Chairman Mao Zedong on Palestine and Africa

Democracy and Class Struggle says the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt are not just part of an Arab Revolution but are essential part of the Afrikan Revolution. 

The impact of current events in North Afrika are multi faceted and multi - dimensional and will help shape both Afrikan and Arab social and national Liberation in the 21st Century.

Here are the views of Mao Zedong on the question of Palestine and the Afrikan Revolution

Question: What is your view on the Palestinian Arabs being deprived of their land?

Mao: We support them (Applause and animation). The Palestinian Arabs should go back to their homeland. Right up to the present time we have had no diplomatic relations with the Israeli government. The Arabs are the overwhelming majority [the questioner was an Arab]. All Arab peoples are opposed to their fellow-Arabs being driven out of Palestine. If we don't stand on your side we will be making a mistake. That is why we are with you. But it is not just a question of Israel but of who stands behind Israel. Therefore it is a world question and particularly -one concerning the USA.


Question: What is your view of the struggle of the US Negroes?

Mao: The Negro people are a national minority within the US, but they are also a quite numerous nationality of 20 million people and their struggle of opposing' oppression and discrimination is developing. The day will surely come when we will win victory and the US proletariat will surely awaken. That is to say, the great majority of white proletarians and progressives will unite together with the Negro people and win victory.

For the US is divided into classes. Chiang Kai-shek (then still alive) and us are also in different classes - they don't like us. However, we are all of the same yellow race, of the same Chinese nation, speaking the same Chinese language. Some say, then, that we are Chinese nationalists and, that being so, we should unite with Chiang Kai-shek!

People here today are of different nationalities, but on the question of opposing imperialism and particularly US imperialism we all stand together, whether acquainted with each other or not. I haven't seen you before today and many haven't seen me. China has 700 million people - I haven't seen all of them. Neither have you people from France seen all of your tens of millions of people - it's not possible.

Question: In my country we are in struggle with imperialism and are grateful for China's support. Could you say something of the African situation as, for instance, in Congo (Leopoldville)?

Mao: In Africa today there is a vigorous struggle against imperialism. The revisionists are not happy about this. 'The imperialists are even less happy. The Congo should belong to the people of the Congo, to the people of Lumumba. Lumumba was killed physically, but his ideas do not die. We support the struggle of the Congolese people not surreptitiously but openly. We openly support their struggle against those who oppose them Our heart is always with the oppressed peoples; we are leaning to one side. Some think that we are not being impartial and ask us to look with equal favour on both sides. They say we should lean equally toward the imperialists and their lackeys and towards the people. We will not do so. We lean only to one side. If they say; you are partial; yes, we are partial, just as with the Palestinian Arabs and the 10th Conference, we are partial to one side.