Guerra no convencional ● Colombia 12

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 57, No. 35 Sept. 3, 2015 $1 STOCK MARKET CRASH Symptom of capitalist decay

By Deirdre Griswold

Aug. 25 — If anything dramatically Autoworkers speak out shows the irrationality of the capitalist economic system, it is a financial market crash. This happens after a period of eu- phoria in the markets has driven prices to all-time highs and huge sums of mon- ey have been changing hands — in these days, usually electronically. Then comes the day of reckoning. What had seemed solid wealth the day before suddenly turns into red ink. This is what began happening in the third week of Au- gust to markets around the world. At such times, only those with deep pockets can stay in the “game” and hold on to their investments, hoping for a re- newed surge upward. If the billionaires are able to buy when prices have plunged and others are bankrupt, they stand to PHOTO: FRANK HAMMER make a real “killing” on the market — if it Autoworkers meet in Detroit, pledge solidarity with Brazilian GM strikers. Page 3. goes back up at some point. By Monday, Aug. 24, some estimates Anyway, the blame gamers have al- put the losses worldwide at a total of ready picked their target. Almost all the ‘Fighting for the union!’ $10 trillion. That’s a thousand, times propaganda organs of the imperialist rul- another thousand, times another thou- ing classes have fingered who is respon- sand, times a thousand again, times sible: China. China’s stock market, after a  Interview with Georgia Scott 3 10. $10,000,000,000,000 — just to put big rise in prices based on hopes of future things in perspective. economic expansion equal to its phenom-  4 How can $10 trillion of wealth be enal growth of the last decade, took a dive Student athletes are workers “lost”? Or did it ever really exist? starting in the middle of June, according Presumably, this $10 trillion figure to the Shanghai Composite Index. vaguely represents the value of real com- There was general agreement then that Chelsea Manning 5 modities — coal, steel, vehicles, food, Chinese stocks, especially in real estate, shelter, aircraft carriers, gasoline — that were overpriced, and the decline was would have been produced for sale at considered a “correction.” But now the some future time, if the process of capi- U.S. financial writers are beginning to de- BLACK LIVES: GAINS & LOSSES talist production and accumulation had scribe the continued fall of Chinese stocks continued on an upward course. as a “plague” that has somehow infected That so much can be “lost” so quickly Western markets. The assumption here is  Charleston Days of Grace shows the precarious nature of capital- that the underlying economic conditions ism. It illustrates in the starkest way how in the Western imperialist countries were the profit system runs counter to any ra- healthy before this Chinese pathogen in- tional planning of human economic activ- filtrated markets across the globe. ity in this high-tech era — when the gulf Give us a break. between rich and poor, between social What’s healthy about workers’ wages in  Ralkina classes and between whole countries, only the U.S. buying less today than they did in widens even as productivity leaps ahead. 1967? What’s healthy about the economy Jones of a country where a cop can arrest and  Carlos Riley Jr.  The blame game kill a Black man for the survival “crime” of Rekia Boyd As this is being written, the media and selling single cigarettes on the street? As many economic pundits are trying to talk happened to Eric Garner in Staten Island,  Troy Robinson 6-7 up the market, emphasizing its partial re- N.Y. What’s healthy about a parent having bound from record lows just yesterday. No to work two part-time, low-wage jobs just one in the media wants to predict gloom to feed her kids? and doom, knowing they could be held re- And speaking of wages, let’s not average 8 sponsible for causing a panic and another FARC on army attacks plunge downward. Continued on page 5 Haitian-Dominican solidarity 8 SUBSCRIBE TO WORKERS WORLD Donbass vs. Kiev offensive 9 4 weeks trial $4 1 year subscription $30 Sign me up for the WWP Supporter Program: workers.org/articles/donate/supporters_/ DPRK holds firm 9 Name ______

Email ______Phone ______EDITORIAL: Refugee crisis 10 Street ______City / State / Zip ______Workers World 212.627.2994 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl, NY, NY 10011 workers.org African economies 11 Page 2 Sept. 3, 2015 workers.org ‘Labor Day’ unmasked Build Workers World!  In the U.S. Did you know that the federal holiday “Labor Day,” cialists or anarchists who had not even been at the scene. STOCK MARKET CRASH Symptom of capitalist decay . . 1 celebrated the first Monday in September, was found- Four of them were executed by the state in 1887. ed in 1887? The reason it’s in September and not May 1, So there is nothing honorable, worthy or celebratory From Selma to Boston: ‘I’m fighting for the union!’ . . . 3 which is celebrated today in 80 countries as Internation- behind “Labor Day.” In fact, its roots are deeply imbed- Autoworkers speak out against concessions ...... 3 al Workers Day, has nothing to do with honoring the role ded in the most vile kind of capitalist lies, police terror of labor in building this country. It has everything to do and fear of working people’s rights — most of all the Federal gov’t: ‘College athletes don’t deserve rights’ . . . 4 with the capitalist government refusing recognition to workers’ righteous demands for a socialist revolution, Joe Johnson, a fighter for workers and the oppressed . . . 4 the role of socialists and other radical organizers in the which were clearly expressed at Haymarket. Military whistleblower gets massive support ...... 5 labor movement. That’s the kind of information you’ve come to expect The American Federation of Labor, ever fearful of from Workers World: hard-hitting, anti-racist, anti-sex- Charleston Days of Grace march ...... 6 alienating the ruling class, was enlisted to suggest in ist, pro-LGBTQ and pro-working class truth. Jailhouse death still unexplained ...... 6 1887 that the holiday be in September to take attention But Workers World can’t do it without your support. away from May Day — and the fight of working people in Please join the Workers World Supporter Program and Carlos Riley not guilty! ...... 7 Chicago for the 8-hour day, which had led to a police riot make a regular donation, no matter how modest. Go to Justice for Rekia Boyd ...... 7 on May 4, 1886, known as the Haymarket Massacre. workers.org/donate/ or send checks to Workers World, Police were trying to disperse protesters when a bomb 147 W. 24th St., 2nd floor, New York, NY 10011, with your Tased man dies from fall ...... 7 was thrown, the cops responded by killing four workers name and address; write “For WWSP.” Marchers condemn U.S.-backed Saudi oppression . . . 10 plus seven of their own. That led to a round-up of lead- We appreciate your help in growing the revolutionary ing labor organizers, most of whom were well-known so- media in the U.S.  Around the world

Stop victimization by the Colombian state ...... 8 Dominicans, Haitians protest deportation ...... 8 MARXISM, REPARATIONS & the Solidarity with the people of Ecuador & Brazil ...... 8 Black Freedom Struggle Donbass residents rally as Kiev regime prepares assault . 9 An anthology of writings from Workers World newspaper. Edited by Monica Moorehead. DPRK mounts strong response to U.S.-led ‘war games’ . 9 Racism, National Oppression & Self-Determination Fortress Europe kills ...... 10 Larry Holmes ● Black Labor from Chattel Slavery to Wage Slavery Sam Marcy ● Black Youth: Repression & Resistance U.S. transnationals seek greater profits in Africa . . . . 11 LeiLani Dowell ● The Struggle for Socialism Is Key Monica ­Moorehead ● Domestic Workers United Demand Passage  Editorial of a Bill of Rights Imani Henry ● Black & Brown Unity: A Pillar of Struggle for Human Rights & Global Justice! Migrant crisis in Europe: Who caused it? ...... 10 Saladin Muhammad ● Harriet Tubman, Woman Warrior Mumia Abu-Jamal ● Racism & Poverty in the Delta Larry Hales ● Haiti Needs Reparations, Not Sanctions Pat Chin ●  Noticias en Español Alabama’s­ Black Belt: Legacy of Slavery, Sharecropping & ­Segregation Consuela Lee ● Are Conditions Ripe Again Alto a las victimizaciones ...... 12 COVER GRAPHIC BY SAHU BARRON Today? Anniversary of the 1965 Watts Rebellion John Parker ● Solidaridad con el pueblo ecuatoriano y brasileño . . . 12

