American Party of Labor (APL) is a socialist organization that publishes newspapers, runs food and clothing drives, and collaborates with left-wing educational groups on advocacy projects and protest actions. ¹ APL states explicitly its Marxist-Leninist philosophy is based on Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, Vladimir Lenin, and Joseph Stalin, and is “enriched by figures such as Enver Hoxha, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Ho Chi Minh, and the countless other revolutionaries.” ²

Background

APL was created in 2008 and claims to be the only “openly anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninist” party in America. ³ In a Marxist context, revisionism constitutes a rejection of core tenets of Marx’s original theories to make the ideology more compatible with parliamentary democracy. ⁴ Thus, APL does not want to win elections, but rather aims to transform America through a revolution guided by Lenin’s concept of a “vanguard party” that will create a “dictatorship of the proletariat on the American continent.” It calls for dismantling the American empire, the cancellation of all debts owed by countries to America, and the cessation of all foreign aid to Israel, Colombia, the Philippines, and “other outposts of capitalist and imperialist aggression.” ⁵

APL states explicitly its Marxist-Leninist philosophy is based on Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, Vladimir Lenin, and Joseph Stalin, and is “enriched by figures such as Enver Hoxha, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Ho Chi Minh, and the countless other revolutionaries.” ⁶

APL has divisions in California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. ⁷

Activities

American Party of Labor publishes newspapers, runs food and clothing drives, and collaborates with left-wing educational groups on advocacy projects and protest actions. It operates mainly in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. ⁸

Its newspaper, The Red Phoenix, publishes articles from authors located across the United States. ⁹

APL advocates for the collectivization of “all means of production,” the implementation of a 30-hour work week “with at least six weeks of annual paid vacation,” a universal basic income that would bring all Americans above the poverty line, an end to deportations, and the end of all immigration laws. ¹⁰

In January 2024, American Party of Labor endorsed the March on Washington for Gaza, a demonstration against the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas in response to the attacks of October 7, 2023. ¹¹ The demonstrations ended at the fences of the White House. ¹² The crowd reportedly shook the fence to the point where it became dislodged, and Secret Service and police officers had to physically push them back to prevent them from spilling onto the White House grounds. Protestors threw objects at police and attempted to scale the fence. ¹³

Funding

American Party of Labor directs donors to a PayPal page titled “Red Phoenix Publishing LLC.” ¹⁴ The website also reports Red Phoenix Publishing, LLC as its location, listing its address as P.O. Box 8238, Los Angeles, California. ¹⁵

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2. “Our Program.” American Party of Labor. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://www.americanpartyoflabor.com/our-program.
3. “American Party of Labor (APL).” CIPOM, June 26, 2023. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://cipoml.net/en/american-party-of-labor-apl/.
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6. “Our Program.” American Party of Labor. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://www.americanpartyoflabor.com/our-program.
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8. “Support Us.” American Party of Labor. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://www.americanpartyoflabor.com/support-us.
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11. “Endorsers.” March on Washington for Gaza. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://march4gaza.org/endorsers/.
12. Kirka, Danica; Hadjicostis, Menelaos; Hussein, Fatima. “A global day of protests draws thousands in Washington and other cities in pro-Palestinian marches.” Associated Press, January 13, 2024. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/protest-gaza-israel-palestinians-london-29d5cd664c81654283344d1874691a4f.
13. Jerusalem Post Staff. “Thousands of pro-Palestinians march onto the White House.” The Jerusalem Post, January 14, 2024. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-782122.
14. “MELSH1917.” Paypal.com. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/MELSH1917.
15. “Support Us.” American Party of Labor. Accessed January 27, 2024. https://www.americanpartyoflabor.com/support-us.