| World Anti-Imperialist Platform | |
| Colorcode: |
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| Spokesperson: | Joti Brar |
| Ideology: | Anti-imperialism[1] Anti-Zionism[2] Russophilia[3] Sinophilia |
| Abbreviation: | WAP |
| Leader: | Collective leadership |
| Youth Wing: | World Anti-imperialist Youth Platform[4] |
| Flag: | File:WAP FLAG.png200px |
| Website: | https://wap21.org/ |
The World Anti-Imperialist Platform (WAP) is a political organisation, which describes itself as an anti-imperialist forum, created in 2022. WAP describes their objective as being to coordinate "efforts against imperialism", particularly in the Russo-Ukrainian War,[5] as well as potential conflict between China and Taiwan or North Korea and South Korea where they state that they stand "firmly on the side of those who have recognized that neither China nor Russia are imperialist powers" so "workers of the world do indeed have a side in the war against US imperialism and its NATO allies".[6] The Platform's membership is predominantly composed of communist parties. The organization has been criticized by multiple communist political parties and groups for distorting reality by claiming that Russia and China are not imperialist powers.
WAP claims that NATO is an imperialist power and that Russia and China are not imperialist powers. They view these countries as not engaged in wars of dominance or colonization, and claim that the Russo-Ukrainian conflict as a proxy war against Russia by imperialist powers.[7] WAP's stance sets it apart from other parties in the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP), which have characterized the war as inter-imperialist,[8] whereas the WAP supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1] [9]
On 14 October 2022, WAP launched its program in Paris, France with a "Paris Declaration",[10] signed initially by 8 parties, including the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) (CPGB–ML),[11] as well as the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).[12] This declaration represents the platform's stated foundational beliefs and goals. The document was initially signed by 25 parties.[13] On 17 December 2022, the WAP organized protests again in Athens, against NATO and what they deemed as "fascism in Ukraine".[14] [15] [16]
On 22 December 2022, the WAP released its "Belgrade Declaration". On 4 March 2023, WAP hosted an antiwar conference with the São Paulo Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, where it released a "Caracas Declaration".[17] A demonstration was organized by the PSUV, and simultaneous demonstrations were held elsewhere. On 7 May 2023, the WAP organized a Victory Day procession in Athens, in conjunction with the group Revolutionary Struggle, and the Workers Revolutionary Party.[18] [19] [20]
On 15 May 2023, WAP hosted a Seoul International Conference in South Korea, where it released a "Seoul Declaration", concerning what they stated as being the rising tide of global war in east Asia.[21] [22] The declaration was read by Joti Brar, WAP spokesperson and CPGB-ML vice-chair. The third congress of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) was held at the same time, receiving greetings from the Russian Communist Workers' Party, the PSUV, and the CPGB-ML.[23] [24] Members of the Platform, as well as the People's Democracy Party joined protests against the 49th G7 summit, held in Hiroshima between the 19–21 of May.[25]
The Platform took part in an anti-war rally in Rome, on October 27 & 28, 2023.[26]
On 17 November 2023, members of the platform participated in protests and demonstrations marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of the Regime of the Colonels, the right-wing dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.[27] [28]
On 26 November 2023, members of the platform released a "Palestine Declaration", in which the group declared Zionism a "genocidal ideology".[29] [30]
On 12–17 April 2024, the WAP, in conjunction with the People's Democratic Party of South Korea, organized protests in the cities of Gwangju, Incheon, Pyeongtaek, Seoul, Daejeon, Gongju, and Jeonju to commemorate the 1980 Gwangju Uprising.[31] [32]
In May 2024, representatives of the WAP toured the Donbas region of Ukraine.[33] Members of the WAP attended a demonstration in Krasnodon and met with the former secretary of the Communist Party of the Donetsk People's Republic, Boris Litvinov.[34] Members also visited the East Ukrainian National University,[35] and planned a student exchange program for Donbas youth.[36]
On June 3, 2024, associates of the Platform Chris Helali, Dan Kovalik, and Jackson Hinkle held a press conference at the UN (sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation), which raised the issue of the Russian administration of the Donetsk Oblast,[37] following the Platform's tour of Donbas in May 2024, which was carried out by the Union of Political Emigrants and Political Prisoners of Ukraine.
