonstrations mostly focused on workers’ and immigrants’ rights, as well as “No to Kings” protests.

Owen Phernington said, “We are building a party of professional class warriors who have taken a serious look at the system of capitalism and come to the conclusion that we need a revolution on a socialist basis.” Revolutionary Communists of America. He was holding a copy of the group’s newspaper, The Communist, and a sweater that read “Communism Will Win.”

Fox News Digital Analysis: How Minneapolis Agitator Networks Use Riot Tactics to Block Ice.

“This means handing over political and economic power to the working class.”

Read on the Fox News App

A May Day demonstration also highlighted how these different left groups operated within a broader context; Some marched behind immigrant rights organizers, while others worked on the sidelines of the rally, handing out literature and communicating directly with bystanders.

Phernetton said their vision was to bring factories, mines and businesses under collective control, limit rent to a small fraction of workers’ income, and use the seized wealth to finance government-backed health, education and housing.

Phernetton, who was walking on the edge of the main rally with other members handing out newspapers, said the changes would require a change. fundamental restructuring of the economy and called for the wealth of the wealthiest Americans to be taken away.

“Their wealth should be nationalized and used for the working class,” he said, while advocating a reduction in the working day to just 20 hours a week without any loss in wages.

When pressed about a potential productivity drop due to reduced working hours, he said, “I would say that if the economy works on schedule, productivity will actually increase,” adding that the working class will control all productivity.

Andy Koch, a member of the Freedom Trail Socialist Organization (FRSO), also argued that wealth and power should be taken away from the ultra-rich.

“The country is run by billionaires for billionaires,” he said.

But when asked about reports that some protest groups were receiving support from wealthy donors, Koch said he would welcome such funding.

“If a billionaire wants to donate to pro-worker progressive causes, that’s great,” he said.

CCP-Linked Millionaire Allegedly Funded Agitator Groups in Minneapolis Through Black Money Network

At another part of the march, a protester wearing a mask chanted “Down with Trump’s War!” He was standing on the pavement with a small group of people holding copies of the Communist newspaper. he openly interacted with the audience as the show went by.

“I’m a communist because workers create all the value in society, and we can’t have any of that under capitalism,” he said. He argued that rent should be capped at 10% of income, and rejected similar policies being challenged in cities such as: new York and California.

“The reason rent control doesn’t work is because it’s not under workers’ control… it doesn’t work under capitalism,” he said.

Cass Batica, another activist affiliated with the Revolutionary Communists of America, stands among demonstrators carrying Soviet-style flags and believes capitalism must be completely replaced.

“I have come to the conclusion that capitalism is not the way to go. We need socialism, we need communism for the workers of the world,” Cass Batica said, citing the Soviet Union as an example. he said.

The march, attended by Batica and other far-left protesters, was led by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC). Before the march, the committee gathered speakers in a public green space and unfurled a large banner that read “Legalization for All, Sanctuary State Now.”

While the speakers addressed the crowd, members of the Freedom Trail Socialist Organization stayed behind and were not featured in the main program, offering insight into their strategy within the demonstration. As the march began, they joined a larger crowd, lining up behind immigrant rights groups. None of them spoke at the podium.

Other activists acted more independently, positioning themselves along the sidewalks rather than the main body of the march.

Fox News Poll: Socialism Gains Ground Among Voters

Not every far-left supporter was part of an organization, including Caleb Batts, a 24-year-old who draped himself in a mixed-race LGBTQ pride and Soviet-style flag and described himself as a Marxist-Leninist.

“I love the road [Lenin] They structured the economy and I believe the growth they saw under that was incredible. I believe Chinese “He’s seen some of the same growth,” said Batts, who said he’s a business major.

“The capitalist revolution in the 18th century was good, it freed millions of people from the slavery of feudalism, and I think about 250 years later, capitalism has run its course and is no longer productive. I believe we need to evolve towards socialism as a society because we can afford it.”

Click Here to Download Fox News App

Batts also said he did not believe borders should exist; A similar sentiment was shared by members of groups like FRSO, who marched with signs calling for “No Deportation” and “ICE Out of Minnesota.”

“I believe the most productive human society will be one without borders,” he said.

““My belief is that we should develop towards socialism, where workers own the means of production, to communism, where the government owns the means of production, and then to anarchism, where we have a stateless, classless, moneyless society and work in neighborhoods.”

WATCH: Communist Party presence noted at Minneapolis May 1 demonstration

Original article source: Communist and socialist activists push for a 20-hour work week, property is seized as participation in protests increases