Both books are available online and Workers World 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl. at other bookstores. HAITI New York, N.Y. 10011 A Slave Revolution Phone: 212.627.2994 Updated to include the Aristide kidnapping by the U.S. and the earthquake in 2010. E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.workers.org Vol. 57, No. 35 • Sept. 3, 2015 Closing date: Aug. 25, 2015 Editor: Deirdre Griswold Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, LeiLani Dowell, Who we are & what we’re fighting for Kris Hamel, Monica Moorehead; Web Editor Gary Wilson Production & Design Editors: Coordinator Lal Roohk; ­degrading people because of their nationality, sexual or Hate capitalism? Workers World Party fights for a Andy Katz, Cheryl LaBash ­socialist society — where the wealth is socially owned gender identity or disabilities — all are tools the ruling and production is planned to satisfy human need. This class uses to keep us apart. They ruthlessly super-ex- Copyediting and Proofreading: Sue Davis, Keith Fine, Bob McCubbin outmoded capitalist system is dragging down workers’ ploit some in order to better exploit us all. WWP builds living standards while throwing millions out of their unity among all workers while supporting the right Contributing Editors: Abayomi Azikiwe, jobs. If you’re young, you know they’re stealing your of self-determination. Fighting oppression is a work- Greg Butterfield, G. Dunkel, K. Durkin, Fred Goldstein, future. And capitalism is threatening the entire planet ing-class issue, which is confirmed by the many labor Martha Grevatt, Teresa Gutierrez, Larry Hales, with its unplanned, profit-driven stranglehold over the struggles led today by people of color, immigrants and Berta Joubert-Ceci, Terri Kay, Cheryl LaBash, Milt Neidenberg, John Parker, Bryan G. Pfeifer, means of production. women. Betsey Piette, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Gloria Rubac Workers built it all — it belongs to society, not to a WWP has a long history of militant opposition to im- handful of billionaires! But we need a revolution to perialist wars. The billionaire rulers are bent on turning Mundo Obero: Redactora Berta Joubert-Ceci; make that change. That’s why for 56 years WWP has back the clock to the bad old days before socialist revolu- Ramiro Fúnez, Teresa Gutierrez, Donna Lazarus, been building a revolutionary party of the working tions and national liberation struggles liberated territory Carlos Vargas class inside the belly of the beast. from their grip. We’ve been in the streets to oppose every Supporter Program: Coordinator Sue Davis We fight every kind of oppression. Racism, sexism, one of imperialism’s wars and aggressions. Copyright © 2014 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of articles is permitted in any medium Contact a Workers World Party branch near you: workers.org/wwp without royalty provided this notice is preserved. Workers World (ISSN-1070-4205) is published weekly National Office Bay Area Cleveland Houston Pittsburgh except the first week of January by WW Publishers, 147 W. 24th St. 2nd Fl. 1305 Franklin St. #411 P.O. Box 5963 P.O. Box 3454 [email protected] 147 W. 24th St. 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10011. Phone: New York, NY 10011 Oakland, CA 94612 Cleveland, OH 44101 Houston, TX 77253-3454 212.627.2994. Subscriptions: One year: $30; institu- 510.600.5800 216.738.0320 713.503.2633 Rochester, N.Y. 212.627.2994 tions: $35. Letters to the editor may be condensed and [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 585.436.6458 edited. 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Georgia Scott of Steelworkers Local WW PHOTO: STEVAN KIRSCHBAUM 8751, Boston School Bus Drivers Union, Women union members at Workers World spoke on Aug. 21 with Minnie Bruce Pratt meeting say, “Victory to the school bus drivers!” Georgia Scott is second from right, back row. of Workers World about the drivers’ on- going struggle against union-busting corporate giant Veolia/Transdev. The ice inside my bus. I told dispatch I was not company has illegally fired four union going to move until I warmed the bus up leaders and flagrantly violated con- for the children. tract conditions, resulting in almost 700 But management said to me “Oh no, union grievances. just go, put the kids on, and go“ — in a bus Scott, the treasurer of Team Solidar- with ice inside! ity for the union, has been first a bus I said no! I’m saying no to a lot of things monitor and then a bus driver for 20 this company is ordering. years. In 1965, when Scott was only nine WW: I heard Veolia/Transdev tried years old, she participated in the his- to make the drivers reapply for their jobs toric “Bloody Sunday” march for voting when the company took over. rights over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in GS: Most of us, 95 percent, did not do Selma, Ala., where she was born. the new hire application — one of the first A camera is not going to protect the Sitting at the table with Transdev in things the company asked for. We said Workers World: How does Selma child. It’s me. I’m the one who will protect particular — I call it Trans-devil! — I’m we are not new employees, the company connect to your struggle today as a bus the child. That’s the most important piece looking across the table at one of them is new. If anyone should do a new appli- driver? of our work, the monitors and the drivers. with a smirk on his face. He is dealing cation, it should be the company — and Georgia Scott: This is the same We are the safety zone for the children. with thousands of children. There is if they had applied to us, they would not struggle as 1965 in Selma. Schools were WW: Why is this union a social justice nothing funny about talking about chil- have gotten the job! limited — all Black, all white. The edu- union — fighting also for other people, dren on the street corner, and then box- WW: Why do workers need a union? cation system did not work for people of marching with people for Palestine, for ing drivers in about the children’s safety. GS: My brother is still in Selma. He’s color. We didn’t have the books, the tools LGBT rights and so forth? So when I see that smirk, my feeling 57 years old, worked at a hospital in the we needed. There were places we weren’t GS: I think we are all born with the is I have to fight this guy, and I need to kitchen, in and out of the freezer. He de- allowed to go because of our color, like in will to resist. For me it comes with being be around people who know how to fight veloped arthritis, and the doctor put him the movies, in restaurants. There were born and raised in Alabama. My mother this guy. on medical leave. The company fired him. neighborhoods we weren’t allowed to go was on that bridge too, and I learned from WW: How is Veolia/Transdev chang- Twenty years on the job. No union, no sup- into. The purpose of the movement was her. ing the way it computes your pay? port, no protection! to give us the same rights as all the other I also think for this union it goes back GS: The hours we are paid for are the Now he’s working at a laundry. I went people. to the 1974 busing struggle [against seg- hours listed as the time it takes to drive a home and rode out to his workplace to I didn’t really understand a lot of what regation] when the drivers were trans- route — the flat rate. have lunch with him. My brother told me was happening, but I saw the segregated porting our children into South Boston The flat rate, before Veolia put in the he almost could not get away to go out schools, the segregated parts of town. I where they weren’t wanted. The drivers telematics system, was computed by ex- with me. The company policy is: “You didn’t understand Selma was as big as it that came on board had the mentality of perienced people who knew the specific can’t have people coming here on the job.” was, and I was born there! standing firm and being strong, knowing routes on the road. They knew how long it That’s what these big corporate con- Right now in Boston our children can that the things going on were wrong. really took to drive that particular route. glomerates want, to control us. They’ve go to school where they need to go to meet This union is based on listening, going Arbitration ruled against the use of got the power and the money. their needs. I did not have that opportuni- out into the community, listening to the GPS for the creation and re-evaluation of They’ve got the money. We’ve got the ty growing up. Veolia cutting back on the parents, building on that, and needing to flat rates, but the company is still illegally people. buses, that will limit our children, their struggle. using it every day. One person standing alone has no pow- safety and their choices of education. WW: Some in the union are from Cape Now that the company is using GPS to er. All of us together, that’s our strength. The fight in Selma is the same fight as Verde and fought for liberation from Por- compute the flat rate, the time they al- I know the importance of the union. now. tuguese colonization, and many in this low on routes is shorter and impossible. This is not just about Boston. It’s going on WW: How do monitors and drivers majority Haitian union are part of the It doesn’t allow for fire trucks, accidents, in the rest of the county, and it’s a global help keep the children safe? struggle against imperialism in Haiti emergencies on the bus. Or enough time issue. GS: The children get to know me, tell with Fanmi Lavalas. to stop, get the child across, take a seat, So I’m going to fight for the union! me if there is something going on at school GS: Our strength could also be we are get a seat belt on. They allow half a min- For more information, go to workers. or home. If there’s a fight on the bus, I’m a mixed group of people, from all walks of ute for that. org and search for “Boston school bus the one who stops the fight. I am the one life. We’ve had different struggles. From We have to be able to take care of what- drivers step up the fight.” who is supervising. I am the one who will being in the union, I’ve learned how to ever is going on, and be paid for that. For To support USW Local 8751, go to stop the child from being harmed. fight. instance, last year it was so cold, there was youcaring.com/rehirethe4.

Autoworkers speak out against concessions

By Martha Grevatt to work for GM. My family members have over 60 years ago to protect wages against contract that didn’t get rid of the ­two-tier Detroit 600 years at GM,” said Antwann Green, inflation, was taken away in 2009 during wage system. As they have done in the from Local 659 in Flint. “This ain’t what the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies. Since past, activists in the room were prepared Several dozen autoworkers expressed my family fought for.” then, this concession has cost autoworkers to campaign in their plants for a no vote their feelings at the “Autoworker Speak- Many of those who spoke were third- $4.10 an hour in pay. The annual improve- if necessary. Judy Wraight, a retired Lo- out” in Detroit on Aug. 23. This annual and fourth-generation autoworkers. ment factor, won around the same time cal 600 Ford worker, described the 2009 event, organized by the rank-and-file ad- Much of what their grandparents fought as COLA to compensate workers for their campaign against mid-contract conces- vocacy group “Autoworker Caravan,” is for — through long strikes to win union ever-increasing productivity, was taken sions. Ford did not declare bankruptcy, an opportunity for autoworkers to voice recognition, decent wages, benefits and away in 2007. Now the majority of au- but wanted the same givebacks that had their anger about the concessions they pensions — has been taken away in re- toworkers haven’t had a raise in 10 years. been squeezed out of GM and Chrysler have made and the record profits at Ford, cent contracts. Alternative work schedules and man- workers. The concessions were rejected General Motors and Chrysler. This year The autoworkers’ union fought for datory overtime are key issues. AWS resoundingly. workers talked about the contracts be- “equal pay for equal work.” Now one of force a majority of workers to labor every Workers listened to presentations tween the United Auto Workers and the the most objectionable concessions, in- Saturday for 10 hours, for which they are about autoworkers in Mexico, striking Detroit Three, which expire in the middle troduced into auto contracts in 2007, is paid straight time. The overtime premi- GM workers in Brazil and Colombian GM of September. two-tier pay. Workers hired after October um is only paid after 40 hours in a week, workers who had been fired. “I’m here because I care about elimi- 2007 make at best two-thirds the pay of which is mandatory under the Fair Labor Workers discussed the fact that they nating two-tier, I care about eliminat- their higher-seniority counterparts for Standards Act, but not after eight hours might need to strike to get a decent con- ing the alternative work schedule, and I the same work. Several speakers pointed in a day, as had been required under the tract. “Be prepared to take to the streets,” care about moving forward,” said Alex out that we also have to address unequal contract until 2009. said Scott Houldieson, vice president of Wassell, a member of UAW Local 869 at benefits and the fact that second-tier The overwhelming majority of work- Local 551 at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Chrysler Warren Stamping near Detroit. workers don’t get a pension. ers at the meeting raised their hands Plant. “That’s the only way we got any- “My grandparents came from Alabama The cost of living allowance, negotiated when asked if they would vote “no” on a thing in the past.” Page 4 Sept. 3, 2015 workers.org Federal gov’t: ‘College athletes don’t deserve rights’

By Scott Williams dent-athletes were, in fact, workers, with ful example of how higher education work as athletes. According to News- the same rights as any other university institutions in the United States have week, studies have found that for ev- Nearly a year and a half after the re- employees. In the sickening ruling, the been focused on reproducing exploita- ery one concussion reported by college gional director of the National Labor NLRB stated that Northwestern football tion and oppression, rather than being football players, they have suffered six Relations Board declared that North- players “bear little resemblance to gradu- institutions of social uplift. In a time of suspected concussions and 21 hits to the western University football players have ate student assistants or student janitors fiscal crisis, universities across the coun- head. the right to unionize, the national board and cafeteria workers whose employee try have spent billions on new facilities, The National Football League Players reversed that decision. status the board has considered in other academic buildings and student centers, Association, the union of NFL players, Citing the need for “stability in la- cases.” (The Atlantic, Aug. 17) all of which pad the coffers of banks and successfully sued the league for over $1 bor relations,” the NLRB claimed that it developers. billion in damages related to concussions. was denied the jurisdiction to determine ‘Student-athletes’ are workers The University of California system, Yet for the most part the crisis of health whether college players should have the Northwestern football players, like for example, paid out over $8.9 billion conditions for football players continues. right to collective bargaining. This effec- student-athletes across the country, face for new projects in 2012, yet at the same tively denies all players the basic right 50-hour-a-week practices. They have time had to cut budgets by over $2.6 bil- NLRB: Capitalist institution of workers to settle disputes with their little or no control over their academic lion, requiring tuition hikes, laying off Why did the leadership of the NLRB employer on issues such as pay, scholar- schedules. Former Northwestern quar- employees and hiring more temporary, unanimously deny Northwestern players ships, benefits, health care and working terback Kain Colter testified to the NLRB low-wage adjuncts. (Washington Month- the right to unionize? conditions. that he was pushed to pursue a less rig- ly, March 20, 2012) As long as the exploitation of labor ex- The NLRB argument goes like this: orous degree in psychology rather than Total national student debt contin- ists, workers will be uniting against the Northwestern University is one of 17 studying to become a doctor because of ues to climb above $1.3 trillion, as more bosses. The struggle for college-athletes’ private colleges out of 125 Division 1 academic scheduling conflicts with daily costs of education are shifted onto the rights has a tremendous potential to ig- National Collegiate Athletic Association football practices. backs of students. Now more than ever, nite broader sections of the population (NCAA) football teams. The original de- The University of North Carolina, a student-worker movement is needed to into solidarity with workers’ struggles. cision last March by the NLRB, which ex- which is known for its excellent women’s combat this growing exploitation on uni- The NLRB knows this. Hence the NLRB plicitly stated that students were employ- and men’s basketball teams, was recently versity campuses. chose “stability” over affirming the basic ees, was only for private colleges. College found to have enrolled thousands of stu- The vast majority of students and human rights of these players. football players for public universities in dent-athletes in fake classes over 18 years student-athletes are workers in train- The NLRB’s callous exclusion of col- North Carolina or Wisconsin, for exam- in order to make these students eligible ing. That doesn’t shield them from the lege-athletes from the same protections ple, are unable to have a union contract to play. fate of other workers. Christian Taylor, and rights as other university employees because their states forbid public workers While academic rigor suffers, sports a 19-year-old Black man and Division exudes the class prejudice of the NLRB the right to bargain collectively. programs have become a major cash cow II college football player at Angelo State on all levels. The only rights this institu- Therefore, the federal government for universities. The 10 most profitable in Texas, was killed by a white cop in tion has ever confirmed are rights that does not want to resolve this complex sit- college football programs had revenues Arlington, Texas, earlier in August. Jon- workers have asserted through labor and uation by giving “student-athletes” more of $762 million in 2012. (Newsweek, Aug. athan Ferrell, a former college football political struggle. Laws only ratify the rights that might encourage a challenge 22) While other college sports programs player who was working two retail jobs to rights that are already practiced. to the “right-to-work” (for less) laws of may be less profitable for universities, it survive, was killed by Charlotte, N.C., po- At a time when labor unions are strug- many states. Instead of taking a bold is clear that universities have the ability lice in September 2013 while asking for gling to survive endless attacks by the stance for workers’ rights, the board re- to provide basic pay, health care and oth- help after a car accident. billionaire owning class, workers must fused to claim its own authority. er protections for their student-athletes. Some 98 percent of college athletes never wait for the capitalist government The board failed to take up the pri- The NCAA’s unwillingness to treat ath- never play a professional sport. Many to give us rights. We must take what is mary question of whether so-called stu- letes as workers is a particularly shame- are left with health crises caused by their rightfully ours.

