Starting in 2015, the Red Guards went on an anti-electoral campaign, pushing for a boycott of the 2016 election, with the slogan, "Don't vote, revolt!" On July 18, 2016, Red Guards Austin staged a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The Red Guards would later heavily critique the group's mode of operation as well as its leadership, declaring the movement to be forefronted by "pig apologists." After the election of President Donald Trump in November 2016, the Red Guards intensified their efforts, with Red Guards Austin stating "The war is not coming, it is here and now" in their "Everywhere is a Battlefield" polemic. On September 21, 2017, a joint statement from Kansas City Revolutionary Collective, Red Guards Los Angeles, Tampa Maoist Collective, Queen City Maoist Collective, Red Guards Austin, and Revolutionary Association of Houston was released that heavily criticized and publicly severed all ties with the Saint Louis Revolutionary Collective due to alleged "horrendous security culture" and "weaponized identity politics" within Saint Louis Revolutionary Collective's leadership. On March 8, 2018, the Kansas City Revolutionary Collective reconstituted itself as Red Guards Kansas City due to "a higher level of unity that has been achieved after almost two years of patient struggle with other Red Guards collectives, specifically Red Guards Austin" in regards primarily to questions of "the universality of protracted people’s war, party militarization, and concentric construction of the three instruments for revolution". On December 17, 2018, Red Guards Austin dissolved; on May 18, 2019, Red Guards Los Angeles was dissolved. Remaining Red Guards and Serve The People organizations remain unaffected and are still operating.
Ideology
The Red Guards released an extensive description of their political philosophy in a position paper published online in 2016, titled "Condemned to Win!" In the article, it is explained that the theoretical structures of the collectives are based on the ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, with Maoism being principal. The Red Guards place a specific reverence for Abimael Guzmán, also known as "Chairman Gonzalo", who led the Shining Pathrevolutionary organization and waged a protracted people’s war in Peru. They have criticized other leftist groups including the Democratic Socialists of America.
Reception
Red Guards would do most events through front organizations so commentators have remarked that it's hard to track their membership. Today most Red Guards chapters have either been abandoned or have announced their dissolution. The Red Guards have been formally condemned by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Following an alleged assault by the Red Guards in Austin, the PSL released a statement equating the Red Guard's provocations to tactics used by the FBI as part of COINTELPRO, which targeted left-wing dissidents in the 1960s and 1970s for suppression through the use of agent provocateurs.
