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ITALY
Congress of the General Confederation of Labour (CGIL): class struggle or corporatism?

2023-04-23

The congress of the leading Italian trade union confederation was held from 15 to 18 March. Monica Grilli, a CGIL activist, spoke to us. In his introductory report, Secretary General Landini – reelected at the end of the congress – made some obviously justified criticisms of the policies of Meloni’s extreme right-wing government, its refusal to finance schools and hospitals, to raise wages and pensions, its worsening of the Fornero law (which « softens » the terms of dismissal – ed. note), etc. But Landini also said that he wanted to « hear » what the government had to say to the Congress. And, quite unusually, Meloni had been invited to address the Congress directly. The leitmotif of her speech was to draw the confederation into national unity with her government: « We all work according to our differences, with the same objective, which is the good of our nation ». But what did Landini say? That it was necessary to « combine the competitiveness of [...]

HAITI
The solution must come from the Haitian people, not the US

2023-04-23

By Berthony Dupont, editor of Haiti Liberté (29 March) US imperialism has never disarmed or despaired in its attempts to impose, if not renew, its neo-colonial domination over Haiti. The entire history of our relations has been marked by harrowing situations, created to counter our independence and emancipation. From coups d’état to bloody coups de force, through twisted and violent moves to liquidate the Haitian people’s right to self-determination and to repress their national liberation struggle, American imperialism has done and tried everything. It is a fact that Western imperialist domination, which succeeded colonisation and slavery, has only accelerated and aggravated our misfortunes. Dominant capitalism has shaped the Haitian economy according to its own hegemonic aspirations and needs. The Haitian political class, the authentic heir to this mentality, is only a renewable instrument at the service of the guardian powers. Let us recall that when the United States [...]

AFGHANISTAN « Don’t let the Taliban take us back to the stone age!”

2023-04-23

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Hasina Sadet, an activist of the Radical Left of Afghanistan (LRA), spoke at the meeting of the POID Working Women’s Commission on 11 March in Paris. She spoke about the situation of Afghan women since the US administration organised the return to power of the fundamentalist Taliban religious militia in August 2021. Can you tell us about the latest initiatives of the Spontaneous Afghan Women’s Movement*? During the week of March 8 (which was the start of the school and university year), our younger generation of female students, together with other female students, gathered in front of their former schools and universities to protest against their exclusion, by the Taliban, from all educational institutions. On 8 March, the Movement held small clandestine meetings in flats – not on the street, because all rallies were banned, and we were unable to organise larger demonstrations, especially in Kabul. At the moment, our comrades and activists are under close surveillance by [...]

A new phase of warfare threatens

2023-04-23

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An article by Dominique Ferré in the Tribune des travailleurs (France) The clouds are gathering in the sky over Ukraine. The melting of the snow has prompted each side to prepare its offensive. On the Russian side, after having sent 300,000 « mobilised » citizens into battle, decimated by the fighting, Putin’s regime plans to mobilise 400,000 « volunteers ». It has deployed nuclear weapons on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. As the head of an oligarchic regime that has nothing to envy its Russian and Ukrainian neighbours, Belarusian President Lukashenko is worried about this. An ally of Putin, he has not committed his troops to the conflict, aware of the Belarusian people’s deep hostility to the war. On 31 March, he declared: « Nuclear fires lurk on the horizon”, and called for talks « without prior negotiations ». This proposal was immediately rejected in Kiev and Moscow. On the Ukrainian side, the heavy and offensive weapons promised by [...]

FRANCE To block Macron’s coup: general strike! A POID (Democratic and Independent Workers’ Party) leaflet

2023-03-28

On this March 16, Macron resorted to a coup and forced through his project of destructive pension reform. On March 16, the Fifth Republic displayed every facet of its anti-democratic make-up. Thus, a law that no one passed could be imposed and could destroy the pension rights of millions of workers. Thus, in defiance of the position of the people – in utter majority – the institutions of the Fifth Republic would make it possible to impose this destruction of workers’ rights. Thus, the Fifth Republic makes it possible to unleash repression against strikers and demonstrators who are just standing up for their rights. Some in the « leftist » parties criticize this vote for failing to conform with the Constitution. On the contrary, it is in conformity with this antiworking class and anti-democratic Constitution that authorises all blows against workers and youth. On Thursday evening, thousands of workers and youth gathered on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The militants [...]

