In November of last year, the U.S. Congress passed what it called the “Epstein Files Transparency Act,” placing the Department of Justice under obligation to release the Epstein documents. After much straining and effort, the Department managed to publish only a small package of documents by the end of the maximum one-month deadline it was given. Following rising backlash and increasing pressure, approximately two months later, it made public another batch of documents – still incomplete, but larger. Although many names and details within the documents were redacted by the Department, the terrifying scale of the filth scattered around created a feeling akin to a sewer bursting. This massive disclosure, comprising nearly 3 million documents including 180,000 images and 2,000 videos, reveals just how rotten a class the individuals and powers dominating the world truly represent.

What particularly stands out is a profoundly depraved sex trafficking network, encompassing paedophilia, torture, and even murder. While the focus on this aspect is somewhat understandable –both because it has been a subject of legal proceedings and because it offers an easy focal point– it must be strongly emphasized from the outset that the issue extends far beyond this, possessing much deeper dimensions. That said, the moral decay and scandal in question are not to be underestimated. In itself, the revelation of just how rotten these individuals truly are –floundering in a boundless hedonistic swamp– is significant: the world’s wealthiest people, powerful politicians, princes and princesses from the highest echelons of royal families, statesmen, media moguls, cultural icons, influential figures from the intellectual world, scientists, and academics, all named in these documents.

This picture strikingly demonstrates that the capitalist system is in a state of decay that pushes the boundaries of imagination. Inevitably, certain historical examples come to mind: the scenes of moral collapse during the decline of the Roman Empire – the likes of Caligula and Nero; the degeneration of the aristocracy symbolized by Marie Antoinette in the period leading up to the French Revolution; and the portrait of the Tsarist regime with Rasputin on the eve of the Russian Revolution, among others. Such examples offer analogies for where contemporary capitalism fits within a historical context. A senile capitalism, writhing in a systemic historical crisis, has become thoroughly putrefied – economically, socially, politically, culturally, and morally/ethically.

As Marksist Tutum we have maintained since the early 2000s that capitalism is in a crisis so deep it defies comparison with previous periods of crisis. We assert that this crisis is a systemic historical crisis of capitalism. This means that the system has long since entered a historical decline and is producing ever more filth with each passing day. The sewage unearthed in the Epstein files, aside from its other dimensions, strikingly reveals the inevitable moral dimension of this systemic historical crisis. It’s no accident that one of the recent writings by Elif Çağlı bears the title Only Revolution Can Clean This Filth[1]. The filth has grown so immense that it is impossible to clean it up through methods of reform within the existing order. Unless this order is overthrown by a revolution, there is no escape for humanity from the quagmire into which it is being dragged.

Indeed, the broad working masses also deeply feel and resent this decay of the system. They observe that while their own working and living conditions deteriorate day by day, the wealth and privileges of the ruling class grow with a boundless insolence. They see that the old control mechanisms, which once restrained the ruling class to some extent, are increasingly becoming dysfunctional, and that a disregard for rules and an unprecedented level of recklessness are on the rise. In fact, although paradoxically, a significant factor that enabled Trump’s rise to power in the U.S. was precisely this popular outrage among a segment of the working masses. Trump and the bourgeois leadership of the MAGA movement have distorted and channelled this grassroots anger in their favour through deceptive rhetoric, pretending to be opposed to the established order. In this context, a new fascistic orientation has been pursued, targeting certain sections of the American monopoly bourgeoisie—particularly those more associated with the Democratic Party. MAGA fascists have resorted to a demagogic discourse incessantly repeating that “corrupt elites” are striving with all their might to corrupt and destroy the traditional values that hold society together, and that they are deliberately using their media power and the entertainment industry to spread drugs, alcohol, laziness, homosexuality, paedophilia, and all manner of perversions throughout society.

However, as historical examples show, a factor that proves useful in the march to power and in intra-bourgeois factional conflicts can sometimes backfire and turn into a burden. The MAGA masses, whose outrage had been inflamed precisely through moral arguments, had long been demanding the full disclosure of all connections of Epstein, who had become notoriously known as a paedophile. Those entangled in this emerging web of filth had to be exposed and brought to justice. The MAGA leadership and Trump, pretending to embrace these demands, used them to pressure the Democrats, whom they presented as the stronghold of evil. Indeed, with the contribution of these propaganda campaigns, Trump won the election. But when it came time to release the files repeatedly promised during the election campaigns, Trump and his team inevitably began to hedge. However, faced with pressure from both the anti-Trump faction of the American bourgeoisie on one hand, and the working masses –including the MAGA base– on the other, the Trump administration was forced to partially release the documents, extensively redacting, censoring, and purging the massive file pile.

