A report from the May 27, 1928 manifestation in Berlin which saw hundreds of thousands of German workers participate in the Roter Frontkämpferbund, Red Front Fighters, rally.

‘A Crimson Day in Red Berlin’ by Lenwick Tong from the Daily Worker. Vol. 5 No. 152. June 28, 1928.

The 27th of May was a bright and beautiful Whitsuntide Sunday on which the powerful, militant and well organized Red Front Fighters had their demonstration.

This was the fourth annual affair since their organization. But this year the demonstration has greater significance.

In the first place, the war danger has accentuated. A demonstration of this kind to show the strength of the workers certainly would make the capitalistic imperialists reckon many times before they dare to plan a war on Soviet Russia.

In the second place, before the election the German reactionaries did their worst to suppress this organization. But the high courts did not dare such an open act of repression against such a powerful organization.

In the third place, this demonstration was held right after the election which had showed a sweeping victory for the Communist Party. In many districts the Communist Party has shown an increase of over 50 per cent. Even in the most bourgeois territories the Communist element has increased more than that of any other party. Consequently, the Communist Party stands today second in Berlin and is the fourth party in Germany.

In this fourth demonstration the Lustgarten (The pleasure garden of the former German Emperors) was the place for concentration. The right of way was given to the demonstrators and all traffic to this square had been suspended by the police. As we have travelled in other capitalistic countries witnessing the arbitrary and oppressive measures of the police in suppressing any and all legal but radical meetings we wonder why the police in Berlin are so “different.” But the reason is not far to seek, the Red Front Fighters organization is too powerful to be ignored.

Long before the time scheduled for the demonstrators to march in, the immense throng had already overflowed the Lustgarden. Women and children had on their holiday clothes. Many wore red capes and dresses. Everybody was decorated with a red flower in his or her button-hole.

The square is bounded on one side by the former imperial castle, at its right is the Dom or the Cathedral, on its left is a canal and opposite is an art museum. Covering the length of the Dom was a big red banner with the following slogan: “Comrades, The Red Front Enters the Communist Party.” While that strung across the imperial castle was inscribed: “We swear that we are ready to defend the Soviet Union,” and the same banner continued: “Each Factory is a Fortress of the Red Front.”

On the museum steps stood a male choir of two or three hundred strong, while trucks with car-loads of young pioneers were parked alongside the canal.

Promptly at 2:30 p.m. bands appeared from all the avenues leading to the square. Armies of Red Front Fighters were marching into their appointed places. These armies were gathered from all parts of Germany or at least divisions were sent. They had been parading or marching thru the city since 6 o’clock in the morning. But all were in good spirits and showed no sign of weariness.

Aside from numerous red flags they carried there were many banners and placards with slogans of the following nature: “The Only Way to Victory is Over the Barricades,” “We Will Revenge The Murder of Voikoff,” “War Against War,” etc.

Of course the square was entirely too small to accommodate the 500,000 people, 100,000 being Red Front Fighters and the rest being onlookers, therefore people were overflowing the avenues.

The bugle soon announced the opening of the program. The choir sang the most stirring revolutionary songs. Although in the open, the strong voices were carried even to the most remote sections. Then speakers rose up at various quarters speaking to different groups. The shouting of “Hoch, Hoch, Hoch,” or “Rote Front, Rote Front” were echoed and re-echoed everywhere.

At the end of the speech the speaker would read the pledge and his audience would follow and repeat each line. This pledge or oath is certainly inspiring, herewith is the translation:

“Never to forget that world imperialism is preparing the war against Soviet Russia.

“Never to forget that the destiny of the working class of the whole world is bound up with Soviet Russia.

“Never to forget the experience and the suffering of the working class in the imperialist World War.
“Never to forget the 4th of August, 1914 and the betrayal of the reformists.
“Always and forever to fulfill my revolutionary duty to the working class and socialism.
“Always and forever remain a soldier of the revolution.
“Always and forever in all proletarian mass organizations in industries and factories to be a pioneer of the irreconcilable class war.
“On the front and in the army of imperialism to work only for the revolution.
“To lead the revolutionary fight for the destruction of class rule of the German bourgeoisie.
“To defend the Chinese Revolution and the Russian Soviet Union by any and every means.
“I swear:
“Always and forever to fight for Soviet Russia and for the world revolution.”

