Ep. 43: On the Freedom Convoy, the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ) & 2021 Platypus Highlights

On this episode, Pamela sits down with our Toronto member Cam Hardy to discuss Canada's "Freedom Convoy", and the responses by the "Left". They investigate Jacobin's hot take on the "inauthentic" working-class character of the protests, and the call by the Canadian Communist Party to criminalize the convoy. In the second segment, Andreas interviews Amir Sturm, a member of the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ). Andreas asks about the current state of the KPÖ, its history & political self-understanding and the relationship between the KPÖ and Junge Linke, an Austrian leftist youth organization. Finally, our Shit Platypus Does team, Rebekah and Lisa, chat with our members Ryan, Daniel, and Phedias about how Platypus has engaged the Left over the Legacy of Occupy, the meaning of Capitalism, and the politics of COVID-19 in our panel events in 2021. + The Left on the "Freedom Convoy" > Jacobin https://jacobinmag.com/2022/02/canada-freedom-convoy-conservative-right-wing-anti-worker-anti-vaccine https://jacobinmag.com/2022/02/freedom-trucker-convoy-far-right-trudeau-vaccines-covid > Communist Party of Canada https://communist-party.ca/freedom-convoy-a-dangerous-movement-for-the-working-class-but-useful-for-the-ruling-class/ > The Communist League https://themilitant.com/2022/02/12/truckers-in-ontario-show-road-to-fight-boss-attacks/ +KPÖ Segment Links >Platypus Interview with Tobias Schweiger https://platypus1917.org/2021/12/20/interview_kpoe_schweiger/ > Platypus panel on the KPÖ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayjLSqH3YWU&t=2s&ab_channel=PlatypusAffiliatedSociety > Jacobin article about the election in Graz, September 2021: https://jacobinmag.com/2021/09/communist-party-of-austria-kpo-graz-election-victory-red-fortress >Links to websites of KPÖ and Junge Linke https://www.kpoe.at/?playlist=17a123d&video=2bd4121 https://www.jungelinke.at/ + Mentioned in our Shit Platypus Does segment > What is capitalism and why should we be against it? - Panel Melbourne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii8nVnWeUu0&t=174s or in the PR What is capitalism, and why should we be against it? https://platypus1917.org/2021/09/01/what-is-capitalism-and-why-should-we-be-against-it-2/ > From Protest to Politics? What was the Millennial Left? - Panel https://youtu.be/NDB0LyeQiU4 > Giving voice to Occupy: An interview with John Leveille https://platypus1917.org/2021/03/01/giving-voice-to-occupy-an-interview-with-john-leveille/ > What was Occupy? Ten years later - Panel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5-4GyAgwFw&t=146s > D.L. Jacobs, What was the Millennial Left? https://platypus1917.org/2021/06/01/what-was-the-millennial-left/ > The Millennial Left and the Democratic Party: A response to D. L. Jacobs https://platypus1917.org/2021/10/01/the-millennial-left-and-the-democratic-party-a-response-to-d-l-jacobs/ > Pam N., Platypus at #Occupy: Lessons learned from the death of the Millennial Left https://platypus1917.org/2021/06/01/platypus-at-occupy/ > Coronavirus and the Left - Panel Melbourne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqeIcDT7ys4 > SPS interview with Sue Bolton on Aussie Protests against the Vaccine Mandate https://platypus1917.org/2021/12/05/ep-41-on-rittenhouse-aussie-protests-against-the-vaccine-mandate/ > Anti-fascism in the Age of Trump 2017 - Panel Houston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eaRuXRqP9c > Hegel and the Left 2020 - Panel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Pjhv7kDF0 > Corona und die Linke - Panel Germany https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cynozxmZQsg > Police Brutality and the Left - Panel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwf1_df6FiA