Joe Johnson, a fighter for workers and the oppressed

By Deirdre Griswold a stack of bills he had saved in the intervening months since our last Picture this: You have fallen in your visit. Being indigent, he only re- own home and can’t get up. You live ceived on average about $10-$20 alone and the telephone is at one end a month from the state and also of a long hall. You are lying at the oth- possibly some contributions from er end. friends. Handing me his diligently Joe Johnson of Chippewa Falls, saved funds, he’d say, ‘Use this for Wisc., a longtime subscriber to Work- whatever the party needs and build ers World, first came to our editorial the party.’ board’s attention when he sent us a “He wanted to immediately dis- letter in 2007 describing how he had cuss the class struggles going on, all spent five days — five days! — inching with an internationalist focus. He his way along the floor until he could particularly was interested in the call for help. youth and students joining WWP It was the thought of Workers and the work of Fight Imperialism, World and the struggles of the op- Stand Together (FIST). He was an pressed everywhere that kept him go- implacable foe of the repressive ing, he wrote. bodies of the capitalist-imperialist Johnson died on Aug. 5 at the age state such as the police and mili- of 84. He had been living for several tary. years in a modest room at the Wisso- “He never abandoned the op- ta Health and Regional Vent Center pressed, consistently insisting on dealing with serious health problems. the need for working-class white It was cancer that finally brought him workers to fight chauvinism and down. But up to the very last days of Joe Johnson with Ed Childs, Larry Hales and Bryan G. Pfeifer of Workers World Party. white supremacy and to support his life, this veteran of many struggles formations such as the Black Lives exuded revolutionary optimism, energy still young, he met the leaders of the great Joe Johnson understood the power of Matter movement.” and courage, signing all his letters “In the Minneapolis general strike of 1934 — the workers when organized and con- This was consistent with Johnson’s spirit of Crazy Horse! We shall win!” revolutionary socialists who had helped scious of their goal, and was inspired earlier support for the Vietnamese na- In his many letters to the paper and con- build the Teamsters union. In the 1950s when labor and youth occupied the State tional liberation struggle, the Irish lib- versations with comrades from Workers he resisted the draft during the U.S. war Capitol in Wisconsin trying to stop Gov. eration struggle, the American Indian World Party who visited him, Joe exuded against People’s Korea and spent time in Scott Walker’s union-busting drive. But Movement, the Black Panthers and many a fighting spirit and a broad knowledge of federal prison for his anti-war stand. He he knew they needed revolutionary com- other Black liberation forces, the Brown history — especially of the class struggle also worked in Canada periodically from munist leadership and organization to Berets and the women’s and lesbian-gay- in the U.S. since the 1930s and the heroic the 1950s on. In later years, he promot- sustain that struggle. bi-trans-queer liberation movements. battles of nationally oppressed peoples for ed progressive knowledge and concepts WW organizer Bryan G. Pfeifer, who Joe Johnson made his mark on history freedom and sovereignty. through bookstores he acquired in the visited Joe about twice a year, recalls and will long be remembered with great Joe was born in Chicago in 1930. When Chippewa Falls area. that “the first thing he’d do is hand me affection. workers.org Sept. 3, 2015 Page 5 Military whistleblower gets massive support

By Kathy Durkin it, the “horrific outlook” on the U.S.-led Supporters of imprisoned whis- wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the “war tleblower Chelsea Manning held ban- on terrorism” and the “exploitation of de- ners and delivered petitions containing veloping countries.” Manning’s intention 100,000 signatures to the U.S. Army’s was to reveal the truth about these wars congressional liaison office in Washing- to the peoples of the world. ton, D.C., on Aug. 18. They called on a se- For these acts, a military judge sen- cret panel at Kansas’ Fort Leavenworth tenced Manning on Aug. 21, 2013, to a military prison, which was meeting that 35-year term for violating the Espionage day, not to sentence this courageous an- Act of 1917. This extremely brutal pun- ti-war fighter to “indefinite solitary con- ishment has been denounced by scores finement,” as officials had threatened to of human rights, civil liberties, anti-war do for alleged violations of regulations. and legal organizations and activists. The military panel found Manning The day after the sentence was pro- guilty on all four charges. However, the nounced, “I finally announced my in- mass support for Manning had an im- tent to change my name [from Bradley pact, as officials decided to restrict Man- to Chelsea] and transition to living as a ning’s access to the gym, library and the woman, a personal high point for me, outdoors for 21 days, rather than carry despite my other circumstances,” says out their original threatened punish- Manning. guard.” Manning had asked to speak to ment of solitary confinement. Manning’s had been delivered through the prison’s Because of Manning’s principled ac- her attorney while being reprimanded attorneys were barred from attending mail system. tions, courage and integrity — as an op- about an incident in the mess hall, for the hearing, despite her request that it When Manning requested access to ponent of imperialist war and as a trans which she was found guilty of disorderly be open to the public, particularly to her the prison library prior to the hearing to person — the military has never let up on conduct. legal representatives. help prepare for her defense, prison offi- its campaign of harassment, looking for Prison officials targeted Manning for But this punishment isn’t without cials said no. any excuse to persecute her. having “unauthorized reading material,” repercussions for Manning in the fu- Manning says what sustains her is the which included the “U.S. Senate Report ture. As she explained by phone after The ‘war diaries’ support from her friends, family and on Torture”; lesbian, gay, bisexual and the hearing to members of her support The military confinement of Army Pvt. millions of people around the world. In transgender publications and articles; committee: “Now these convictions will Manning began five years ago. In a May that vein, she thanked her supporters for an issue of Vanity Fair portraying Cait- follow me through to any parole and 27 Guardian article, Manning reflects on their love and support on Twitter, the day lyn Jenner on the cover; and a copy of clemency hearings forever. I was expect- her imprisonment and her decision in after the hearing at Fort Leavenworth Cosmopolitan containing an interview ing to be in minimum security custody 2010 to release “the war diaries,” classi- and the protest in Washington. with Manning. Yet all of these materials in February, but now years [are] added.” fied documents that revealed, as she put Free Chelsea Manning! (chelseamanning.org) At the same blog, Manning’s attorney, Nancy Hollander, responded to the mili- tary panel’s ruling, saying, “As Chelsea’s lawyer, I am horrified and angry about STOCK MARKET CRASH these convictions. This was a star cham- ber where Chelsea had to defend herself Symptom of capitalist decay in secret. These convictions will not si- lence her. She will only be stronger, and just given up on finding a job, and mil- on those in China who want to reorient Continued from page 1 we will fight that much harder in her ap- lions more are still trying to get into the their development plans away from us- peal to overturn her convictions and her in those chosen few corporate executives job market for the first time. ing the capitalist market to stimulate the sentence.” who manage the criminal acts of this dog- Workers are overburdened with debt economy. It is a stimulant that can be- In their continuing harassment cam- eat-dog system and get ever so nicely re- that becomes increasingly unpayable. come a depressant only too quickly. And paign against Manning, prison author- warded with “salaries” in the millions. Home mortgages, car mortgages, credit it also breaks down the solidarity of the card debt, student loans — they are now masses — which made China’s transfor- ities had charged her with ludicrous Stocks crash, rise and crash again infractions, including having a tube seen as the next bubbles to burst. mation possible in the first place. of toothpaste past its expiration date Capitalist stock market crashes are When the super-rich do relax their China didn’t cause this crisis. On the — which was sold to her by the prison. nothing new. China was an impover- tight grip on their money and invest in contrary, it was the success of China’s Another charge was for “disrespecting a ished, semi-feudal, landlord-ridden production, it is likely a super-automat- amazingly rapid development over the country when the first big market col- ed plant that costs billions and will em- last few decades that kept the capitalist lapses began jerking people around in ploy at most a few hundred workers. economies in the rest of the world afloat. Europe and the U.S. in the 19th century. This is what capitalism has brought us They flocked to China to exploit cheap WAR China was still in that condition when to, and there is no easy way out. labor and stayed because of the rapidly the 1929 global market crash happened expanding modern infrastructure and WITHOUT VICTORY in the West, leading to a decade of ex- Tear the system down! the availability of millions of educated, by Sara Flounders treme poverty for the workers — the All the glorious expectations created skilled young workers. But those things “By revealing the underbelly of the empire, Great Depression. by the enormous scientific and techno- came from China’s ability to plan its de- Flounders sheds insight on how to stand up to Since then there have been market logical breakthroughs of the last centu- velopment — the product of its socialist the imperialist war machine and, in so doing, crashes every seven or eight years. Some ry and a half boil down to this: The rich revolution. save ourselves and humanity.” investors have gained, more have lost. have gotten unspeakably richer, the poor Now it looks like the temporary boost – Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, But an interesting thing happened with are getting poorer while being beaten that China’s growth gave to Western cap- President, U.N. General Assembly, 2008-2009; the 2008-09 crash. There has never been down by cops and wars, and the envi- italism after the crash of 2008 wasn’t Foreign Minister of Nicaragua’s Sandinista a real capitalist “recovery” since then. government. ronment, the planet we live on, is being enough to keep this system going. All the Unemployment has remained high, wrecked by an economic system based laws of social development say that it is Available on amazon.com and bookstores even in the developed capitalist coun- around the country. on greed and exploitation. time to organize and fight here for a thor- tries — especially in Europe, but also in That is not China’s fault. Hopefully, the ough overturn of the system — from the PentagonAchillesHeel.com the U.S. Millions of workers here have lessons of this market collapse will spur bottom up.

Low-Wage Capitalism El capitalismo Capitalism ­describes in sweeping detail the en un callejón ­drastic effect on the working class in at a Dead End the United States of new technology sin salida Job destruction, overproduction and the restructuring of global capital- Fred Goldstein utiliza las leyes and crisis in the high-tech era ism in the post-Soviet era. It uses Karl de la acumulación capitalista Marx’s law of wages and other findings de Marx, y la tasa decreciente to show that these developments are de ganancia, para demostrar For more information on these books and not only continuing to drive down por qué el capitalismo global other writings by the author, Fred Goldstein, wages but are creating the material ha llegado finalmente a un go to LowWageCapitalism.com basis for future social upheaval. punto de inflexión. Available at all major online booksellers. Page 6 Sept. 3, 2015 workers.org

Charleston Days of Grace Thousands to mobilize vs. racism, police violence and for workers’ rights