The uniform of the Red Front Fighters is made of gray cloth. Some, who came from South Germany, so I was told, wore khaki. The First Aid Squad was clad in white, as were the sport squads.

To show the popularity of the Red Front Fighters we only need to relate an incident: 75,000 of them jammed into the city of Berlin from various parts and they were accommodated and well cared for by their fellow-workers; while some time ago the Steel Helmet or fascist organization had a demonstration and they gathered about 16,000 people to come to Berlin, but no quarters were found for them. Besides, the Red Front Fighters individually or in group go around the city freely and always are warmly welcomed by workers, but when the Steel Helmets go around they are hissed and booed and often have to get police protection for their loafing about or demonstration.

In a word, the police had to be set in action to protect the Steel Helmets from the population.

Four Years Old.

The Red Front was organized in 1924. Ever since it has developed by leaps and bounds. Now there are 200,000 members in the organization, besides the 50,000 Red Youth Front, 30,000 Red Women Front and 20,000 Pioneers.

They are all in uniform and under one organization.

About 25 per cent of the Red Front belong to the Communist Party, while the rest are mostly workers of non-political connections, although some belong to the Social Democratic Party. Anyone with red blood in him would join this active and progressive organization, but, of course, when a disloyal member is found out he is kicked out.

Anyway, the Red Front is absolutely under the Communist direction and in case of an imperialist war it would be the “Storm Troops” of the proletariat. Moreover, 200,000 strong is no gauge of the strength of the Red Front, for, only those above 21 can join the organization, while those under that age would belong to the Red Youth.

The social-democratic leaders would sell out when the crisis comes, but many of the workers in that organization will come over to the Communists. To illustrate, the Communist Party in Germany may not have members up to the mark of 150,000, but according to the return of the election about three and a half millions voted for the Communist ticket.

Again, the actual number of the Red Front in Berlin has shown a decrease this year due to the strict discipline and the time required of them. The policy is to make everyone active and weed out all dead timber. Despite this the voting on the Communist ticket even in Berlin has increased more than any other party.

In Key Industries.

The strength of the Red Front is firmly established in the key industries, such as the chemical, steel and metal, including the harbor workers.

In the agrarian district of East Prussia since the attempt of the reactionary to suppress this organization 1,800 new members have been recruited from there.

Again, to estimate the real strength of the Red Front we must not over-look its superb morale. Compare it with the Steel Helmet which is nothing but a mercenary horde of the capitalists. Even the well trained and equipped soldiers of the imperialists would go into the battle fields for no other purpose than to earn their bread and butter. The Red Front Fighters are an army of class conscious hard working men. If they fight they are fighting for a cause. They fight to loosen their own chains and to free their fellow workers under oppression elsewhere. Therefore when they take that oath as quoted above they fully realize its meaning and when they sang “The International” with the following words, they surely cannot fail to grasp the significance:

“Arise! ye prisoners of starvation! “Arise! ye wretched of the earth! For justice thunders condemnation, A better world’s in birth!” etc. In the Red Youth Front annual conference a couple of days before this demonstration we witnessed similar revolutionary display and atmosphere. It is certainly an inspiration without proceeding further into that home of the proletariat–Moscow. Anything comparable to this outside of Russia would be the mass demonstration in China when the revolution was in the hands of the proletariat and under Soviet advice.

Although all the capitalistic countries now are getting more and more reactionary and fascistic, the workers are becoming more and more class conscious, better united and organized. We certainly cannot presume that the German ruling class is merciful and tolerant. Force is the only argument that the ruling class can understand.

Let workers of other capitalistic countries organize as well as those of Germany. The most die-hard imperialistic cliques in America, France, Japan, Italy, Poland, etc. would be just as “tolerant” as that in Berlin by permitting such open revolutionary meetings and demonstrations–if they have to be.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1928/1928-ny/v05-n152-NY-jun-28-1928-DW-LOC.pdf