Levantamiento indígena en Ecuador 12 Editorial ¡Día de los pueblos indígenas! 12

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 61 No. 43 Oct. 24, 2019 $1 Death row families lead march to end executions By Gloria Rubac are innocent. The death penalty is only applied to the The Texas March to Abolish the Death Penalty has Austin, Texas poor and it is unfair, brutal, discriminating and unjust,” been held every year since 2000. Texas executes more Garza told hundreds of anti-death-penalty activists who people than the next six states combined. The total since Lydia Garza and 16 family members drove in a rented listened intently. “Growing up I never really thought 1982 is 565 executions, with another scheduled for Oct. van almost seven hours from the Rio Grande Valley to about the death penalty and never thought I would be 30 and eight more after that, including one on the Rev. the Texas Capitol here on Saturday, Oct. 19, without even part of its existence.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in January. stopping to eat. It was so they could stand up for her Behind Garza her family members held signs with innocent son on death row, as well as say “No!” to all exe- a large photo of their loved one that read: “Help Save Family stories expose injustice cutions at the Texas March to Abolish the Death Penalty. Humberto Garza #999495, Convicted under Texas’ Law This year, stories of the families highlighted the event. “People have been executed and only later we find they of Parties.” Their few words, spoken with such emotion, such inten- sity and such clarity held the crowd virtually speechless. “We, the families standing up here today, are truly vic- tims of this system ourselves. It is an injustice what has been done to us. It’s unbelievable what happens to all the families as well as our loved ones on death row,” said Delia Perez Meyer. Her brother, Louis Castro Perez, is now being represented by The Innocence Project. Terri Been is the sister of Jeff Wood, a man sent to death row under Texas’ Law of Parties for a murder that happened without him even being present. “Think about this,” she said. “Carved on the U.S. Supreme Court build- ing are the words ‘Equal Justice Under Law.’ To sentence my brother to death is not equal justice. He has been living in a cell smaller than my bathroom for over 20 years—not​ equal justice. I have walked these halls at the Capitol for many years, my words falling on mostly deaf ears. I have spilled my soul to them. This is not equal justice. Let’s use our power to effect change!” Lee Greenwood-Rollins said, “My son was Joseph Supporters of death row prisoner Rodney Reed. PHOTO: YANCY BALDERAS Continued on page 4

GM contract: What’s at stake 3 LeBron James & Chicago teachers Hong Kong debate 6 strike for students 3 NYC: Hong Kong Haiti uprising 5 protests for $ale 6-7 Inside Ecuador’s revolt 5 Eyewitness China, U.S. out of Syria—completely! 9 part 2 8 Editorial Chile explodes 10 Catalonia 11

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City / State / Zip ______Cuban prima ballerina, Workers World Weekly Newspaper workers.org sitting next to Fidel, 2010. 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011 212.627.2994 Page 2 Oct. 24, 2019 workers.org

