This summer, I had the opportunity to experience what it really means to be part of a revolutionary international firsthand. On internship in Finland I was able to connect with the comrades there who are well on their way to establishing the Finnish section of the Revolutionary Communist International. I’ve been a member of the Canadian section for some time and while I’ve always understood the RCP is part of an international, it was a whole other experience to see it in action!
At their congress in July, I was able to share lessons from my experience in the student movement in Canada as the comrades prepare for their first student recruitment campaign this fall and inspire them with an overview of the work of the Canadian section. I got to see them establish their first party headquarters in Helsinki and take part in discussions on how the Bolshevik Party was built in their cells. What was remarkable was that despite speaking no Finnish and having no prior connection to the country, I immediately felt at home. I was able to relate to the work that they were doing, both the successes and the struggles, and discuss history, theory, and tactics just as I would with comrades in Toronto.
Returning to the work in Canada, I am even more enthusiastic about the potential of the RCI. Seeing comrades across the world grappling with the same political questions, the same roadblocks, and using the same methods to overcome them gave me a concrete appreciation of what revolutionary internationalism really means and why it’s necessary. The RCI is not just an amalgamation of organizations who vaguely share the same philosophy, we are a world party that is absorbing the lessons of revolutionary history and concrete experience to prepare the leadership needed to overthrow capitalism for good.