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The burst sewer is so vast and the stench emanating from it so pungent that, despite all the cleaning, weeding out, censoring, and incomplete publication of the documents, the filth cannot be concealed from view. This was, in fact, the primary reason why the Trump administration has been dragging its feet all this time, offering all sorts of excuses, with Trump himself saying “there’s nothing in those files, drop this nonsense,” and occasionally making various moves to change the subject. For this very reason, defenders of the establishment are trying from all sides to muddy the waters through various methods of manipulation. While some outlets strive to downplay the issue, make it seem insignificant, or divert attention, others attempt to create a smoke screen through sensational disinformation, preventing the truly important aspects of the truth from being seen and understood. It must be emphasized that social media, in particular, serves a major misleading function in this context.

Through an intensive media and social media campaign, Trumpist media and circles in the U.S. are constantly pushing the narrative that the files primarily point to top Democrats, including former presidents like Clinton and Obama, in order to pin the filth on the Democrats. With Trump seeking to become president once again, despite it being unconstitutional, and with the midterm elections approaching, his team is doing everything in its power to shield Trump from this mess. In doing so, they are employing the tactic that the best defense is a good offense. By targeting the Clintons, Obama, and other high-ranking Democrats who served in their administrations, they are trying to put them on the defensive, thereby exonerating themselves –especially Trump– or keeping them out of the spotlight. To this end, they are even producing doctored photos and the like in some cases, spreading claims that these figures participated in Epstein’s “sinful” activities. For instance, Mamdani, the new socialist-identifying mayor of New York, whom the American ruling class is trying to turn into a symbol of hatred, has also been targeted by such manipulations, being portrayed as part of the network despite having no connection to it whatsoever.

Of course, it cannot be said that everyone named in the Epstein documents was part of the “filthy” business. It is clearly evident that Epstein sought to cultivate as broad a network of relationships as possible. In this endeavour, not everyone he corresponded with or had a photo taken with may have been a part of this network. However, the reality revealed by the documents is that the majority of those named there have, at the very least, a dubious connection to Epstein. While some of them were part of a depraved sex trafficking network that included paedophilia, the more significant portion consists of individuals who are either active elements or intermediaries for plutocratic interests and agendas in the fields of world politics, intelligence agencies, high finance, the technology sector, media, the entertainment industry, science, and academia.

Epstein’s network

In this context, there is not the slightest shred of doubt regarding Bill Clinton’s and certain other high-ranking Democrats’, former Democratic ministers’, etc., relations with Epstein. But far beyond these, various elements of the American bourgeoisie, whether Democrat or Republican, are part of the network built around Epstein as its axis. Not only the prominent figures of these two traditional parties of the American establishment, but individuals from a broad spectrum –ranging from Steve Bannon, the organizer and mentor of fascist formations, to Tom Barrack, who roams the Middle East today like a colonial governor, and even the self-styled leftist anarchist intellectual Noam Chomsky– are part of this web. Similarly, Prince Andrew and Princess Sarah Ferguson of the British Royal Family are entangled, as is Peter Mandelson, a former leading figure of the British Labour Party at various times and the most recent UK ambassador to the U.S. Members of the Norwegian Royal Family, Norwegian diplomats and prime ministers, high-ranking members of the Gulf monarchies, Israeli prime ministers, and even certain conservative religious figures from the Turkish bourgeoisie have either been part of this network at some point or have had contacts with it.