GREECE “They were students! Down with this government of murderers!”

2023-03-28

“Call me when you get there”: this has become the iconic phrase of the revolt that has erupted since the February 28 train accident that claimed the lives of fifty-seven passengers, mainly students. 65,000 workers and youth demonstrated on 8 March throughout Greece. In Athens, Syntagma Square, just in front of the Parliament, echoed the 2010-2011 demonstrations against the Troika’s (IMF-European Commission- European Central Bank) austerity programme. Feeling the threat of revolt, Prime Minister Mitsotakis (New Democracy, right wing) is trying to weather the events: « I apologize for myself, but also on behalf of all those who have governed the country for years. » The apology was lambasted as « belated » by the main « leftist » party, Syriza. But Syriza bears just as much responsibility as the right, and the « socialist » PASOK Party for the privatisation of the railways, which has led to the Tempi accident. The privatisation drive was initiated in 2005 under a [...]

March 8 in Afghanistan

2023-03-28

On International Women’s Rights Day, protests against Taliban policies multiplied. Publicly or secretly, women demanded the release of detained protesters and the reopening of schools, universities and workplaces from which they had been driven out by the Taliban regime (reinstated in August 2021 by the US administration). The Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women organised clandestine meetings. Those who participated denounced the hypocrisy of the « international community » which has deserted Afghan women. Women and girls in Malestan district (Ghazni province) held a public book reading in protest against the closure of all schools. More than 650 people attended, 90 % of whom were women and girls. In Kabul, women took to the streets against the Taliban’s male chauvinistic policies, chanting « Bread, work, freedom » and « Women, education, freedom. » They condemned the weekly $40 million aid granted to the Taliban regime by the « international community« . [...]

No « sacred union » with governments in the service of NATO!

2023-03-12

February 24, 2023 has marked the anniversary of the onset of the one-year long war in Ukraine. On this occasion, the International Workers’ Committee against War and Exploitation, for a Workers’ International, has once again sent out a call to raise the banner of workers’ international unity against warmongering governments. The call has been heard at the very hearts of the major imperialist powers. In the United States, workers and youth, activists, as well as guests from Mexico and Canada, gathered on February 25 on the campus of UC Davis (California) to lay the foundation of an anti-war movement, responding to the call by the Sacramento branch of Labor Committee for Latin-American Advancement/AFLCIO, by the coalition Labor and Community for an Independent Party (LCIP) and by the Trotskyist organisation Socialist Organizer. On behalf of the latter, Alan Benjamin denounced: « This is not a war for democracy and the self-determination of peoples, especially the Ukrainian [...]

In Portugal,

2023-03-12

in Lisbon, on 25 February, workers and activists gathered at the call of the Platform against War. In the afternoon, many had participated in the great march of tens of thousands of teachers (the fifth in two months). Speakers denounced the participation of the Portuguese « socialist » government in the war, and they declared that they advocated the withdrawal of Putin’s and NATO troops, and the withdrawal of Portuguese [...]

In Belgium, on 26 February in Brussels,

2023-03-12

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a demonstration « for peace » was called by the General Federation of Workers of Belgium (FGTB), the Party of Labour of Belgium (PTB) and others. In the leaflet they distributed, the activists of the Unity-Eenheidcommittee Committee called attention to [the fact that]: « The traditions of the workers’ movement, of socialism, of democracy are the opposite of giving support to NATO’s policies. In the government, there are parties that claim to belong to the workers’ movement. These parties, PS and Vooruit (the Dutch-speaking socialist party – editor’s note), implement war policies, they increase defence budgets, which is contrary to socialist values and social needs (…). Socialist ministers must stop collaborating with NATO and they must quit this [...]

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