By Abayomi Azikiwe been a focal point action is scheduled lions against racist violence and econom- Editor, Pan-African News Wire for a burgeoning to start at Wragg ic exploitation directed towards African workers’ move- Square and then Americans. The two largest rebellions over Organizing is accelerating for the “Days ment led by Afri- march to Mother the last year have taken place in the south- of Grace, Love’s Work Is Justice” events can Americans. Emanuel and final- ern states of Missouri — in Ferguson and to be held in Charleston, S.C., over Labor Since the days of ly end in Marion St. Louis — and Maryland in Baltimore. Day weekend, Sept. 5 and 6. The event slavery, the Afri- Square. After the Ruling class forces and law-enforce- commemorates the nine Emanuel African can population in demonstration and ment agencies are reacting to the rising Methodist Episcopal Church parishioners South Carolina has rally, a conference militancy and intolerance for racism killed on June 17 by a white racist, as well had its labor ex- will convene that af- among African-American youth and as Walter Scott, killed by the police in ploited by the rul- ternoon beginning at workers. Consequently, efforts are well North Charleston in early April. ing class and has 2 p.m. and will con- underway to attempt to neutralize the It will pay a special tribute to Rev. resisted injustice. tinue the following growing struggle to end police violence Clementa Pinckney, the state senator African-Amer- day. (daysofgrace- against the people. and church minister who was one of ican workers are charleston.org) Allegations have been made recently those gunned down by Dylann Roof, a seeking to link the escalation in police that the Black Lives Matter movement white supremacist. Roof had been pho- and vigilante violence against the com- Focus on police violence and other organizations have come under tographed with Confederate flags and munity with the need to rejuvenate the Walter Scott was gunned down April 4, surveillance by the state. Such charges wearing the insignia of the former racist movement for jobs and living wages. Fol- the 47th anniversary of the martyrdom were made in Charleston after BLM was apartheid and settler colonial regimes in lowing the Mother Emanuel massacre, of Martin Luther King Jr., by white po- one of the first groups to protest against Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and the Re- thousands demonstrated, as part of a pro- lice officer Michael Slager after a traffic the killing of Scott and demand that his public of South Africa. tracted struggle, to remove the Confeder- stop in North Charleston. Angry over this killer be arrested and prosecuted. Roof had sat among the attendees of a ate flag from the State Capitol building in racist killing, organizers rallied the com- Black Lives Matter Charleston organiz- bible study for one hour on June 17 be- Columbia, demanding that this symbol of munity against law-enforcement violence er Muhiyidin d’Baha told the Charleston fore he stood up and said he had to kill slavery and racism be taken down. directed against the people. City Paper that the group had to enforce African Americans because they were According to Leonard Riley Jr., vice “We have to heal and we have to do bet- “a no-cameras policy at its meetings af- “assaulting white women and taking over president of ILA Local 1422, “There is a ter,” Riley added. “That’s the challenge we ter the Scott shooting when newcomers the United States.” feeling that the people of good will need face, and that’s the mantra of this call to started showing up and snapping pic- The Labor Day events are being coor- to be heard in this moment. The remov- action.” tures.” (Aug. 21) dinated by the International Longshore- al of the Confederate flag was a hopeful Scott was stopped supposedly for a “We were aware that there were new men’s Association Local 1422, which has sign that the state is ready to move for- traffic violation and was shot repeatedly people coming into the meetings that engaged in numerous labor actions over ward. But we need to back that up with in the back by Slager. A Dominican work- were asking a bunch of questions,” d’Ba- recent years. policies that make this a better state to er walking through the area videotaped ha said. “We were aware that there were A statement posted on the ILA website live in for everyone.” (Charleston Post & the killing on his cell phone, capturing a people coming into our initial meetings reads: “Guns inflicted the fatal wounds of Courier, Aug. 21) horrendous crime which is all too com- right after Walter Scott that were just April and June, but racism, poverty and Riley also noted, “Nearly 70 organiza- mon on U.S. streets. taking pictures.” the politics of rancor and discord have tions have joined the call for a march and Due to the video documentation of The activist stressed: “These things long inflicted grave wounds on the State’s strategy conference ... to help build a more the killing and the mass demonstrations were definitely happening and definite- poor and most vulnerable people. This fair, tolerant and peaceful South Carolina.” taking place throughout the country sur- ly scared people away with the knowing Labor Day, people of faith and conscience These endorsing and sponsoring groups rounding police misconduct, the officer or not knowing of who was behind these will come together in Charleston to re- include churches, student organizations, was arrested and charged with murder. It cameras and what their intention was. member our fallen friends and to reflect social clubs and civil rights activists. remains to be seen if he will actually be There was a lot of fear, and there’s still a on the racism and hatred that lay at the Thousands of people from the local area convicted and, if so, receives a sentence lot of fear, among the people that need to root of their deaths, as well as the vio- and from around the U.S. are expected to commensurate with this crime. rise up right now.” lence that tears away at the fabric of our travel to Charleston over this Labor Day The Charleston City Paper also report- communities.” weekend for the gathering. Anti-racist activities under state scrutiny ed, “Recently released emails from North In addition to being a center in the On Sept. 5, a demonstration and rally This Labor Day event comes amid an Charleston city employees show that the struggle against racism, Charleston has will be held in downtown Charleston. The escalation in demonstrations and rebel- actions of protest groups including Black Lives Matter Charleston were being mon- itored by the S.C. Law Enforcement Divi- sion (SLED) and the American Red Cross, Jailhouse death still unexplained both of which sent emails to city staff informing them about upcoming organi- zational meetings and the arrival of Fer- By Susan Schnur According to the “Standards for Jails guson, Mo., residents at a hotel in Sum- Cleveland in Ohio, Full Service & Minimum Se- merville. D’Baha says he does not know curity Jails, Courts and Community if the newcomers at the meetings were Ralkina Jones was found dead in a Jail Oversight,” updated May 2014, any working for a law enforcement agency, but Cleveland Heights jail cell on July 26. “health-trained personnel” can dispense the effect of their presence was palpable.” Only 37 years old, this African-American prescription medication to people in Due to the current atmosphere prevail- woman was a mother and friend to many Ohio jails. These personnel are defined as ing in many cities throughout the U.S., people. As more information is forced “members of the jail staff that are trained law-enforcement agencies are clearly be- out of the Cleveland Heights Law Depart- in limited aspects of health care, includ- ing coordinated on a national level to con- ment, suspicion grows that gross neglect ing correctional officers and other per- tain the protest. and official indifference may have been sonnel approved by the jail physician.” Unrest broke out recently in the city important factors leading to her death. It boggles the mind that a trained and of St. Louis after the police killed an Jones was very worried about the ad- licensed home health aide cannot even 18-year-old African American. A heavy ministering of her prescription medi- touch an aspirin to give to a client, but a police presence and its use of teargas cations by jail staff and can be seen on jail guard trained in “limited aspects of and pepper spray triggered the stoning of camera telling police that she “[does] not health care” can hand out multiple med- police and the burning of an abandoned want to die in your cell.” (Daily Mirror, ications with absolutely no knowledge of building and a vehicle. In nearby Fergu- Aug. 12) Later footage released to the me- Ralkina Jones their potentially deadly interactions. son the first anniversary of the death of dia shows a gap of six hours before she As of Aug. 22, no toxicology data had Michael Brown ignited further demon- was found dead in her cell. There are also 37 years old been released by the Cuyahoga County strations and civil unrest. large slices of footage missing from the medical examiner. The family of Ralki- Until the federal government address- es the police brutality and killings direct- period after her body was found. (Cleve- while the jail logs show she was given her na Jones has been very frustrated by the ed against African Americans and other land.com, Aug. 22) prescriptions three times in 24 hours. lack of information given them by Cleve- oppressed people, these demonstrations Documents released to the media on Dr. Jeannie Lee, an associate pharma- land Heights officials. and rebellions will likely grow and be- Aug. 13 show discrepancies in how Jones cy professor from the University of Ari- “We’ve got to fight and stay on it be- come more militant and politically di- was given her prescription medications. zona, reviewed the logs for NBC News cause everything’s not right about this rected against the state and the corporate The medications log sheet shows that she and said there was potential for an ad- situation,” said Fredrick Johnson, Jones’ ruling interests. took her medicine two times in 24 hours, verse drug interaction. cousin. workers.org Sept. 3, 2015 Page 7 Charleston Days of Grace Carlos Riley not guilty! Thousands to mobilize vs. racism, Jury rejects cop story By Dante Strobino police violence and for workers’ rights Durham, N.C. It’s been a long, two-and-a-half- year fight to free Carlos Riley Jr., from Durham County jails in North Carolina. However, on Aug. 14, after weeks of fam- Carlos Riley Jr., above. ily members and supporters packing the Protest in Durham, N. C.. county courthouse, a big step was taken PHOTO: CARLOSRILEYJR.WEEBLY.COM towards justice in his case. Jurors found Riley, who had been ac- cused of shooting a Durham police offi- cer, not guilty of all state charges, except dollars of revenue for the for “common law robbery.” Riley is ap- city every year. pealing the last charge. During the lead-up to On Dec. 18, 2012, Riley had been sit- his federal trial, Riley — ting in his car on the side of the road af- who was only 21 years old ter dropping his girlfriend off at work. at the time — was under Off-duty Durham police officer Kelly extreme pressure. Facing Stewart approached Riley in an un- several decades in federal marked car and began to harass him. prison, he had agreed to a Riley struggled in self-defense against an guilty plea on one charge unwarranted stop and being attacked by media do in almost every case where federal trial that took place in 2013, three in exchange for dropping the remaining the cop. Stewart then pulled his gun out Black people are either killed by cops or separate public defenders who had been charges at the federal level. This result- and, yelling threatening language, shot defend their lives. The DA claimed that appointed to Riley’s case all backed out ed in a maximum sentence of 10 years, himself in the leg. Riley shot Stewart with Stewart’s gun. under political pressure. There had been which he is now serving. The Durham Police Department and The DA and police tried to keep several dozens of demonstrations demanding The information uncovered as part other officials attempted to keep this from pieces of crucial evidence — that proved freedom for Riley. Several communi- of this most recent state trial was being getting out. They accused Riley of fighting Stewart had shot himself, despite his tes- ty organizations, including Liberty and withheld by the DPD during the feder- with and shooting the officer, and then timony that he did not shoot his gun — Justice for Carlos Riley Jr., SpiritHouse, al trial — illustrating one of the terrible stealing his gun. But documents present- away from the jury. the Inside-Outside Alliance, the Durham problems that have led to an incredibly ed in court showed otherwise, including However, family members and commu- Solidarity Center and many others joined unjust system of mass incarceration. “1 shot fired by officer” written on an offi- nity supporters packed the court for the together to challenge the city, county and Ninety-seven percent of federal convic- cial DPD Gunshot Residue Analysis form nearly three weeks of trial, sitting in the federal governments to drop the charges. tions are the result of guilty pleas that less than two hours after the incident. room and keeping pressure on the judge Many of the rallies took place outside force people to serve prison sentences Riley was facing 460 months — 38 and jury, while defense attorney Alex the new, state-of-the-art correctional fa- without ever getting a trial. years — of state prison time, but he re- Charns brought out some of the racist cility in downtown Durham, where Riley Riley, like millions of other Black, fused a plea deal and chose to fight for tactics of the police. Charns cited figures was held. On one occasion, the street in Brown and working-class prisoners in justice before a jury. “I am happy that he showing that in the year before Stewart front was shut down for 30 minutes by jail, won’t be free until a massive move- stood strong to not take a plea that was was shot, his traffic stops involved Black protesters, impacting visitors to the fancy ment in this country can topple this en- offered,” Riley’s father, Carlos Riley Sr., people 77 percent of the time. Charns also Durham Performing Arts Center across tire system once and for all and replace it told Workers World. He continued, “He delivered subpoenas to Police Chief Jose the street. The center draws in millions of with a system run by the masses. was offered a plea to walk free, but he re- Lopez, which were denied. fused because he wanted to fight for not Before the trial started, prosecutors only himself, but other Black men that had requested an off-the-record sidebar have been faced with the same situation discussion with the judge and attorney of police brutality.” Justice for Rekia Boyd! Charns, during which they requested District Attorney Roger Echols, work- the judge remove Charns from the case. ing closely with the Durham Police De- Charns then asked that the discussion partment, attempted to cover the depart- be put on public record and the judge re- ment’s tracks by smearing Riley with fused the prosecution’s request. criminal charges — just as cops and the In the lead-up to a previously resolved Tased man dies from fall By Dianne Mathiowetz side of the wall, Benton used his Taser to Atlanta strike the unarmed Robinson in the back, causing him to fall and break his neck. On Aug. 21, a crowd of family members Numerous witnesses claim that police

