The Reactionaries Must Be Punished

#PUBLICATION NOTE

This edition of The Reactionaries Must Be Punished has been prepared and revised for digital publication by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism under the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Switzerland on the basis of the following editions:

• The Reactionaries Must Be Punished, in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, First English Edition, Vol. 2, Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, 1965.
• The Reactionaries Must Be Punished in Accordance With the Law of the Land, in Mao's Road to Power, First English Edition, Vol. 7, M.E. Sharpe, Armonk and London, 2005.

#INTRODUCTION NOTE

This is a speech delivered by Comrade Mao Zedong at a memorial meeting held by the people of Yan'an for the martyrs of the Pingjiang Massacre. It was delivered in Yan'an, Shaanxi, China on the 1st of August, 1939, and first published in the Jiefang, No. 81 (20th of August, 1939).

#Workers and oppressed people of the world, unite!

#THE REACTIONARIES MUST BE PUNISHED

#SPEECH DELIVERED AT THE YAN'AN MEMORIAL MEETING FOR THE MARTYRS OF THE PINGJIANG MASSACRE

#Mao Zedong

#1st of August, 1939

#★

Comrades!

Today, the 1st of August, we are gathered here for a memorial meeting. Why are we holding this memorial meeting? Because the reactionaries have killed our revolutionary comrades, killed fighters against Japan. Who should be killed in these times? The Chinese traitors and the Japanese imperialists. China has been fighting Japanese imperialism for two years, but the outcome is not yet decided. The traitors are still very active, and very few of them have been killed. Yet our revolutionary comrades, all warriors against Japan, have been killed. Killed by whom? Killed by the troops. Why did the troops kill fighters against Japan? They were carrying out orders; certain people gave them the order to kill. Who gave them the order to kill? The reactionaries.¹ Comrades! Logically, who would want to kill fighters against Japan? First, the Japanese imperialists, and next, the Chinese collaborators and traitors, such as Wang Jingwei. But the scene of the killing was not Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, or Nanjing, or any other place occupied by the Japanese aggressors and Chinese collaborators; it took place in Pingjiang, in the rear of the War of Resistance, and among the victims were Comrades Tu Zhengkun and Luo Ziming, responsible comrades of the Pingjiang Liaison Office of the New Fourth Army. Obviously, the killing was perpetrated by a gang of Chinese reactionaries acting on the orders of the Japanese imperialists and Wang Jingwei. Preparing to capitulate, these reactionaries obsequiously carried out the orders of the Japanese and Wang Jingwei, and the first people they killed were the most resolute fighters against Japan. This is a grave matter and not a trivial matter; if it were a trivial matter, we would not be holding this memorial meeting today. Comrades Tu, Luo, and others, who were killed this time, were anti-Japanese cadres, members of the New Fourth Army and the Communist Party. These loyal and courageous fighters were murdered by those who had been sent by the reactionaries and anti-Communists. Preparing to capitulate, these reactionaries killed the most resolute fighters against Japan in a premeditated way. This is no trivial matter; we must raise our voices against it, we must denounce it!

The whole nation is now resisting Japan and has forged a great union of the people for the purpose of resistance. But within this great union, there are reactionaries and capitulators. What are they doing? They are killing fighters against Japan, holding back progress, and working in collusion with the Japanese aggressors and Chinese collaborators to pave the way for capitulation.

Has anyone taken action on this serious case of the murder of anti-Japanese comrades? The murder was committed at 15:00 on the 12th of June, today is the 1st of August, but in all this time, have we seen anyone step forward and take action? No. Who should have done so? First, action should have been taken under the law of the land by the administrators of the law. For instance, what is the responsibility of the High Court of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region? It is none other than dealing with the collaborators and people who violate the law. If such a thing had happened in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, our high court would have acted long ago. But although nearly two months have elapsed since the Pingjiang Massacre, the law and its administrators have done nothing. What is the reason? The reason is, China is not unified.² Only the Communist Party has stood out and done something about this matter. Our country has imperfect laws, but it still has laws. What is the function of these laws? The laws should protect the anti-Japanese fighters and combat the traitors and reactionaries. But up until now, the laws have not been applied to the case of the Pingjiang Massacre. This is absurd. Are the laws dead? Are the laws meant to encourage criminals? Now, we have to come out and do something about this matter in the name of the people. We demand that the people of the whole country rise up and everyone pay attention to protecting the anti-Japanese fighters, combat the collaborators and reactionaries, and respect the law. So, the purpose of holding this meeting is not only to remember the people who died, but also to ensure the right to life of all anti-Japanese comrades and compatriots.