Herein lies the essence of the Epstein affair: a network of this specific kind operating on a global scale. What we have here is a truly plutocratic[2]formation. Indeed, the documents released to the public consist far more of correspondence discussing matters of world politics, the dimensions of reactionary changes in science and technology, financial issues, and so on –where power brokering takes place– than of correspondence explicitly or implicitly reflecting sex trafficking and paedophilia. However, it is key to understand here that the depraved sex trafficking, involving paedophilia, torture, and murder, was not a separate activity running alongside others. It served extensively in establishing relevant connections and in leveraging and steering influential figures from various fields who had been drawn into the network. Epstein established safe space with a working system for these influential figures to indulge weaknesses and perverse inclinations they could not display within their usual social circles. For this purpose, he set up private locations and a mechanism primarily in the U.S., and also in Europe to a lesser extent. In addition to properties in various parts of the U.S., he purchased and developed islands in the Caribbean, including a private plane. Flights were made via private jet or helicopter specifically to the infamous Epstein Island.

However, once these individuals entered this domain, their activities there were recorded by Epstein and the real powers behind him as a form of guarantee and leverage. On the other hand, through this Epstein-centred network, these individuals not only found safe means to satisfy their perverse pleasures but also gained benefits in various areas of interest. They were introduced to new people, forming new connections to help solve their problems. When they needed support or found themselves in a tight spot, they could obtain support directly from Epstein or from others through his mediation.

As the documents show, for instance, Epstein was arranging various meetings concerning Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel. He was persistently trying to arrange a meeting with Putin through the President of the European Council. It is evident that arrangements, connections, and directives were being made within the traffic of the famous Oslo meetings with the Norwegian Prime Minister. There is Epstein, making plans on how to plunder an estimated $80 billion in frozen assets of the Libyan state following Gaddafi’s overthrow in the period after the “Arab Spring,” and negotiating sharing arrangements with British and Israeli intelligence services for this purpose. In another instance, we see Epstein appearing as the person who arranged the necessary deals for an Israeli technology firm to implement electronic surveillance systems to be established for the state in Mongolia during the 2010s. Similarly, during the 2012-2014 period, he was playing a role, together with Ehud Barak, in internal security projects in Côte d’Ivoire in Africa.

There are many similar examples. It is hardly surprising that Peter Mandelson, a close friend of Epstein, was the chief architect of the “Third Way” orientation –associated with Tony Blair in the 1990s– which marked one of the most important turning points in the transformation of the British Labour Party from a “reformist workers’ party” into a “bourgeois left party.” Mandelson leaked certain British cabinet decisions to Epstein in advance, and even gave him information about the secret tunnel between the Prime Minister’s residence and the Ministry of Defence. Like Epstein, he is a key figure who brings together influential people, recommends individuals for certain positions, and acts as a bridge between companies and investors. Here we see who truly holds the reins of the British Labour Party, the so-called party of the working class. When one considers the events following the rise of the left-reformist Jeremy Corbyn to the party leadership –an unforeseen/unwanted development resulting from a crisis within the party– the significance of these connections becomes clearer. As will be recalled, a completely fabricated “anti-Semitism” charge was levelled against Corbyn, and after a protracted crisis created by a concerted campaign on all fronts, Corbyn was ousted from the party leadership, and Starmer, Mandelson’s man, was installed in his place. Similarly, in Israel, Epstein, together with Ehud Barak, played a role in the political power struggles over how the government would be shaped during various periods. This paedophile Zionist also had a very intensive collaboration with Steve Bannon. It is evident from the correspondence that Bannon’s extensive efforts to organize a international fascist movement in Europe were carried out with Epstein’s support and cooperation. In the remarkably frequent and voluminous correspondence between Epstein and Bannon, there seems to be no topic left untouched. How government coalitions in Europe should be shaped, how to increase pressure on China, and what kind of business connections to establish in the Middle East were all included in these wide-ranging conversations. Numerous European high-ranking politicians, including the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, are within Epstein’s communication network.

The relationship between Bannon and Epstein runs quite deep. Among the documents, a striking video recording captures a lengthy, two-hour interview conducted with Epstein at a desk. It is clearly evident that the interview was made to exonerate himself and polish his image, as accusations and rumours about him were growing. The person asking the questions never appears on camera; only his voice is heard. Before long, it emerges that this interview was recorded for a planned sympathetic documentary about Epstein, and that the mysterious interviewer was Bannon. Interestingly, in this interview, Epstein describes his induction into the Trilateral Commission – a nongovernmental forum founded by David Rockefeller, based on the philosophy that “elected politicians are transient, whereas businessmen provide the stability and consistency needed to run the world,” and aiming “to foster closer cooperation among the US, Western Europe, and Japan.”