and community activists gathered at the did nothing to assist the injured man, de- WW PHOTO: DANIELLE KATZ DeKalb County Courthouse to protest spite his pleas for help. Authorities say he Above, protesters outside Police Board hearing in Chicago. the death of 32-year-old Troy Robinson, died at the hospital. Left, Rekia Boyd. who died after being Tasered by police on Lawyers for the Robinson family Aug. 6. charge Benton with violating the county By Danielle Katz and Andy Katz and I’ve stood tall. All I’m asking is that Robinson was a passenger in a car that department’s use-of-force rules, which this officer gets fired. He killed my sister was stopped in a neighborhood where po- prohibit the use of a Taser when a suspect Hundreds packed and ultimately shut in cold blood.” lice were conducting a “robbery suppres- is fleeing and when its use would likely down a Chicago Police Board hearing Outside police headquarters, hundreds sion detail.” Reportedly, the reason for cause a fatal fall. Aug. 20 as they delivered over 10,000 more demonstrated in support of those the stop was a tag violation. The car had a The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is petitions demanding the termination of inside the hearing. Holding banners and temporary drive-out tag from a dealer. In in charge of determining the facts in this Detective Dante Servin. signs that read, “Say her name,” “Unapol- Georgia, it is illegal for police to stop a ve- case. In March 2012, Servin fired shots into ogetically Black” and “Fire Dante Servin,” hicle simply to check the validity of a tag. Robinson’s death at the hands of the a group of unarmed Black people, killing those gathered spoke out against police The driver of the car informed police police is one more in a list of suspicious 22-year-old Rekia Boyd. In April 2015, murders and brutality. that he had a legally permitted hand- deaths that includes those of Kevin Davis Servin was acquitted of manslaughter “This board is not valid,” said one Black gun. While police were securing the gun, and Anthony Hill. charges related to this killing. Youth Project 100 member to the crowd. ­Robinson exited the car and began run- Davis was shot in his own home after Before the demonstrators shut down “No one is going to bring their grievances ning away. he called 911 for help for his injured girl- the meeting with chants of “Say her name” in front of this board. DeKalb officer Casey Benton followed friend. Hill, an Afghanistan veteran, na- and “Will you fire Dante Servin?” Boyd’s “Justice does not live here, it lives in pursuit. Robinson attempted to scale ked and suffering from a mental break- brother, Martine Sutton, addressed the in the hearts of all of us out here in the an eight-foot cement block wall. Although down, was shot in the parking lot of his hearing: “For three years my family has streets, in the struggle. Rekia should be another police officer was on the opposite apartment complex. been disrespected. I’ve been harassed here with us.” Page 8 Sept. 3, 2015 workers.org COLOMBIA Stop victimizations by the state!

The Peace Delegation of the Revolu- cess. The position of holding talks without trade unionists, people who defend hu- It has been confirmed by several inde- tionary Armed Forces of Colombia- Peo- stopping the battles is a losing formula. man rights, journalists, political oppo- pendent sources, for example, that in the ple’s Army (FARC-EP) has been holding Circumstances that make it difficult nents and opponents of mining, energy first six months of this year, 34 people who peace talks in Havana, Cuba, with repre- to make advances through talks are pre- and agri-food multinational projects.” It were human rights defenders were killed, sentatives of the Colombian government cipitated when it is apparent that simul- was said that “continuing violations of and that during the five years of govern- since 2012. The delegation sent out the taneously with the unleashing of attacks international humanitarian law, viola- ment of Juan Manuel Santos the total following declaration (www.pazfarc-ep. against the insurgency, there is also an tions of the principle of distinction [be- number was 317. But, in addition, reports org) on Aug. 22 that WW publishes here. increase of threats, harassment, impris- tween civilians and combatants] and the indicate that there were at least 1,480 at- Translation by WW managing editor onment, assassinations and all kinds of use of property of civilians in armed con- tacks and 196 threats, with the aggravat- John Catalinotto. hostilities against popular leaders, de- flict ...; the vast majority of crimes go un- ing circumstance that, as told by the We In previous statements we have in- fenders of human rights and the Colom- punished and underreported, as in the Are Defenders program in its semi-annu- sisted that there should be consistency bian social movement in general. case of enforced disappearances, sexual al report January-June 2015, “the Attor- between the purposes outlined in the Recently the eleventh report of the As- violence and torture,” among other ma- ney General’s Office has a decided lack of commitment to expedite the talks in Ha- turian Delegation Verifying the Status of jor indicators that include the increase political and administrative will to find vana and de-escalate the conflict in Co- Human Rights in Colombia, 2015, docu- of paramilitaries, army abuses and the those responsible for attacks against de- lombia. And while the FARC-EP have put mented that “Colombia continues to suf- greed of transnational corporations. fenders of human rights in Colombia; but all their effort into it, the Colombian State fer from a situation of social and armed Now, among several other testimonies in contrast, one can see a strong and de- has lacked the corresponding energy and conflict. The country is far from living in that attest to the persisting humanitar- termined speed and effectiveness of this commitment. a postconflict situation or of normalcy ian crisis, the report “The Nobodies” institution and its investigative bodies to We should emphasize that although we regarding human rights. Most of the rec- [Los Nadie] has become known; it was prosecute and criminalize human rights have acted with full transparency and rig- ommendations made to the government presented by the program We Are De- defenders and their actions when they are or to implement the unilateral ceasefires, and the commitments regarding human fenders, which describes the dramatic accused of various crimes.” State ground operations have caused rights remain unfulfilled.” situation faced by those defending hu- With absolute willingness to carry for- deaths and injuries to guerrilla fighters The reports notes, in the context of man rights, who are condemned to a dai- ward the talks to reach the signing of the and have captured them in different parts the data it presents, the overwhelming ly sacrifice in a scenario that apparently Final Agreement, as representatives of the of the country, jeopardizing the truce and responsibility of the State, adding that exposes the collusion of the regime with insurgency, we say it is already past time to the proper conducting of the peace pro- “there continue to be attacks against the perpetrators of the crimes. stop generating additional victims. Dominicans, Haitians protest deportation On Saturday morning, Aug. 22, the Times Square lyn to City Hall on Aug. 14. That is According to the Dominican Interior organization “We are all Dominicans” the anniversary of “Bois Caiman,” Ministry, only 7.2 percent of the foreign held a protest at the Dominican Re- the clandestine meeting that touched residents in the DR had been given res- public Consulate in New York City’s off the Haitian Revolution in 1791. idency permits, called carnets, as of the Times Square to demand “No deporta- The Haitian march, which drew first week of August. tions, here or there!” support from progressive Domin- The Unión de Trabajadores Cañeros de Some Haitians and progressive North icans as well as North Americans, los Bateyes (UTC) called the demonstra- Americans, as well as Dominican work- not only raised the issue of racism tion at the Haitian Embassy, as well as an ers, participated in the protest. in the DR but also brought up the earlier one of 15,000 sugarcane cutters In 2013, a Dominican court moved inadequate response of the Haitian outside the Presidential Palace in Santo to strip citizenship from hundreds of low-paid cane cutting and construction government. Domingo, to demand residency permits. thousands of Dominicans of Haitian de- work are likewise under attack. On Aug. 17, thousands of Haitians The UTC is an independent labor or- scent, covering those born in the Domin- “We are all Dominicans” has been ac- demonstrated at the Haitian Embassy in ganization founded by cane cutters from ican Republic as far back as 1929. Since tive in the Dominican community in the Santo Domingo, the capital of the DR, to Haiti. (Haïti-Liberté, Aug. 19-25) then, the government has instituted a United States in raising the issue of rac- demand identification documents that Pressure is growing both in the DR staggered program of deportations, a few ism and keeping pressure on the govern- the Dominican government requires for and in Haiti to resolve this issue before at a time. Racist vigilante groups, using ment of the DR. residency permits. They had paid a pro- it becomes a major catastrophe. The U.S. intimidation and violence, have been “en- The Coalition for Human Rights in cessing fee of $22 — a lot of money for a government obviously has a lot of influ- couraging” more people to self-deport. the Dominican Republic, organized by cane cutter or construction worker in the ence over what happens in the DR, but Hundreds of thousands of Haitians Haitian militants in the U.S., had held a DR — but the embassy had failed to pro- has remained silent. who went to the DR more recently to do march from Grand Army Plaza in Brook- duce the papers. — Report and photo by G. Dunkel Solidarity with the people of Ecuador & Brazil

U.S. imperialism attempts to under- whose peoples have decided to take the out by a powerful country in unequal of the right wing orchestrated by U.S. im- mine any government in Latin America path of emancipation. Such demonstra- conditions in order to force the other perialism and groups possessing media that exhibits independence from Wash- tions are encouraged and supported by country to submit and to expropriate its and economic power at an international ington’s dictates. In the past weeks espe- external elements and the media that water, mineral and/or energy resources. level. We support the people and the gov- cially, the governments of Ecuador and serve the interests of the oligarchies. This tactic has been devised not only as a ernment led by President Rafael Correa in Brazil have been facing protest demon- This description fits the specific cases major form of aggression, but as a stra- Ecuador and President Dilma Rousseff in strations, including rightist elements, involving the incessant attacks against tegic tool of U.S. foreign policy. Brazil, in their efforts to solve their prob- which are promoted by imperialist me- Argentina, the Bolivarian Republic of The United States deploys all its might lems while preserving peace, democracy dia.The following statement was written Venezuela, the Republic of Ecuador, the beyond its borders, using a strategy that and the well-being of their peoples. We by leftist intellectuals in the region oppos- Plurinational State of Bolivia and more is not in itself new, but it is now assigning reject the implementation of “soft coups,” ing U.S. intervention and translated by recently against the Federal Republic of this strategy a new level of priority. Acts through the use of psychological warfare WW managing editor John Catalinotto. Brazil and the Republic of Ecuador, where of unconventional warfare are those aim- operations that undermine legitimately similar destabilization scripts have been ing to undermine and degrade the morale constituted governments using the means Aug. 20, 2015 repeated, put into effect through financ- and the political, psychological, military of communications. We, representatives of social movements ing, training, manipulation and other and economic strength of the country as Likewise, the undersigned reaffirm the of Panama, as a broad expression from the strategies of UNCONVENTIONAL WAR- well as to trigger events that are catalysts need to strengthen the continental unity Panamanian people, first of all express our FARE,* like those that have already been for creating conditions leading to foreign of our peoples and regional integration, strong support for the statement by the Po- carried out in countries such as Iraq, Syr- intervention. to address these threats, in order to de- litical Council of the ALBA-TCP, developed ia, Libya, Ukraine and others, in order to The media play a crucial role in this fend human rights, our sovereignty and at an extraordinary meeting in Caracas on undermine the sovereignty and seize nat- strategy. In Panama, for example, we the free development of our peoples. Aug. 10. [ALBA-TCP is a trade agreement ural resources belonging to the people. have a press that misrepresents the facts, We the undersigned: Network of Intel- among Latin American nations. — WW] *According to Training Circular 18- spreads disinformation and distorts the lectuals, Artists and Social Movements in Likewise, we denounce the plans of 01, one of the principal U.S. documents news in the interest of powerful groups Defense of Humanity, Panama chapter. imperialism, which by using strategies on the doctrine of unconventional war- in the country. Coordinators: Ana Maria Pinilla V; of destabilization, stalks and conspires fare for the Special Forces Operations of In this regard, we reaffirm our commit- Gilma Camargo; Association of Relatives to overturn progressive governments of the United States Army, unconventional ment to respect the sovereignty of states and Friends of the Fallen of Dec. 20, 1989 the region legitimately elected by their warfare is interference in a country, and and non-intervention in the internal af- - Trinidad Ayola; Broad Front for Democ- ­p e o p l e s . its political purpose is to obtain domi- fairs of our people. At the same time, we racy-FAD; Peoples Party - Moisés Carras- It is no coincidence that demonstra- nance without using war technology. It express our repudiation of the attempt to quilla; Citizens’ Pole - Olmedo Beluche; tions with similar characteristics are is a physical penetration of a political, undermine the democratic institutions of Independent Movement for National Re- taking place simultaneously in countries economic and cultural character, carried Ecuador and Brazil, carried out by sectors foundation - MIREN. workers.org Sept. 3, 2015 Page 9 Donbass residents rally as Kiev regime prepares new military assault

