While supporting the general aims of this movement against the Hong Kong government's limited electoral reform proposals, Socialist Action campaigned behind the slogan "Realise democracy – Kick out the capitalists!"
This spontaneity insured that the traditional pan democratic political groups were unable to fully consolidate their leadership over the movement, which also explains why it lasted much longer than these parties envisaged or wanted.
Another feature of Socialist Action's approach has been to stress the link between democratic demands and economic struggles over soaring rents, stagnating wages, and the lack of a universal pension system and standard working hours in Hong Kong.
[9] During and indeed long before the Umbrella Revolution erupted, Socialist Action criticised the mainstream pan democratic politicians and their NGO allies for being "tied politically to the coat tails of the capitalist class".
The proposed online referendum, which was initially supported by the leaders of the Federation of Students, included a question on whether to accept or reject the government's offer of a 'supplementary report' to Beijing, something many considered to be an insignificant gesture.
Socialist Action campaigned vigorously against the proposed referendum saying it was a misuse of 'democracy' within the movement and a manoeuvre to call off the protests, a position that was widely reported in the Hong Kong media.
[18] Zhang, a regular contributor to their underground magazine 'Socialist' (社会主义者) and the chinaworker.info website, was arrested as part of the major crackdown of 2011, which followed the fall of the governments in Tunisia and Egypt in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
Zhang faced the danger of a long prison term on charges of "contact with a banned organisation" and "crimes related to national security" (a very common accusation against critics of the Chinese Communist Party).
[37] Socialist Action argues that the right-wing political establishment, corporate media, and the state – senior judges and police chiefs – reinforce gender oppression and promote ideas to constrain women's rights and freedoms.
Likewise, Socialist Action has an active record in opposing homophobia and fighting for the rights of LGBT people, whose struggle against oppression and discrimination has a long way to go in Hong Kong.
Socialist Action argues that the one-party 'communist' dictatorships of Stalin, Mao, and their successors, were a million miles removed from genuine socialism and communism despite the fact that those bureaucratically distorted regimes rested on state-owned economies and a form of planning.
Socialist Action declared its opposition to Hong Kong's highly discriminatory policies against Asian migrants and called for the right of abode to apply equally as for other nationalities.
They urged Hong Kong people not to be swayed by the racists' campaign and called for united working class struggle for higher wages, more affordable housing and an expansion of public services.
"[40][41][42] In 2012 Socialist Action together with Youth Against Racism organised a demonstration at Lingnan University to protest against a full-page advertisement in Apple Daily newspaper that portrayed mainland Chinese people as "locusts".
While recognising these problems as severe and disproportionately affecting the poorest sections of Hong Kong society, Socialist Action argued it is the economic rule of the billionaires and their extreme neo-liberal policies (outsourcing, privatisation and deregulation) that in turn have led to housing market speculation, shortages, and a decline in public services.
Together with Socialist Action the Refugee Union activists staged a well-organised and peaceful six-month-long occupation in Central (close to IFC) to demand the government cancels its contract with welfare operator International Social Services (ISS).
[47][48][34][49][50] ISS has attracted massive criticism over its perceived high-handedness and failure to fully meet its contractual obligations in respect of rent and food allowances to refugees who are banned from working in Hong Kong.
Socialist Action joined with Refugee Union members in a protest outside the Social Welfare Department offices in Wan Chai to demand policy changes after the fire.
[54] The pro-Beijing newspaper, Ta Kung Pao, ran a front-page attack on Socialist Action and League of Social Democrats legislator Leung Kwok-hung in its edition of 10 June 2014.
[55] The article accused the Committee for a Workers' International, to which Socialist Action is affiliated, of "ultra left and violent methods" and of "fomenting riots" in Brazil, Sweden and Turkey.
Socialist Action rejected the claims, and replied to these allegations in an article that stated,"Ta Kung Pao's concern over violence is worthy of an 'Oscar' given its silence over the military massacre of protesters in Beijing in 1989... [this] is part of a wider CCP propaganda offensive to discredit the most radical sections of the democracy struggle.
"[4] Socialist Action has also faced accusations from nativist groups spread widely on social media that it collects funds improperly by running campaign stalls and by selling its magazine at demonstrations.
"We won't accept any corporate or government funding – not from China or the US... We want to build a new fighting democracy movement with a mass working class political party at its core.