C. Frank Glass

The Durban “Raid” in South Africa

(April 1930)

Throughout the World of Labor, The Militant, Vol. III No. 15, 12 April 1930, p. 5.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Marxists’ Internet Archive.

As an example of the confidence with which policies are foisted on the Comintern sections and afterward justified, you will be interested to learn that a police raid recently carried out in Durban against defaulting native tax-payers, who, however, offered no resistance, was hailed in the Inprecorr recently as a triumph for the Comintern’s new South African slogan. The raid was falsely referred to as a “native revolt” due directly to the application of the new policy which had increased the influence of the C.P. What are the facts?

There was no revolt. The police raided the native locations in Durban, without prior warning, to compel defaulters to pay their taxes. There was no attempt at resistance to the police, who were armed, the taxes were paid, and those who were unable to pay were put in jail.
The Communist Party has no influence in Durban, it cannot muster half-a-dozen members to form a branch. And so the new policy has been proved correct by a revolt which never happened, produced by an influence of the C.P. which to non-existent

These statements incline South African Communists – both in the Party and out – to laugh. But they are apparently swallowed whole in other countries, where faithful worshipers at the shrine of Stalin acclaim the correctness of his line. When will the Comintern cease to mislead? In fact, its line in South Africa is proving as true as did its line in China.

Johannesburg, So. Africa

C. Frank Glass

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Last updated on 21.9.2012