By Greg Butterfield and 45 wounded in the prior week. (Nov- Attacking from several directions si- New Cold War against Russia” in Work- The rightist regime in Kiev, Ukraine, orossia Today, Aug. 24) multaneously, Kiev’s forces hope to reach ers World, July 31) carried out overnight shelling of Donetsk The death toll has grown steadily over Donetsk’s eastern border with Russia, What the Obama administration, con- city and threatened an imminent new the summer. Sporadic Ukrainian shell- preventing any military or humanitari- gressional leaders and the Pentagon have military offensive by Ukrainian troops. ing, which has claimed a few lives each an support from reaching the resistance, done is to strengthen U.S. control over Despite this, thousands of people in Do- week, has intensified. Attacks in the and blocking Lugansk militia forces from the disparate, competing factions of the netsk city rallied Aug. 24 to demand that Lugansk People’s Republic have also in- coming to their aid. (For maps and in- Kiev regime. These factions are united the Kiev regime, headed by President creased, especially near villages under depth information in English, see Red- mainly by their hatred of Russia and the Petro Poroshenko, stop the war against the protection of the Ghost Brigade an- StarOverDonbass.blogspot.com.) people of Donbass. the independent Donetsk and Lugansk ti-fascist militia. However, military analyst Col. Cas- Earlier this summer, the Right Sector People’s Republics of the Donbass region. According to the United Nations, near- sad points out that in Krajina, Croatian fascist group repeatedly threatened to The anti-war protest, titled “Ukraine’s ly 7,000 people have been killed since the forces outnumbered Serbian troops by overthrow Poroshenko. In late August, Dependence Day,” was a rejoinder to start of Kiev’s “Anti-Terrorist Operation” 10 to one. Ukraine, he notes, has not even this group’s leaders suddenly announced the jingoistic independence day celebra- in the spring of 2014. twice the number of troops as the Don- on social media that some of their squads tions organized in Ukraine by the junta There is no doubt now that Kiev’s army bass republics. would be integrated into the Security Ser- of oligarchs, neoliberal politicians and and volunteer neofascist battalions are Since the troops drafted into Kiev’s vice of Ukraine (SBU) — the Ukrainian fascists. This grouping took power with preparing a new offensive. Poroshenko army are unwilling fighters, the Donbass political police similar to the FBI. U.S.-European Union backing in Febru- boasts of sending more troops and weap- republics have resoundingly defeated Right Sector members will be put on the ary 2014. The far-right regime has been onry to the front — obtained directly or previous Ukrainian offensives. government payroll, issued “official” weap- dependent on Western economic and indirectly through the U.S. and other ons and have the legal cover of the SBU. U.S. policies lead to war, not peace military support ever since. NATO powers. The anti-fascist militias The integration of Right Sector into the On the same date — Aug. 24 — in 1991, that defend the Donbass republics have The military buildup by Ukraine is a state apparatus came shortly after state- pro-capitalist and nationalist forces in reported a steady buildup of Ukrainian direct violation of the Minsk 2 ceasefire ments by the U.S. ambassador and other Ukraine had declared “independence” troops for months. agreement it signed in February with officials defending Poroshenko from the from the Soviet Union. This year, a so- On Aug. 20, Donetsk Deputy Defense Russia, Germany and France. Even after most recent flare-up between the rival cial media call for a flashmob in central Minister Eduard Basurin reported on in- the Donbass republics unilaterally with- factions. (Col. Cassad blog, Aug. 22) It fits Donetsk brought young and old into the telligence received from a high-ranking drew heavy weaponry from the contact a pattern that has seen neo-Nazi contin- streets. They marched from the statue member of the Ukrainian military who line, Kiev refused to budge. gents like the Azov Battalion integrated of Taras Shevchenko, an 18th-century opposes the junta’s latest moves. (Do- An intervention by U.S. officials to into the Ukrainian military structure and Ukrainian nationalist figure, to the stat- netsk News Agency) force Kiev to pass legislation required by trained by U.S. troops. ue of V.I. Lenin, leader of the revolution According to this information — which the Minsk accords in June led to specula- Add these developments to the Inter- that established the first modern, mul- confirms what the militias have observed tion that Washington might try to tamp national Monetary Fund’s declaration tinational Ukrainian state as part of the on the ground — Ukraine now has, on or down the war. Now it appears, however, that it will continue to bail out Kiev, even Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. near the front line, more than 90,000 to have been another figleaf to cover Pen- if the bankrupt regime defaults on its They carried flags of the Donetsk re- troops; 450 tanks; more than 2,500 ar- tagon and NATO training and arming of loans. Meanwhile, the regime pours mon- public and signs reading, “Poroshenko — mored personnel carriers; five mobile the Ukrainian military, while giving the ey into the war and imposes ever greater puppet in the U.S. show,” “You’ve already rocket launcher complexes; 230 multiple Kiev regime more time to build up its of- austerity measures and repression on the perished, Ukraine” (a reference to Kiev’s launch rocket systems; over 1,000 artil- fensive forces. working people of Ukraine. national anthem), and “Stop the war, lery guns and mortars; and more than As Workers World reported previously, The message is clear: U.S. imperialism bloody President Poroshenko.” (From on- 3,500 anti-tank weapons. (Col. Cassad the war in Donbass is a step in a long-term wants the war in Donbass to continue at line reports by Denis Grigoryuk and No- blog, Aug. 21) U.S. effort to undermine the existence of all costs. Washington is determined to vorossia Today) The planned Ukrainian offensive is said an independent Russian Federation, even use Ukraine to wear down the People’s to be modeled on the Croatian assault that though it is now capitalist. This policy, Republics and Russia and doesn’t care Offensive looms, death toll grows defeated Serbian forces in Krajina during pursued by Republican and Democratic how many people on both sides are killed The human rights ombudsman of the the Yugoslavian civil war, also master- administrations for more than 20 years, in the process. Donetsk People’s Republic reported that minded and manipulated by U.S. and may take tactical twists and turns, but But, as Donetsk residents showed with 23 civilians were killed and 32 injured in German imperialism. It resulted in the there are no signs that Washington and their protest on Aug. 24, the people of shelling by Ukrainian troops from Aug. deaths of thousands of Serbs and drove Wall Street plan to fundamentally change Donbass are prepared and determined to 15 to Aug. 21. Some 17 people were killed the entire Serb population out of Krajina. course. (See “Ukraine, Donbass and the resist. DPRK mounts strong response

Aug. 17 protest in to U.S.-led ‘war games’ Seoul, so. Korea, against U.S. war By Deirdre Griswold Pentagon tried to completely obliterate threats. the socialist north. Only the most craven PHOTO: SPARK Aug. 25 — Once more, the U.S. impe- apologists for imperialism — read almost rialists have threatened the Democratic the entire U.S. corporate media estab- ‘An open act of war’ clared in the area along the front. It also People’s Republic of Korea with the Pen- lishment — could swallow such a lie and The DPRK reacted by calling an emer- set forth the duties and tasks of officials tagon’s formidable war machine, car- then regurgitate it to the public. gency enlarged meeting of the Central in charge of external affairs to fully lay rying out annual “war games” from the Certainly the DPRK took it seriously. Military Commission of the Workers’ bare the truth about the prevailing situ- territory of south Korea. Imperialism’s The current president in south Korea Party of Korea — the political party that ation caused by the enemies’ undisguised warships and planes simulated an attack is Park Geun-hye, daughter of Gen. Park has led the DPRK since 1946. and surprise aggression.” on the northern part of the Korean pen- Chung-hee, a military dictator who ruled A press release from the country’s The people were organized and pre- insula beginning Aug. 17. The war prac- the south from 1961 to 1979, after seizing U.N. mission issued Aug. 21 read: “Psy- pared in case of war. The DPRK moved tices are scheduled to run to Aug. 28. power in a coup with U.S. blessing. chological warfare against the DPRK is, troops closer to the DMZ and reoriented And once more, the people and leaders There is widespread opposition in the in essence, an open act of war against it. other defense units. of the DPRK have shown that they will south to the right-wing grouping now in In this regard, the General Staff of the It seemed as though real war could be not be intimidated by this kind of saber-­ power. This could be seen last year when Korean People’s Army on Aug. 20 sent an imminent under cover of U.S.-led “war rattling. protests erupted over the role of govern- ultimatum to the south Korean puppet games.” According to the U.S. military publi- ment corruption in the unsafe conditions Ministry of Defense that a strong mili- But this strong response by the DPRK cation Stars and Stripes of Aug. 17, some on a passenger ferry that sank, killing 304 tary action would be launched at once un- and its young leader, Kim Jong Un, 30,000 U.S. and 50,000 south Kore- people, most of them high school students. less it stops the anti-DPRK broadcasting brought results. Within a day a meeting an troops were mobilized for the “war The reactionary government in Seoul, for psychological warfare and removes all was held at Panmunjom, where a build- games,” which the U.S. had the gall to de- which is totally subservient to the dic- psywar means within 48 hours. ... ing straddles the DMZ and has been used scribe as “non-provocative.” tates of the U.S. and its continued mili- “The meeting discussed the measures ever since the 1950s for meetings be- Having 80,000 combat forces practice tary occupation of southern Korea, pre- to convert the party and power bodies, tween the two sides. war against their country, and the DPRK pared for the “war games” by planting working people’s organizations, state se- As of this writing, the regime in south is supposed to just take it lying down? huge banks of loudspeakers on the edge curity, people’s security and judicial and Korea has agreed to dismantle its offensive Such a claim of innocence is prepos- of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that prosecution organs, factories, enterpris- and provocative loudspeakers and the cri- terous, especially given the horrible and separates the two halves of the Korean es, cooperative farms and other units in sis appears to have been forestalled. But tragic history of the 1950-53 U.S. war nation and started blasting hostile and the relevant areas into the semi-war sys- the U.S.-led war exercises are continuing against the Korean people, in which the insulting propaganda toward the north. tem as the semi-war state has been de- and the DPRK is maintaining its vigilance. Page 10 Sept. 3, 2015 workers.org

