Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line

Emily Sachar

Communist youths angered by Teng


First Published: The Stanford Daily, Volume 175, Issue 5, 2 February 1979.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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Chanting “Teng Hsaio-ping’s from the capitalist class; he’s going to kiss Jimmy Carter’s ass,” approximately 20 members of the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade marched in formation through White Plaza and Tresidder Union yesterday.

Dressed in red jackets and wearing “Down with U.S. imperialism” buttons, brigade members marched to protest Teng’s visit to the United States to sign agreements establishing formal ties between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.

“We’re going to spoil the garden party wherever Teng gets such a fitting welcome,” said one member.

“Teng’s selling out the revolution in China. So now the Chinese are going to be wage slaves under the veil of communism. This is not communism. They’re turning into one big Taiwan,” Dick Reffei, spokesman for the brigade, added.

Passing students

Brigade members gathered before noon and marched in two single-file lines from the Graduate School of Business to the engineering corner of the Outer Quad. They stopped to distribute literature and collect money from passing students.

“Teng is saying he needs to live under the wings of the United States to get weapons so he can have a little modernized China,” said Reffei.

“But China was meeting the needs of the people without this. Well, now the rich can drive their Toyotas and wear their Pierre Cardin suits. There will be a handful on top and the masses in poverty, and they call it modernization?”

The brigade was also protesting the arrest of 69 youth brigade members Monday night after a march in Washington D.C. to protest Teng’s arrival there.

“Bunch of crazies”

“They say this is a democracy. Then we’re out chanting there and they have to arrest us. The press is making us look like a bunch of crazies when we’re just trying to get a political message across. We’re not trying to disrupt anything,” Reffei said about the Washington incident.

“Our members just continued to chant, even from (behind) the bars of their jail cells. They’re not giving in,” he continued.

After marching through White Plaza, members stopped at Tresidder Union to address patrons eating in the dining area.

“We are the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade,” members yelled. “What do we want? Communism. How are we going to get it? Revolution.”

The brigade staged protests Wednesday at UC-Berkeley and yesterday at San Jose State University.

Brigade members who marched yesterday are students and citizens of the Bay Area. Several are students here.