In July 2024, The Daily Worker (published by the Party of Communists USA) reported that the Platform planned to hold protests and the Platform's 6th international conference in Washington, D.C. between July 7 and July 11, following the 2024 Washington summit.[38] [39] [40] [41] [42] The Platform's international conference was attended by the Workers World Party.[43]
Marxist–Leninist critics, including the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), argue that WAP lacks a Leninist understanding of imperialism.[44] [45] The accuse that WAP distorts reality by declaring that Russia and China are not imperialist powers. They accuse WAP of being selective in its anti-imperialist stance, focusing more on the form rather than the nature of imperialism. Following the WAP's Paris Declaration, the Communist party of Greece dissolved the Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties (INITIATIVE) after several member parties attended the WAP's first congress. The establishment of the WAP exposed and intensified existing ideological differences within INITIATIVE, particularly on the nature of imperialism and the correct stance on global conflicts. INITIATIVE, founded in 2013, struggled with internal disagreements and inactivity among its members. These issues were exacerbated by the differing perspectives on the war in Ukraine. Some members supported one side of the conflict, while others, like the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), condemned all imperialist actions, viewing the war as driven by bourgeois interests on both sides. This lack of consensus effectively paralyzed the ECI's activities, leading to its official dissolution in September 2023.[46] Academic Vittorio Caliguri notes that shorty after the reviewed English translation of Ruy Mauro Marini's "The Dialectics of Dependancy" was published, revitalized discussions on the nature of imperialism arose in Marxist circles around the same time as the creation of the WAP and dissolution of INITIATIVE . The World Anti-Imperialist Platform and the Communist Party of Greece have both engaged with Marini’s work to support their respective views on the importance of international solidarity versus national sovereignty in the struggle against imperialism[47]
Ivan Pinheiro, former General Secretary of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), criticized WAP as a well-funded effort to legitimize powers competing for world hegemony. He said:[48] [49]
[T]he evidence that all the airfare and accommodation costs of the delegates from the organizations attending these meetings are fully covered by their main stakeholders[,] and the frenetic pace of a world event on average every two months, on different continents, should serve as food for thought and study as to what the primary reason is for the creation and financing of this platform, which is oriented against Marxism-Leninism and in uncritical and unrestricted defense of the strategic interests of powers competing for world hegemony in the imperialist chain, of which they are a part.
The Communist Party of Mexico (PCM) criticized WAP for allowing non-communist parties into its membership, such as the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).[50] [51] [52] The Communist Party of Sweden reprinted the condemnation by the Communist Party of Mexico in their newspaper RiktpunKt, and labeled organizers and supporters of the WAP as a "motley crowd". Chairman of the Communist Party of Sweden, Andreas Sörensen, called the Platform opportunist and chauvinist.[53] The Communist Party of Germany (KPD) accused the WAP of defaming the KKE and that some members are "bourgeois, partly nationalist and racist parties", and criticized the separation of imperialism from capitalism in their program.[54] The Communist Youth of Denmark (DKU) has criticized the WAP for "distorting Marxist–Leninist principles" and "aligning with opportunistic and imperialist forces" under the guise of "anti-imperialism". It argues that WAP simplifies global conflicts into a binary struggle, misleadingly categorizing countries as either "victims" or "resistors" of "US–EU–NATO imperialism".[55]
The Communist Revolutionary Party of France (PCRF) criticizes the World Anti-Imperialist Platform for advocating support of Russia in the Ukraine conflict, based on a binary view of imperialism where Russia opposes a "stronger" EU-NATO axis. They argue that this perspective oversimplifies global relations into two confronting camps and incorrectly equates contemporary Russian actions with the anti-fascist alliances of the Soviet Union during World War II.[56] The New Communist Party of the Netherlands accused the WAP and its member parties of being Reformists, as well as Reactionaries, due to member parties' "racist anti-immigration positions... homophobic, transphobic and reactionary views on the role of women and the family"[57]
Trotskyist critics, including Socialist Appeal, have criticized WAP for ignoring the class struggle and contradictions within capitalist systems, as a result of WAP's over-focus on the "primary contradiction" as between the US-led NATO and humanity.[58]
Academics Ford and Svensson have used the Platform as an example of how contemporary networks of social movements and parties can embody the principles of critical pedagogy and revolutionary imagination. The authors argue that these platforms demonstrate the actuality of global revolutionary struggles and the persistence of utopian visions in real-world activism. Specifically, they use the Platform to illustrate how collective organizing and mobilization in an internationalist context can inspire and sustain a radical imaginary necessary for revolutionary change.[59]
The organizations and parties below have signed WAP's Paris Declaration:
| Country | Native Name | English Name | Abbreviation | Ideology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| / | Antiimperialistische Koordination | AIK | Anti-imperialism | ||
| Eastern Initiative | EI | Socialism | |||
| Dynamique Unitaire Panafricane | Pan-African Unitary Dynamics | DUP | Pan-Africanism | ||
| Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) | CPGB-ML | Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism | |||
| 민중민주당 | People's Democracy Party | PDP | Communism | ||
| Partido Comunista de la Argentina | Communist Party of Argentina | PCA | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Partido Comunista Colombiano | Colombian Communist Party | PCC | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Движение 23 септември | 23 September Movement | 23IX | Communism | ||
| სოციალისტური პლატფორმა | Socialist Platform | Marxism–Leninism | |||
| Επαναστατική Ενοποίηση | Revolutionary Unification | Communism | |||
| Коммунистическая Партия Киргизстана | Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan | KPK | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Кыргызстан Коммунисттеринин Партиясы | Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan | PKK | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Türkiye Komünist Emek Partisi/Leninist | Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist | TKEP/L | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde | African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde | PAIGC | Democratic socialism | ||
| Magyar Munkáspárt | Hungarian Workers' Party | MM | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Partito Comunista | Communist Party (Italy) | PC | Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism | ||
| Partito Comunista Italiano | Italian Communist Party (2016) | PCI | Communism | ||
| Comitati di Appoggio alla Resistenza per il Comunismo | Committees to Support the Resistance for Communism | CARC | Marxism–LeninismMaoism | ||
| Resistenza Popolare | Popular Resistance | RP | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Partito Comunista | Communist Party (Switzerland) | PC | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Нова комунистичка партија Југославије | New Communist Party of Yugoslavia | NKPJ | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Partido Comunista Chileno (Acción Proletaria) | Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action) | PC(AP) | Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism | ||
| Pôle de renaissance communiste en France | Pole of Communist Revival in France | PRCF | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Association Nationale des Communistes | National Association of Communists | ANC | Communism | ||
| Socijalistička radnička partija Hrvatske | Socialist Labour Party of Croatia | SRP | Democratic socialism | ||
| Partido Comunista del Perú – Patria Roja | Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland | PCdP-PR | Marxism–Leninism Mariáteguism | ||
| Partido Comunista Peruano | Peruvian Communist Party | PCP | Marxism–Leninism Mariáteguism | ||
| Partido del Pueblo de Panamá | People's Party of Panama | PPP | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Partido Comunista de los Pueblos de España | Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain | PCPE | Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism | ||
| Vanguardia Española | Spanish Vanguard | VE | Gustavo Bueno Thought Unitarism Republicanism Post-capitalism | ||
| Iniciativa Communista | Communist Initiative | IC | Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism | ||
| Union Proletaria | Proletarian Union | UP | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy | Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia | KSČM | Marxism | ||
| Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela | United Socialist Party of Venezuela | PSUV | Socialism of the 21st century | ||
| Левица | Levica | Left-wing populism | |||
| الحزب الشيوعي اللبناني | Lebanese Communist Party | LCP | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Party of Communists USA | PCUSA | Marxism–Leninism Socialist patriotism | |||
| Center for Political Innovation | CPI | Socialist patriotism | |||
| American Communist Party | ACP | Marxism–Leninism Socialist patriotism | |||
| Kamunistyčnaja partyja pracoŭnych Bielarusi | BKPT | Communism | |||
| Partido Comunista de Bolivia | Communist Party of Bolivia | PCB | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| l'Action Socialiste de Libération Nationale | Socialist Action for National Liberation | ASLN | Marxism–Leninism Quebec sovereigntism | ||
| Vereniging van Anti-Fascistische Oudverzetsstrijders Nederland / Bond van Anti-fascisten | AFVN | Anti-fascism | |||
| Partido Comunista del Ecuador | Communist Party of Ecuador | PCE | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Komunistyczna Partia Polski | Communist Party of Poland | KPP | Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism | ||
| Всесоюзная коммунистическая партия большевиков | All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (1991) | VKPB | Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism | ||
| Российская коммунистическая рабочая партия в составе Коммунистической партии Советского Союза | Russian Communist Workers' Party of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union | RCWP-CPSU | Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism | ||
| مزدور کسان پارٹی | Mazdoor Kisan Party | MKP | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Chama cha Kikomunisti cha Kenya | Communist Party of Kenya | CPK | Marxism–Leninism Maoism | ||
| Communistische Partij van België / Parti Communiste de Belgique | Communist Party of Belgium (1989) | CPB / PCB | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| 조선과의 친선협회 | Korean Friendship Association (Belgian Branch) | KFA | Juche | ||
| Об'єднання «Боротьба» | Borotba (Association "Struggle") | Marxism–LeninismAnti-Maidan | |||
| Союз політичних емігрантів та політичних в'язнів України | Union of Political Emigrants and Political Prisoners of Ukraine | Donbas Separatism | |||
| الحزب الشيوعي السوري (الموحد) | Syrian Communist Party (Unified) | SCP(U) | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Páirtí na nOibrithe | Workers Party of Ireland | PO | Marxism–Leninism | ||
| Parti Communiste Congolais | P.C.CO | Marxism–Leninism | |||
| Bultza Herri Ekimena | Push Public Initiative | BHE | Abertzale left | ||