Trilateral Commission aside, Epstein was already thick as thieves with the owners of big monopoly capital, beyond politicians and statesmen. While the owners of giant technology monopolies such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sergey Brin stand out within this network of relationships, numerous billionaire capitalists –ranging from real estate mogul Donald Trump to Leslie Wexner, owner of companies like Victoria's Secret, and British billionaire Richard Branson– have gathered with Epstein countless times in various venues to discuss investment areas, the course of world capitalism, global political developments, science and technology policies, and so on.

While Epstein was advising some wealthy individuals on their financial affairs, he was also taking an interest in various scientific research and funding it. Epstein, a Zionist who believed Jews to be the master race (Jewish supremacism), appears to have been particularly interested in areas of research such as the mapping of the human genetic code and racial improvement through genetic methods. In one of the correspondences, an unidentified person says to Epstein: “I’ve been thinking a lot about that question you asked Bill Gates: «How can we completely get rid of the poor?» I have a response/comment regarding this.”

Another interest of Epstein’s was the transformation of the human race and civilization in what could be described as a dystopian manner – an interest shared by fascist tech barons like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. Reactionary ideas, also referred to as transhumanism and linked to eugenics, constituted commonplace topics of discussion among Epstein and a certain circle around him. One of the consoling outcomes, so to speak, of the painful history of the twentieth century was that horrific ideas such as racism and eugenics became subjects of reproach, shame, and condemnation. While Jews were one of the communities that suffered the most painful consequences of these ideas, as exemplified by Nazism, it is striking that Epstein, a Jew himself, enthusiastically engaged with such ideas, supported them within the scientific community, and sought to generate legitimacy for them from that quarter. It is also telling that a significant portion of the circle of scientific acquaintances who were aware of Epstein's ideas –indeed, in some cases, even nurtured them– were Jewish.

Epstein believed that Black people were intellectually inferior and wondered whether they could be “corrected” through genetic modification. He wrote the following, in bad phrasing, to a German cognitive scientist: “Maybe climate change is a good way of dealing with overpopulation… the earths forest fire. … too many people, so many mass executions of the elderly and infirm make sense… if the brain discards unused neurons, why should society keep their equivalent.”

In addition to his racism, Epstein was also a despicable narcissist who spoke of creating new superhumans with his own sperm. The manner in which Epstein’s circle –including the highly distinguished scientists with whom he discussed these topics– talked about these and other subjects provides another clue as to the extent of dehumanization and decay. As many who have examined the correspondence have also noted, this circle views the rest of the world with incredible contempt, disdain, arrogance, condescension, and disgust.

Who is Epstein?

So how was someone like Epstein able to pull off all this? Epstein, a billionaire financier, was not born into a wealthy family. He was the child of a middle-class working Jewish family living in New York. On the other hand, Epstein did not build a successful educational career as a path to rise either. Although he was said to be gifted in mathematics, he dropped out of the university he had started. Yet, despite having no diploma or credentials, he somehow emerged on the scene as a teacher teaching mathematics at one of the most elite private schools in the U.S. This is akin to starting to teach at Galatasaray Highschool or Robert Highschool in Turkey without a diploma or certificate, moreover without any experience at other schools or educational institutions. As elsewhere in his personal story, there is undoubtedly a mysterious peculiarity here as well. It is not difficult to understand that someone lent him a helping hand and provided him with an extraordinary privilege. Indeed, journalists who have not yet abandoned investigative journalism have discovered that the principal of this elite school at that time had previously worked for the OSS (the precursor to the CIA), a U.S. espionage organization established in the 1940s.

Reported to have harassed female students while still working at the school, Epstein was fired from there, but somehow, a parent of one of the students saw a spark in him and introduced him to an acquaintance in the stock market. Subsequently, he briefly dabbled in low-level finance and stock market dealings, working as a stockbroker. Thus, his seemingly modest beginnings in finance rapidly advanced over the years, with activities such as financial chicanery, Ponzi scheme frauds, expertise in tax evasion, offshore money transfers, fraudulent accounting and bankruptcy, foreclosure dealings, and financial consulting in such matters appearing throughout Epstein’s story.