China must be unified; there can be no victory without unification. But what does unification mean? It means that everybody should resist Japan, that all should unite and strive for progress, and that there should be due rewards and punishments. Who ought to be rewarded? Those who resist Japan, those who uphold unity, those who are progressive. And who ought to be punished? The collaborators and reactionaries who undermine resistance, unity, and progress. Is our country now unified? It is not. The Pingjiang Massacre proves it. It shows that there is no unification where there should be. We have long demanded the unification of the whole country. First, unification on the basis of the War of Resistance. But now, instead of being rewarded, Tu Zhengkun, Luo Ziming, and the other comrades, who were resisting the Japanese, have been brutally murdered, whereas scoundrels who oppose resistance, prepare to capitulate, and commit murder go unpunished. That is not unification. We must oppose these scoundrels and capitulators, and arrest the murderers. Second, unification on the basis of unity. Those who stand for unity ought to be rewarded and those who undermine it ought to be punished. But now, Comrades Tu Zhengkun, Luo Ziming, and the others who upheld unity have been punished, have been brutally murdered, whereas the scoundrels who undermine unity are allowed to go scot-free. That is not unification. Third, unification on the basis of progress. The whole country must go forward; the backward must try to keep pace with the progressive, and the progressive must not be held back to the pace of the backward. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China put forward the following slogans:

• Carry the War of Resistance through to the end, and oppose compromise halfway!
• Consolidate national unity and oppose internal splits!
• Seek progress in the whole country and oppose retrogression!

The butchers at Pingjiang killed progressive people. They have practised retrogression, which we must oppose. We want the rule of law and unity. We want laws that protect anti-Japanese officers, soldiers, and people, and laws that punish capitulators, wreckers, and reactionaries. We want national unity based on persistence in the War of Resistance and opposed to retrogression. All capitulationist, splittist, and reactionary scoundrels ought to be punished according to the law of the land.

The Pingjiang Massacre is extremely grave. Although only a few people were killed this time, and it only happened in one place — Pingjiang County, Hunan Province — it is a matter that concerns the whole country, a national incident. Comrades, just consider that, if this continues, one Communist killed today and ten Communists killed tomorrow, then hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands may be killed the day after that. If the same thing happens to patriots, who are being killed by the tens, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands, China will be destroyed and Japan and Wang Jingwei will be jubilant. Hundreds of Communists and patriots have been assassinated since the outbreak of the War of Resistance, the Pingjiang Massacre being only the most recent example. It will be disastrous for China if this continues; all who resist Japan may be murdered. What do these murders mean? They mean that the Chinese reactionaries, acting under orders from the Japanese imperialists and Wang Jingwei, are preparing to capitulate, and that is why they begin by killing fighters against Japan, by killing Communists and patriots. If this is not stopped, China will perish at the hands of these reactionaries. These murders, therefore, concern the whole country, they are of the gravest importance, and we must demand that the National Government punish these reactionaries with the utmost severity.

Comrades, we will not cease our action after the meetings today. Comrades in Yan'an must also realize that Japanese imperialism has recently intensified its disruptive activities, that international imperialism has become more active in helping Japan,³ and that the traitors in China, both the overt and the covert Wang Jingweis, are more active than ever in sabotaging the War of Resistance, wrecking unity, and turning the clock back. They want to surrender the greater part of our country, cause an internal split, and engineer a civil war. Comrades, you should call on the people of the whole country to rise up and oppose this conspiracy.

A telegram from today's meeting in Yan'an should be sent out to all parts of the country, opposing recurrence of this incident or events similar to it, firmly demanding the enforcement of the law, the realization of unity, and the protection of revolutionary anti-Japanese comrades, cadres, and people. This is the only way to defeat Japanese imperialism and win victory. [Unanimous applause.] Otherwise, China will be in grave danger. Today, we are unanimous in opposing such incidents, in requesting that President Jiang Jieshi and President Lin Sen execute the laws that protect revolutionary anti-Japanese comrades, and in demanding that the whole nation unite on the basis of resistance, unity, and progress. If the laws are still ineffective and there is still no unity, the people of the whole country will go on making demands for the effectiveness of the law, the realization of unity, the suppression of wreckers, reactionaries, capitulators, and other such scoundrels, and the prohibition of similar incidents in the future. [Warm and unanimous applause.]

At the present time, certain secret measures known as «Measures for Restricting the Activities of Alien Political Parties»⁴ are being extensively enforced. They are reactionary to the core, helpful to Japanese imperialism, and detrimental to resistance, unity, and progress. Which are the «alien political parties»? The Japanese imperialists, Wang Jingwei, and the traitors. How can the Communist Party, the Nationalist Party, and all the other anti-Japanese political parties, which are united in resistance to Japan, be called «alien political parties»? Yet the capitulators, reactionaries, and Right-wing elements are deliberately creating friction and disunity within the anti-Japanese ranks. Is this kind of activity right or wrong? It is absolutely wrong! [Unanimous applause.] When it comes to restriction, what sort of people should be restricted? The Japanese imperialists, Wang Jingwei, the reactionaries, and the capitulators. [Unanimous applause.] Why restrict the Communist Party, which is the most resolute in resisting Japan, the most revolutionary, and the most progressive? It is absolutely wrong. We, the people of Yan'an, voice our firm opposition and strong protest. [Unanimous applause.] We must oppose the «Measures for Restricting the Activities of Alien Political Parties», for such measures are at the very root of all kinds of criminal actions that wreck unity. We are holding this mass meeting today for the sake of continued resistance, unity, and progress, and not only to remember a few fallen comrades. To this end, the «Measures for Restricting the Activities of Alien Political Parties» must be abolished, the capitulators and reactionaries must be punished, and all revolutionary comrades, all the comrades and people resisting Japan must be protected. [Warm applause and slogan-shouting.]