Migrant crisis in

Europe: Who caused it? French gendarmes attack migrants on the Eurotunnel site in Behind the horror stories about the when boats capsize in the Mediterranean Coquelles near Calais. treatment of migrants trying to reach Sea. Europe is the imperialist system of ex- What drove this crisis to unprecedent- ploitation of their countries of origin, the ed heights was NATO’s bombing, inva- Fortress Europe kills policies exacerbating this exploitation sion and subversion of Libya and Syria, and the imperialist wars that made their starting in 2011. home countries unlivable for them and Libya’s economy had employed a mil- In an article in the Workers World of ticians respond to the threat from the their children. lion workers from sub-Saharan Africa Aug. 15, Deirdre Griswold wrote of the right? Once again by adopting neofascist Recently, these horror stories in the before 2011. U.S.-NATO bombs and the migrants to Europe: “These refugees are and racist slogans themselves. corporate media have focused on how arming of elements similar to the Islamic fleeing their homelands because of the Thus, the spokesman of the Slo- migrant human beings are suffering State overthrew the stable and relatively damage done by horrendous wars un- vak Ministry of the Interior, Ivan Me- during their journey through the Balkan prosperous Libyan government of Col. leashed by the imperialists, particularly tik, speaking to the BBC, declared that peninsula. Most of these recent migrants Moammar Gadhafi, killing him and mak- the U.S. and NATO, [that have caused] Bratislava would accept only Christian are from Syria, Iraq and other countries ing the country hell to live in. destruction — not only of people, their refugees in the upcoming years; Muslim of Southwest and Central Asia. The in- In Syria, too, the U.S. and its NATO al- homes, villages and infrastructure — immigrants would be rejected. Similar tention of most of these suffering people lies, especially Britain, France and Ger- but of the basic social institutions that rants come from Latvia, Estonia and Po- is not to stay in the Balkan countries that many, as well as Turkey, provided arms were built after these nations finally land. Hungarian President János Áder are themselves impoverished colonies to elements that consolidated into the Is- broke free of colonialism.” called the people traveling through his of either Western Europe or the Unit- lamic State. To overthrow the Damascus The German daily newspaper Junge country “besiegers” and spoke of a new ed States. The migrants want asylum in government, the imperialists provoked Welt on Aug. 21 published the article be- “Great Migration.” General Secretary Germany or Britain where jobs are still a disastrous war that has torn apart the low by André Scheer, with Andre Wokit- Andreas Scheuer of the Christian Social available. country, creating a mass exodus. tel in Belgrade, that describes what the Union (Bavaria, Germany) also chose Some who reached Germany wound The reactionary Hungarian regime, refugees face from U.S. allies and client this formulation to incite against what he up besieged by Nazis on the Aug. 20-21 taking a page from the U.S. anti-immi- states in Europe after U.S. wars of ag- called “massive abuse” of asylum. weekend in the small city of Heidenau grant book, is building an obscene fence gression drive them from their home- In Calais on Aug. 20, French Interi- in Saxony in the East. “Nazis” is not on its borders to try to keep out the suf- lands. The translation is by WW manag- or Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and his just name calling. The so-called Nation- fering migrants. As criminal as this act ing editor John Catalinotto. British counterpart, Theresa May, signed al Democratic Party of Germany, which is, it is not Budapest that caused the cri- If there were an election for France’s an agreement to wall off the border be- organized the anti-immigrant riot and sis. Nor did the Greek, Macedonian and head of state today, Marine Le Pen with tween the two countries even more than attempted pogrom, is the actual con- Serbian governments. The richer NATO her neofascists [the National Front] it is now. They’ll form a joint command tinuation of the Nazi Party. During that countries and the U.S. government are would have a good chance of winning the and control center to coordinate the weekend the NDP mobilized its storm to blame. They should be paying repara- vote. Polls place her with around 30 per- hunt for refugees who are trying to get troopers, who nearly burned down the tions to the Syrians and other migrants cent, winning either first or second place, through the Eurotunnel to the British migrants’ temporary housing. for the nightmare they, the imperialists, and a victory in the runoff election no Isles. Already, high fences, barbed wire As some working-class organizations have caused. Such payments would not longer seems impossible. In Sweden, too, and heavily armed police are there to de- in Germany have pointed out, the so- be charity, but reparations for their war the influence of the racists continues. For ter people. called democratic politicians in Chan- crimes. the first time the “Sweden Party” was the The country of Macedonia on Aug. 20 cellor Angela Merkel’s government and Workers in Europe should not be mis- strongest force in a survey published on imposed a state of emergency for two party, as well as many Social Democratic led by demagogues who make migrants Aug. 20 by the daily newspaper Metro. regions. Four thousand refugees are Party politicians, have made the Nazis’ scapegoats for the problems these work- And how do the “democratic” poli- Continued on page 11 work easier. They’ve done this with their ers face in their own countries. The Eu- own vicious anti-migrant statements — ropean workers’ enemies are not their similar to what politicians here say re- fellow workers who are forced to migrate, garding migrants from Mexico and Cen- but the imperialists who have systemat- tral America. Think Donald Trump, who ically undermined postcolonial govern- is only the worst of a reactionary pack in ments that have been trying to exercise the United States. their independence and autonomy after Now some of these government leaders at least a century of bondage. in Germany are condemning the Nazi vi- If all this sounds like a mirror image olence. But they created the atmosphere of what is happening regarding migrants that allowed the Nazis to mobilize. to the United States from Mexico and The corporate media’s coverage omits Central America, this is no accident. Im- the back story. Why? Because this story perialism is the enemy of workers and exposes the role of imperialism and the farmers worldwide. There will always be major imperialist countries. reactionary politicians — Trump comes For example, when the International to mind, but he’s not alone — who try to Monetary Fund imposes austerity on Af- play the demagogue and scapegoat mi- rican countries to assure their debt pay- grants. Shut them down! ments, it results in less work and social The migrants are our class allies, and benefits, which drives young workers out we should stand in solidarity with them, of Africa. A consequence is the drowning in Europe as well as in the United States. of hundreds, maybe thousands of people WW PHOTO: ANNE PRUDEN Muslims in united march against Saudi destruction in Yemen and Syria. Marchers condemn U.S.-backed Saudi oppression

By Bill Starr al-Nimr and an end to the detention and Mahdi Foundation, the International dered Muslims who did not accept the New York torture of pilgrims visiting the destroyed Action Center, the United National An- puritanical ideology of Wahabism, which sites. The march also condemned the tiwar Coalition, and several masjids and it used to justify its rule. Demonstrators marched from the Saudi kingdom’s bombing of the people of Islamic schools in the New York metro- Thousands were hanged from trees in United Nations to the Saudi U.N. Mission Yemen and funding of terrorist violence politan area. the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. On on Aug. 21 to protest the kingdom’s per- in Syria. Saudi airstrikes have killed Saudi Arabia and Israel are Washing- April 21, 1925, King Ibn Saud demolished secution of Shia Muslims and its refusal thousands of Yemenis since March. ton’s two main allies in the Middle East. mausoleums in Jannat ul Baqi, where to allow the rebuilding of Islamic graves The event was endorsed by YaFati- In the 1920s, with British support, the relatives and companions of the Prophet and holy sites it has destroyed. maZahra.com, the Shia Association Saudi family used terror, force and mas- Muhammad are buried. Also destroyed They demanded the release of impris- of North America, the United Muslim sacre to seize control of most of the Ara- were the tombs of his mother, Bibi Amina; oned Shia community leader Ayatollah Foundation of North America, the Al bian peninsula. It persecuted and mur- his wife, Bibi Khadijah; his grandfather, workers.org Sept. 3, 2015 Page 11 U.S. transnationals seek greater profits in Africa

By Abayomi Azikiwe attend. can states’ internal and regional affairs. larger markets. They do this so easily ... Editor, Pan-African News Wire Gabon, a former French colony, is an Consequently, AGOA is a tool to exert because they have dominant technolo- oil producer. The government has main- U.S. imperialism’s political will. gies (often fortified by strong intellectu- The U.S. State Department opened a tained friendly relations with Paris and Washington’s role in Africa has been al property protection) and brand name conference in Libreville, Gabon, on Aug. Washington. Imperialist France has in- characterized by its military interven- recognition.” 24 to promote trade between Wall Street creased its military presence in Gabon, tion. The U.S. Africa Command (AF- and Africa. It is ostensibly designed to where its troops have been activated RICOM) stations thousands of troops China helps Africa build infrastructure promote the African Growth and Op- against mass demonstrations and insta- in Djibouti and maintains other intelli- International attention has increas- portunities Act, in place since 2000 to bility. gence stations, airstrips and naval oper- ingly focused on the People’s Republic of facilitate trade between Africa and U.S. ations to protect U.S. corporate interests. China’s growing economic and political companies. While the U.S. says that U.S. imperialism’s goals role with AU member-states. China is AGOA represents the cornerstone of its When President Barack Obama re- Foreign investment boon to corporations the largest trading partner with the con- economic policy in Africa, in reality it is cently visited Kenya, he hosted a trade Although Africa is designated as a tinent. Unlike the former colonial rulers, an imperialist tool. Congress recently re- conference there emphasizing African rapidly growing region and a center for it is emphasizing the construction and authorized the program. entrepreneurship. He also delivered a foreign direct investment (FDI), struc- maintenance of infrastructure projects An Aug. 21 State Department press speech at the new African Union center tural issues emanate from capitalism’s related to national affairs, medicine, sci- release read: “The theme of this year’s in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His admin- continuing dominance. Most Western ence and transportation. Forum is ‘AGOA at 15: Charting a Course istration has great concerns about the investment is designed to enhance the A multitude of joint projects between for a Sustainable U.S.-Africa Trade and decline in the value of trade between profit margins of the transnational cor- Beijing and AU member-countries in- Investment Partnership.’” It raises the Africa and the U.S. The decrease in oil porations and banks — not to empower clude construction of the modern AU importance of all sectors in “promoting and commodities prices exemplifies this the workers, farmers, youth or even local conference center in Addis Ababa. China trade, expanding inclusive and sustain- phenomenon. business interests. is busily constructing a new railway line able economic growth, and generating Simultaneously, Wall Street and Jostein Lohr Hauge, University of covering vast areas across East Africa. prosperity.” Also, it reported that gov- Washington have emphasized maximiz- Cambridge Ph.D. candidate, wrote on It will enhance trade and employment ernment officials from the U.S. and the ing profits — which come at the expense Aug. 20 in African Arguments that Afri- opportunities for people in the region, “39 African beneficiary countries” would of working people and their communi- ca is the fastest-growing region for FDI where the legacy of colonialism and im- ties. worldwide. “From 1990 to 2013, FDI in- perialism has hampered the free flow of Critics of the U.S.’s AGOA strategy say flows in Africa increased 19-fold from people and goods. it empowers large transnational corpo- $3 billion to $57 billion. This trend ... is Agreements to build a new railway line Fortress Europe kills rations and further marginalizes local typically seen as a good thing for low-in- in East Africa with Chinese help were producers and workers. Through AGOA, come countries. And especially in Africa, signed in Nairobi, Kenya, reported the Continued from page 10 clothing and other factories have been where most countries have small stocks BBC on May 12, 2014. “It is to run from trapped in the border area between the established in Kenya, Lesotho and oth- of savings, attracting FDI to grow the Mombasa to Nairobi and will extend to Balkan state and Greece, blocking the er states. These production centers at- economy and create jobs can be crucial.” Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Su- railway line from Thessaloniki in Greece tract rural dwellers to urban areas and However, Hauge concludes, “This dan. … In Kenya, the line [will] replace a to Skopje in Macedonia. Hungary built a working-class jobs. Nonetheless, when trend is all well and good for the huge narrow-gauge track built more than 100 110-mile-long fence on the border with demand declines and there are gaps in companies involved — and usually for years ago during British colonial rule. Serbia. U.S. funding of AGOA, workers are laid the economies of the countries in which China is to finance 90 percent of the first Inhumane conditions already prevail off and forced to return to their villages. they are based. But the problem with the stage, put at $3.8 billion, with work car- in Serbia. For about three months, the Significantly, Washington utilizes expansion of powerful multinationals is ried out by a Chinese firm.” square in front of the main railway sta- AGOA funding to exercise its policy im- that it can allow a small number of actors tion in Belgrade has served as a make- peratives in attempts to influence Afri- to capture larger shares of profits over Independent economic program needed shift camp for people from Syria, Af- A continental strategy inde- ghanistan and Iraq. Some of the families pendent of imperialism is the have received donated tents; others are only solution to capitalist dom- camping under the stars or in a parking December 2008 map of the world, according to the Pentagon. ination of Africa’s economic garage. They can hardly provide their development. This can only be children and babies with food. carried out when African states On Aug. 19, Serbia’s Prime Minister place the needs of their people Aleksandar Vucic visited the square. Just above those of the global corpo- in time, the green areas were cleaned to rations and banks. rid them of the stench. Before the Euro- A prerequisite for genuine in- pean media, Vucic promised improve- dependence is the enhancement ment. Hours later, it started to rain heav- of industrial, agricultural, edu- ily. The approximately 2,000 people, cational, medical and scientific including children and old people, fled capacity in postcolonial African to the nearby train station and to a park- states. Dependence on the West ing garage, where they tried to dry their is a byproduct of the legacy of clothes under a canopy. On Aug. 20, the slavery, colonialism and neoco- situation was hardly better. The number lonialism. of toilets had been doubled; it is cleaned Socialist economic construc- more often. But there is no guaranteed tion in Africa poses an alter- sanitation, medical help or meals for the native to the world capitalist people. system. In China, where the Thus, a death strip moves through the people gained liberation from middle of Europe. At the same time, the imperialism nearly 66 years ago European Union countries keep trying through a profound revolution, to lock out the people fleeing war and tremendous strides have been misery at its external borders. Refugees made through a state-controlled are still dying during the journey across economy. In recent decades Chi- the Mediterranean Sea or on the fortifi- na has allowed private capital to cations around Ceuta and Melilla, the operate and grow, but the basic Spanish enclaves in North Africa. For- infrastructure and the land are tress Europe kills. owned and under the control of the government, led by the Com- munist Party. Revolutionary Cuba has outstripped Abu Talib; and his uncle, Abu Talib. That taken over by the house of Saud. But in an pledged to never allow the Saudi dynasty U.S. imperialism in providing advanced day is commemorated by Shia Muslims agreement engineered by Henry Kissing- to be overthrown. The Saudis obligingly medical services to its people and mil- around the world as the Day of Sorrow. er, it continues to pay tribute to Wall funded the CIA’s covert wars against Nic- lions more in Latin America, the Carib- Saudi “puritanism” did not stop the Street and the military-industrial com- aragua and Afghanistan. bean and Africa. This accomplishment royal despots from turning over Arabia’s plex, subsidizing U.S. banks and arms Today, Saudi money funds Washing- has been made despite a nearly 55-year vast oil reserves to the Arabian American companies with hundreds of billions of ton’s covert war in Syria and the Saudi blockade and U.S. attempts to overthrow Oil Company (ARAMCO), controlled by a dollars. ARAMCO supplies ExxonMobil military rains U.S.-made missiles and the socialist government. very non-Islamic dynasty, the Rockefel- with oil at below market prices and U.S. bombs down on the impoverished land With considerably more natural re- lers. Nor does it stop Saudi royals from executives still sit on its board. of Yemen. The Saudi military also inter- sources and agricultural potential, a so- today making huge indirect investments Israel’s 1967 and 1973 wars against vened to suppress the movement for de- cialist Africa could become a bulwark in the racist state of Israel. Arab nationalist forces likely saved the mocracy in neighboring Bahrain, where for economic growth and set standards In the 1970s, ARAMCO was in theory Saudi monarchy. In 1982, Ronald Reagan the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based. forthe rest of the world. Correspondencia sobre artículos en Workers World/Mundo Obrero pueden ser enviadas a: [email protected]