However, attempting to frame Epstein merely as a paedophile billionaire who got rich in the financial sector –as most narratives do– is precisely an example of the manipulations we have been discussing. Epstein, who began his business career in the second half of the 70s, was also engaged in other activities that do not quite fit the profile of a stockbroker/financier. In the 1980s, Epstein is seen to have travelled very frequently to Europe and the Middle East. It is revealed that on many of these trips, he used an Austrian passport issued under another name and listed Saudi Arabia as his country of residence.

The information that has emerged reveals that Epstein had been working with Israeli intelligence (and also with the CIA) since at least the 1980s. It is clearly evident that this activity was serious enough to encompass the major Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s. As will be recalled, relations between the U.S. and Iran became strained –indeed, the two countries became virtually blood enemies– after the Islamists led by Khomeini usurped the revolutionary process and seized power in Iran. Despite the apparent posture of fierce hostility, an intriguing backchannel was established between the U.S. and Iran in the first half of the 80s, through which the U.S. secretly sold arms to Iran. The proceeds from these sales were then used to support (with weapons, money, training, direction, etc.) the right-wing Contra guerrillas, who were organized by the CIA to overthrow the revolutionary Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Israel played a key role in the conduct of relations with Iran. It is now a well-known fact that Ehud Barak and Epstein were among the personnel running these operations.

In fact, it has also been established through testimonies and anecdotes that in the 1980s, Epstein had told some people around him that he worked in intelligence (or for intelligence). This situation manifested itself during his first trial for paedophilia and abuse in 2008. The federal prosecutor at the time –who would later serve as a cabinet secretary under the Trump administration– cut a deal with Epstein that allowed him to get off with a punishment far lighter than what would normally be required. In statements made later in the face of criticism, this secretary stated that he had been told Epstein was in intelligence, and subsequently resigned. Yet, despite this and many other facts, numerous media figures –including some well-known journalists in Turkey– try to brush the issue aside, dismissively branding any scrutiny of such matters as the approaches of those “fond of conspiracy theories” who are not to be taken seriously. Another approach deployed to distort and deflect the issue is to admit or emphasize that Epstein was connected to intelligence agencies, but to claim that he was working for Russia. All of these are overt and deliberate efforts to cover up the truth.

What does Epstein represent?

In reality, a network operates in such a way that, notice – despite all the uproar and the many names that have been exposed, no one else in the entire United States has been put on trial except Epstein and his main accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Apart from this, only a few investigations have been opened in England and France. This is the situation even though the Epstein affair has been the subject of legal investigation and prosecution since the mid-2000s – that is, for 20 years. On the other hand, it must be recalled that while Epstein was on trial, he was found dead in his cell in 2019 under highly suspicious circumstances. While this death was officially recorded as suicide, as luck would have it, Jean-Luc Brunel –who had been arrested in France as the most important accomplice in the European leg of his sex trafficking network– was also found dead in his prison cell in 2020. Brunel owned a modelling agency in France as one of the means of procuring young women for the network. Later expanding his operations, Brunel established modelling agencies in the U.S. in 2004 with financial backing of $1 million from Epstein.

In conclusion, the fact that almost no one has been prosecuted and that key figures have been eliminated are clear indications of just how untouchable the network truly is. The entirety of the correspondence reveals that a massive reactionary force holds sway on a global scale. An activity is being coordinated to determine world policies in line with this general perspective. A tiny clique –unelected in any way, accountable to no one, and capable of every conceivable outrage– is running roughshod over the planet as they please.

The truly monumental dimension of the decay lies here. A handful of plutocrats play decisive roles in determining economic and social policies, geostrategic plans, wars, and the direction of science and technology, playing with the lives of billions of people who create the world’s wealth. A tiny clique, considering themselves utterly untouchable at the pinnacle of the world, decides the course of global affairs and steers developments in their desired direction using the power and connections at their disposal. With immense self-confidence, recklessness, and insolence, a depraved pack of billionaire rulers, accountable to no one for their actions, toy with the world in their hands. We are living in an age of decay where democratic gains –initially won through the struggles of the bourgeoisie, but always primarily through the battles of the working masses, which became part of humanity’s heritage and served to limit the unaccountable whims of the ruling class– are being completely dismantled.

