International call for an Anti-imperialist May 1 in Defense of Dignified Life

Humanity is going through tough times wherein capitalism is showing its most cruel face: it is trying to use the situation of the public health emergency provoked by the expansion of the COVID-19 pandemic to do business and increase profits. It is clear, yet again, that neoliberal policies of capital kill, and that the process of privatization that the right has been carrying out for years has meant that we have less public health services that protect our lives. This is to say that the dichotomy between profit and life always favors profit. The primary problem facing humanity is capitalism, as an economic, social and political system. It is unjust and inhumane and is destroying the planet with its aggressive policies against people and the environment.

In these times, capitalism has even resuscitated fascism, as a way to maintain in an authoritarian and violent way, its high levels of profit at the cost of increasing the exploitation of the working class and the natural resources of the planet.

This capitalism needs an adequate and strong response by workers across the world that shows the determination of all peoples to rebel against the aggressions and injustices that they suffer, defending the right to a dignified life; putting an end to patriarchy as one of the pillars of capitalist society and calling for peaceful existence which puts an end to militarism and war-like conflicts. To achieve this, it is indispensable to deepen, along with working-class trade unions, the policies to protect health in work to avoid that thousands of basic service workers (especially healthcare workers), pay with their life the lack of resources and protocols that guarantee safety at work.

From the organizations and networks that are part of the development of the International Week of Anti-Imperialist Struggle we are conscious that the social isolation measures that are imposed due to the COVID-19 health crisis makes mass mobilizations in the streets and plazas difficult that could show to the powerful the capacity of mobilization of those who with our effort and work sustain the world. However, we believe that we cannot let this historic day of working-class struggle and demands pass without expressing that the struggle of the workers is alive and active and that we continue to strengthen the trenches of ideological battle against our enemies.

In this sense we call on our networks and collectives to support and participate in the activities that the workers’ movement has called for across the world on May 1, keeping in mind the health conditions of each area. It is indispensable to proclaim that we will not stay quiet while the ruling class attempts to use the pandemic as a smoke screen to continue carrying out atrocities and attacks on our rights. Because of this:

1. We condemn imperialist aggression suffered in all the corners of the planet, and especially the attempt to commercialize the fight against the pandemic. We demand that the consequences of the economic crisis should not fall on the working class through the implementation of policies to roll back on social and labor rights, that especially impact women, migrants, refugees, and all of the sectors that are in the peripheries of the system. We demand an increase of state investment in public health to achieve universal access to healthcare and the free and universal distribution of vaccines; the implementation of social policies of income distribution; public and free healthcare and education; public production of science and technology; and policies of land and housing distribution.

2. On this May 1 we call for the defense of dignified life with right to work and labor rights. Capital attempts to free itself of the costs of the healthcare crisis with layoffs, evictions, salary cuts to formal workers, added to the abandonment of millions of informal workers who do not have their income nor their labor rights guaranteed. In this moment, workers in the countryside, in difficult conditions and under the domination of capital, confront the risk of scarcity and they continue to produce food to sustain the cities under lockdown. It is urgent to continue building the organizations of the working class that can better the conditions of life and work and struggle for their emancipation.

3. We condemn that in this situation of social emergency that has been provoked by the pandemic is making clear the consequences of a patriarchal system that is expressed in how sexist violence has increased on a global level in times of confinement. As such, we demand that governments implement policies to combat patriarchy and we demand the end of the violation of labor rights of women so that women can have a dignified life, free of exploitation and violence.

4. We demand the end of criminal political and economic sanctions imposed by imperialism by the USA on 39 countries. These sanctions are concentrated against Venezuela, Cuba, Syria and Iran, and the peoples of these countries already suffered from the lack of medicine and hospital supplies before the pandemic. These countries and others are under sanctions that were imposed unilaterally by the US and also face hybrid wars as a consequence of maintaining their political independence, sovereignty and self-determination, and not submitting to imperialist hegemony.

5. We reaffirm our commitment to defeat the international expressions of neofascist and far-right movements that propagate hate, xenophobia, racism, sexism and authoritarianism and have supported economic, political and ideological attacks against China throughout the pandemic.

With these guiding principles, the International Week of Anti-Imperialist Struggle calls for the continuation of building internationalism, unity and solidarity between the people from a deep and fraternal debate about what model of society we want in the context of the pandemic and the broader dilemmas of humanity.

The crisis deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic, makes clear the dilemma that we are facing in this moment between a future of socialism that can guarantee a dignified life for the peoples and assure a future for the planet or barbarie which is the logical conclusion of the capitalist system in its phase of imperialism. For this we believe that in these difficult times it is fundamental that we remain coordinated on an international level to stop the far-right and imperialism, and at the same time that we defend life, peace and social justice. We commit to continue building a mass anti-imperialist mobilizations when the biosecurity conditions allow for it, in the meantime, we should use all the resources that we have access to so that nothing can silence our voices of rebellion and freedom.

LET’S UNITE OUR HOPE TO BUILD A WORLD WHERE ALL CAN LIVE WITH DIGNITY!

International Week of Anti-Imperialist Struggle

May 1, 2021