¡Proletarios y oprimidos de todos los paises unios! workers.org Vol. 57 Núm. 35 3 de septiembre, 2015 $1 COLOMBIA Alto a las victimizaciones

La Delegación de Paz de las FARC- las conversaciones se precipitan cuando cos y agroalimentarios de las multina- manos fueron asesinadas, EP ha estado participando en diálogos se advierte que simultáneamente con el cionales”. Se decía que “continúan las y que durante los cinco años de gobi- de paz con el gobierno colombiano que despliegue de las agresiones contra la in- violaciones del DIH, las violaciones del erno de Juan Manuel Santos el núme- se están llevando a cabo en La Habana, surgencia, se incrementan las amenazas, principio de distinción y la utilización de ro asciende a 317. Pero además, los in- Cuba, desde 2012. El 22 de agosto, la persecuciones, encarcelamientos, ases- bienes de la población civil en el conflicto formes apuntan que se han registrado al emitió la siguiente declaración que MO inatos y todo tipo de hostilidades contra armado...; la gran mayoría de los delitos menos 1.480 amenazas y 196 atentados, publica aquí. las dirigencia popular, defensores y de- quedan impunes y subregistrados, como con el agravante de que, según lo dicho En pronunciamientos anteriores he- fensoras de derechos humanos y el mov- en el caso de la desaparición forzada de por el Programa Somos Defensores en su mos insistido en que debe haber co- imiento social colombiano en general. personas, la violencia sexual y la tortu- informe semestral enero-junio de 2015, herencia entre los propósitos trazados Recientemente el XI Informe de la ra”, entre otros graves indicadores que “la Fiscalía General de la Nación tiene en el compromiso de agilizar la conv- Delegación Asturiana de Verificación del incluyen el incremento del paramilitaris- una decidida falta de voluntad política ersaciones en La Habana y desescalar estado de los Derechos Humanos en Co- mo, los abusos del ejército y la voracidad y administrativa para dar con los re- el conflicto en Colombia. Y aunque las lombia, 2015, daba noticia documentada de las trasnacionales. sponsables de las agresiones contra los FARC-EP han puesto todo su empeño en de que “Colombia sigue inmersa en una Ahora, entre otros varios testimonios defensores y defensoras de los derechos ello, ha faltado correspondencia y mayor situación de conflicto social y armado. que dan fe de la crisis humanitaria que humanos en Colombia; pero en con- compromiso por parte del Estado. El país está lejos de vivir una situ- persiste, se ha conocido el informe “Los traposición, se evidencia una marcada y Resaltemos que aunque hemos actu- ación de posconflicto o de normalidad Nadie”, presentado por el programa So- decidida celeridad y efectividad de esta ado con absoluta transparencia y rigor en Derechos Humanos. La mayoría de mos Defensores, en el que se describe la institución y sus cuerpos investigadores en el cumplimiento del cese unilateral las recomendaciones hechas al gobierno dramática realidad que sufren los defen- para JUDICIALIZAR Y CRIMINAL- de fuegos, las operaciones por tierra han y los compromisos asumidos en Dere- sores y defensoras de derechos humanos, IZAR a los defensores de derechos hu- ocasionado muertes, capturas y heridas chos Humanos siguen sin cumplirse”. condenados al sacrificio diario en un es- manos y sus acciones cuando son acusa- a guerrilleros y guerrilleras en distintos Se señalaba en el contexto de sus datos cenario en el que pareciera ponerse de dos de diversos delitos”. lugares del país, poniendo en riesgo la la aplastante responsabilidad del Es- manifiesto la connivencia del régimen Con absoluta disposición de sacar ad- tregua y el buen desenvolvimiento del tado, agregando que “se mantienen los con los victimarios. elante las conversaciones, hasta alcanzar proceso de paz. La posición de dialogar ataques contra sindicalistas, personas Se ha constatado por diversas fuent- la firma del Acuerdo Final, como insur- sin que paren los combates, es una fór- que defienden los Derechos Humanos, es independientes, por ejemplo, que en gencia decimos que se debe poner freno mula condenada al fracaso. periodistas, opositores políticos y oposi- los primeros seis meses de este año, 34 ya a la generación de más víctimas. Difíciles circunstancias para adelantar tores de los proyectos mineros, energéti- personas defensoras de los derechos hu- www.pazfarc-ep.org Declaración en solidaridad con el pueblo ecuatoriano y brasileño El Imperialismo estadounidense in- tiva del Brasil y la República del Ecuador, desinforma y deforma las noticias a gus- ernos legítimamente constituidos. tenta socavar a cualquiera de los gobi- cuyo guión de desestabilización se repite to de los grupos de poder del país. Así mismo, los abajo firmantes reafir- ernos de América Latina que de señas de forma similar, a través del financia- En este sentido, ratificamos nuestro mamos la necesidad de fortalecer la uni- de independencia de los dictados de miento, el adiestramiento, la manipu- compromiso con el respeto a la sober- dad continental de nuestros pueblos y la Washington. Especialmente en las últi- lación y demás estrategias de GUERRA anía de los Estados y la no intervención integración regional, para hacer frente a mas semanas, los gobiernos de Ecuador NO CONVENCIONAL*, que ya se han en los asuntos internos de nuestros estas amenazas, en defensa de los Dere- y Brasil han estado experimentando llevado a cabo en países como Libia, Irak, pueblos. Al mismo tiempo manifesta- chos Humanos, nuestra soberanía y el manifestaciones dominadas por ele- Siria, Ucrania y otros, para socavar la so- mos nuestro repudio al intento de soca- libre desarrollo de nuestros pueblos. mentos derechistas y promovidas por beranía y hacerse de los recursos natu- var la institucionalidad democrática de Nosotros los abajo firmantes: la prensa imperialista. La declaración rales que le pertenecen al pueblo. Ecuador y Brasil, por parte de sectores Red de Intelectuales, Artistas y Mov- siguiente fue escrita por intelectuales *Según la Circular de Entrenamiento de la derecha instrumentalizada por el imientos Sociales en Defensa de la Hu- izquierdistas de la región que se oponen 18-01, uno de los principales documen- imperialismo estadounidense y grupos manidad, capítulo Panamá a la intervención estadounidense. tos doctrinales norteamericanos sobre la de poder mediático y económico a nivel Nosotros y nosotras, representantes Guerra no Convencional de las Fuerzas internacional. Apoyamos que el pueblo Coordinadoras: de los movimientos sociales de Panamà, de Operaciones Especiales del Ejército de y el gobierno liderado por el presidente, Ana María Pinilla V; Gilma Camargo; como expresión diversa del pueblo pana- Estados Unidos, Guerra No Convencion- Rafael Correa en Ecuador y la manda- Asociación de Familiares y Amigos de meño, expresamos en primer lugar, nues- al es la injerencia en un país con intencio- taria Dilma Rousseff en Brasil, resuel- los Caídos del 20 de diciembre de 1989 tro firme respaldo a la declaración del Con- nalidad política de dominación sin usar van sus problemas preservando la paz, — Trinidad Ayola; Frente Amplio por la sejo Político de la ALBA-TCP, desarrollada la tecnología bélica. Una penetración la democracia y el bienestar de sus pueb- Democracia-FAD; Partido del Pueblo — en una reunión extraordinaria realizada física política, económica, cultural de un los. Rechazamos la ejecución de “golpes Moisés Carrasquilla; Polo Ciudadano — en Caracas a los 10 días del mes de agosto. país poderoso en otro en desigual condi- blandos”, por medio de operaciones de Olmedo Beluche; Movimiento Independ- Así mismo, denunciamos los planes ciones con la finalidad de someterlo y ex- Guerra Psicológica a través de los medios iente de Refundación Nacional (MIREN) del imperialismo, quien mediante el uso propiarlo de bienes hídricos, minerales de comunicación, atentando contra gobi- Jueves, 20 de agosto de 2015 de estrategias de desestabilización acosa y / o energéticos. Erigida no solo como y conspira para perturbar a los Gobier- forma principal de agresión, sino como nos progresistas de la Región, legítima- herramienta estratégica de la política El capitalismo en un callejón sin salida mente electos por sus pueblos. exterior norteamericana. La tesis de este libro es que la crisis económica, que se inició No es coincidencia que simultánea- Estados Unidos despliega todo su en agosto de 2007, marcó un punto de inflexión en la historia del capitalismo. El autor sostiene que el sistema no se recuperará, poderío más allá de sus fronteras, con mente se desarrollen manifestaciones con no volverá al ciclo capitalista normal de auge y caída. similares características en países que ha una estrategia que no es nueva, pero que Durante décadas, la clase capitalista ha utilizado la revolución decidió transitar por los caminos de la tiene como novedad el nivel de prioridad tecnológica digital para aumentar la productividad del trabajo emancipación. Dichas manifestaciones que le están asignando. Socavar y de- a un ritmo récord. Menos trabajadores producen más bienes y son alentadas y apoyadas por sectores gradar la moral, la fuerza política, psi- servicios en menos tiempo con salarios más bajos. El resultado externos y medios de comunicación que cológica, militar y económica, así como es una serie de “recuperaciones sin empleos” que hace que las cosas vayan aún peor. sirven a los intereses de las oligarquías. provocar eventos catalizadores que Goldstein utiliza las leyes de la acumulación capitalista de Tales son los casos particulares de los creen condiciones para una intervención Marx, y la tasa decreciente de ganancia, para demostrar por qué el ataques incesantes contra la republica extranjera, son actos de la Guerra No capitalismo global ha llegado finalmente a un punto de inflexión. Argentina, la República Bolivariana de Convencional. El continuo estancamiento y el desempleo generalizado Venezuela, la República del Ecuador, el El rol mediático dentro de estas es provocarán inevitablemente un resurgimiento de la lucha de Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia y más re- crucial, en el caso panameño contamos clases que no se ve en EE.UU. desde la década de 1930; esta vez www.lowwagecapitalism.org cientemente contra la República Federa- con una prensa que tergiversa los datos, se dirigirá contra el propio sistema.