The umpteenth brutal murder, in early January, of the young African-American Tire Nichols at the hands of the US police, this time in Memphis (Tennessee), tragically demonstrates what we have never ceased to reiterate, year after year, decade after decade. Racism is not a "color" issue, but a class issue: as is known, the five uniformed murderers are African-Americans like their victim. Other chickens come home to roost: the police, the "forces of order", are the armed wing of the State, and the State is the armed wing of Capital – this is the true chain of command!

On 13 October last in Teheran, Masha Amini, a twenty-two-year-old girl from Iranian Kurdistan was arrested by the religious police for “improper use” of the veil.  Three days later the girl died of the blows she had received at the police station.  As is well known, Masha’s death was the spark that ignited the explosion of the contradictions which had been brewing in Iranian society for some time, giving rise to a wave of harsh protests that is still far from being placated.  The State replied with a viciously violent campaign of repression:  attacks on demonstrations, arrests and imprisonment, shots fired into the crowds and cold-blooded murders (even of a child).  The demonstrators are mainly young girls who were soon supported by their peers and by adults of both genders.   They were also joined, with determined strikes, by the Iranian proletariat who had been in a state of unrest for some time, such as the workers from the Damavand petrochemical complex in Assalouyeh, the Abadan and Kangan refineries, the Kian Tire tyre factory in Teheran and tractor factories (it is estimated that there have been around 2000-3000 strikes yearly in the country over the past few years), as well as other plants and workplaces around the country… The anger that had long been seething over the daily oppression of young proletarian women (or those destined to join their ranks), obliged by unemployment to turn to domestic and care work due to the long economic-social world crisis – oppression totally functional to the need for control and suppression by the State, the armed wing of capitalism – this anger finally exploded, becoming the spark that lit a fire spreading to other sectors of society.