Of course, we are not saying that all world affairs are managed by a specific group around Epstein. But there is no doubt that such interlocking bourgeois power and ruling circles constitute the most decisive of these power circles in shaping the decisions that steer the world – especially in the major Western imperialist countries, above all the U.S. Parliaments, commissions, votes, governments, and so on, while addressing certain issues, are in fact acting upon directives emanating from these power circles. The Epstein case is striking in demonstrating that Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, his fascist mentor Steve Bannon, and Noam Chomsky –the contemporary prophet of anarchism– are all connected to the same circle. While moral decay and unbridled perversions extending to murder and the blood of children constitute one aspect of the rot, the foundational dimension of decay underlying these outrages lies here. The concentration of such immense wealth and power in the hands of such a tiny minority is the essential decay. If power of such terrifying magnitude can be concentrated in the hands of a handful of people, then this system is rotten from top to bottom, and that handful of people will have the audacity to commit every kind of outrage without restraint. As untouchables, they are able to cavort in the penthouse of the world. It should also be noted that if supposedly radical political ideas emanate from those occupying high positions in the most elite academic institutions (like Noam Chomsky[3]) of such a rotten order, one must be cautious and view them with suspicion.[4]

The second and highly sensitive important point is that a powerful faction within the uppermost monopolist stratum of the world bourgeoisie is the one that directs the circle shaped around Epstein, imposing its own will upon it. While many elements of this faction are already situated within this circle, there are also those who do not appear on stage. We mentioned earlier Epstein's connections with intelligence agencies. We emphasized that these connections are largely and deliberately ignored and obscured in publications about Epstein. While organizing powerful and wealthy individuals who would be useful, almost like a kind of rich men's club, Epstein employs the most despicable perversions as a binding method, turning them into a tool of blackmail when necessary. Epstein operates as a lever for the Jewish big bourgeoisie (including its Israeli wing), which is part of monopoly finance-capital on a global scale. In concrete terms, it is not difficult to see that this mechanism is run through Mossad. Thus, the circle shaped around Epstein has served –alongside other instruments– as a highly effectively utilized circle for pursuing the specific interests of this faction of the financial oligarchy, beyond the general interests of monopoly capital. Perverse weaknesses and blackmail have been used as a particularly effective method in the operation of this network.

We noted that this point is sensitive. The reason is that the subject carries the danger of being easily diverted toward other reactionary modes of thought. When we speak of the Israeli big bourgeoisie and the global Jewish finance-capital faction of which it is a part, it is important to emphasize that what is meant by this is in no way Judaism, the Jewish faith, or Jewish people in general. Judaism/Jewish people in the general sense and the monopoly Jewish bourgeoisie are entirely different things. This is categorically no different from speaking of the American monopoly bourgeoisie. Just as when we say “American monopoly bourgeoisie” we do not mean Americans in general, let alone the working people who constitute at least 90 percent of Americans, so too when we say “Jewish monopoly bourgeoisie” this in no way signifies Jewish people or Judaism. Numerous reactionary currents across the world –as exemplified by the political Islamism prevalent in Turkey– do not refrain from pouring out the poison of anti-Semitism. They attempt to present the problem not as one of capitalism and the ruling bourgeoisie, but as a problem of Judaism, thereby fuelling anti-Semitism. This, precisely, plays directly into the hands of the reactionary Jewish bourgeoisie.[5]

Another important point of deflection is the notion of the decadence of the West or America – an idea advocated not only by Islamists but by a much broader set of people. From the perspective of Islamists in Turkey in particular, equating America or the West in general with sexual perversions and paedophilia is despicable hypocrisy. Saying not a single word about the similar perversions, harassment, and rape that have emerged –only a tiny fraction of which have come to light– within Islamist sects in Turkey, while railing against the West, can only evoke a sense of disgust. What is decaying cannot be described as the West or America; what is decaying is capitalism, of which the overwhelming majority of Islamist movements and structures are also a part.

Every sincere person who is genuinely disturbed by this filth and wants to eliminate it must join the struggle against decaying capitalism, against its increasingly plutocratic order. The target is not the West or America, not Judaism or Jewish people. The target is capitalism, and the only force capable of overcoming capitalism is the working class. If the working class can mount an anti-capitalist revolutionary struggle in an organized manner, it will be possible to cleanse this filth.