In trial of killer cop Black jurors struggle for guilty verdicts this week By Dianne Mathiowetz workers that he should go back home because the police Atlanta had been called, responded, “Don’t worry. The police are ◆ In the U.S. my friends.” He began moving toward Olsen with his Death row families lead march to end executions . 1 After 27 hours of deliberation over six days, the jury in hands outstretched. The cop drew his gun, shouted “stop” Killer cops: Struggle for guilty verdicts ...... 2 the trial of Robert Olsen, a DeKalb County officer charged and fired two rounds into the naked Hill, killing him. with killing a nude, unarmed Anthony Hill, delivered its Olsen initially claimed that Hill had physically pounded GM strikers vote on new contract ...... 3 verdict Oct. 14. It found Olsen guilty on four of the six on his chest, forcing him to shoot. All evidence proved that Chicago education workers strike ...... 3 charges, but not guilty on the most serious—​two charges to be a lie. On the picket line ...... 4 of felony murder. Olsen’s defense team offered no witnesses and rested. Olsen’s claim that he had feared for his own safety when The multiracial jury of seven women and five men delib- ◆ Around the world shooting the unarmed man—the​ often-used reason that erated for six contentious days while all the press gathered Haitians rise up, say President Moïse must go . . .5 self-defense is granted to police agents—found​ justifica- on the courthouse steps. It was the statements of Juror 31, tion with some jurors. Numerous studies have shown that the sole Black man on the jury panel, that received the most Inside the Indigenous uprising in Ecuador . . . . 5 despite thousands of killings involving police, very few are attention. He had decided to speak with Hill’s parents to let LeBron James and the Hong Kong debate . . . . 6 indicted, and even fewer are convicted of any wrongdoing. them know why Olsen was acquitted of murdering their son. ‘End sanctions on Zimbabwe and China!’ . . . . .6 There was hope that this time the circumstances surround- This unidentified forklift driver emerged as the lead- Hong Kong protesters in NYC unmasked . . . . . 7 ing Anthony Hill’s death would be different. ing voice in the deliberations for guilty verdicts on all Trial testimony from multiple witnesses revealed that charges, along with four Black women and another juror. Beijing’s celebration of 70 years of revolution . . .8 Hill, an Afghanistan war veteran, the quiet, likeable He described to the media how difficult it had been to hear Stay focused on getting U.S. out of Syria . . . . . 9 26-year-old Black man, who lived in an apartment com- some jurors repeat that Olsen had acted in self-defense. Catalan strike demands ‘Free political prisoners’ . 11 plex with mostly Latinx residents, had been acting most Once it became clear that it would be impossible to get a unusually on March 9, 2015. unanimous verdict on the felony murder charges, he said, ◆ Editorial He first appeared at the door of the leasing office, bare- this group of six stood firm that the evidence warranted In Chile, one abuse too many ...... 10 foot, wearing only shorts, unsteady on his feet and gestur- guilt on the remaining four charges, including aggravated ing erratically. assault. Cuban ballerina, Alicia Alonso, ¡presente! . . . .10 Two maintenance workers approached him and told Juror 31 explained why two of the Black women jurors ◆ Noticias en Español him he should go home. When he said he didn’t know cried when the verdicts were read in the courtroom. He where he lived, they guided him back to his apartment. had convinced them that making the compromise assured Levantamiento indígena en Ecuador ...... 12 Minutes later he appeared climbing down from his sec- that Olsen would be found guilty of causing the death of ¡Día de los pueblos indígenas! ...... 12 ond-floor balcony, totally nude. Anthony Hill and would serve jail time. He told them that The staff of the complex saw him wandering in a play- there was no guarantee that another jury would render jus- ground area, crawling military style and peering around tice and that “we can be part of something that could make trees, and then crouched on a parking lot curb. Worried a change.” (Interview, www.11alive.com) for his safety and well-being, they called 911 three times, Robert Olsen’s conviction on four felonies, including seeking help for Hill. aggravated assault, violation of oath of office and lying, Olsen got the call for a possible “demented person” and, carries a maximum of 35 years. Olsen is 57. upon arriving at the complex, observed a naked man sit- DeKalb Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear-Jackson will ting on the curb. announce the sentence Nov. 1 to a courtroom that will be Hill, who had just been told by one of the maintenance packed with the Hill family and community supporters. ☐ Workers World 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10011 Join us in the fight Phone: 212.627.2994 E-mail: [email protected] for socialism! Web: www.workers.org Vol. 61, No. 43 • Oct. 24, 2019 Workers World Party is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist people are gunned down by cops and bigots on a regular Closing date: Oct. 23, 2019 party inside the belly of the imperialist beast. We are a basis. multinational, multigenerational and multigendered orga- The ruthless ruling class today seeks to wipe out Editor: Deirdre Griswold nization that not only aims to abolish capitalism, but to decades of gains and benefits won by hard-fought strug- Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, Martha Grevatt, build a socialist society because it’s the only way forward! gles by people’s movements. The super-rich and their Monica Moorehead, Minnie Bruce Pratt Capitalism and imperialism threaten the peoples of the political representatives have intensified their attacks on Web Editors: Ben Carroll, John Steffin world and the planet itself in the neverending quest for the multinational, multigender and multigenerational ever-greater profits. working class. It is time to point the blame at—and chal- Production & Design Editors: Gery Armsby, Sasha Capitalism means war and austerity, racism and repres- lenge—the capitalist system. Mazumder, Scott Williams sion, attacks on im/migrants, misogyny, LGBTQ oppres- WWP fights for socialism because the working class Copyediting and Proofreading: Paddy Colligan, sion and mistreatment of people with disabilities. It means produces all wealth in society, and this wealth should Sue Davis, S. Hedgecoke joblessness, increasing homelessness and impoverishment remain in their hands, not be stolen in the form of capi- Contributing Editors: LeiLani Dowell, G. Dunkel, and lack of hope for the future. No social problems can be talist profits. The wealth workers create should be socially K. Durkin, Teresa Gutierrez, Betsey Piette, Gloria solved under capitalism. owned and its distribution planned to satisfy and guaran- Rubac The U.S. is the richest country in the world, yet no one tee basic human needs. has a guaranteed right to shelter, food, water, health care, Since 1959, Workers World Party has been out in the Mundo Obero: Alberto García, Teresa Gutierrez, education or anything else—unless they can pay for it. streets defending the workers and oppressed here and Carlos Vargas Wages are lower than ever, and youth are saddled with worldwide. 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By Martha Grevatt two-tier, and now multitier, pay that was taken away during the 2009 scales keep a union membership bankruptcy, has not been restored. Once In 1848, in “The Communist divided. The impact of such a again monthly pension checks are fro- Manifesto,” Karl Marx and Friedrich bad bargain has been disastrous, zen—​no raise for retirees. The consoli- Engels made an astute observation about as workers at GM, Ford and dation of classifications in skilled trades, the emergence of labor unions: “Now and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have reducing opportunities in the high- then,” the young revolutionaries wrote, learned since two-tier was intro- est-paying jobs, is not challenged. “the workers are victorious, but only for duced in their contracts in 2007. On the other hand, GM’s attempts to a time. The real fruit of their battles lies, FCA workers voted down force workers to pay thousands more in not in the immediate result, but in the a contract in 2015 that main- health care premiums were turned back. ever-expanding union of the workers.” tained the unequal pay scales Unless one plows carefully through the This quote is as relevant today as ever, for workers hired after October 350-plus pages of actual language, there and it’s worth keeping in mind as striking 2007. They passed a revised appears to be progress toward pay equity. General Motors workers decide whether to contract that gave everyone top WW PHOTO: MARTHA GREVATT Some voters might be taken in by the accept the tentative agreement negotiated pay after eight years. But buried Strikers demonstrate outside GM world headquarters record $11,000 signing bonus, although it by the United Auto Workers and GM. in the fine print were a number in downtown Detroit, Oct. 9. is less than half that for temps—​another What has happened on the picket line of hidden pay tiers, which were example of inequality. during the past month, after UAW mem- then put into effect at FCA, Ford and GM. out as temporary employees; there is no bers walked out Sept. 16? Under the 2015-19 contract, the num- language giving future temps a path to ‘The biggest win’ Workers who labored under the same ber of so-called “temporary employees” permanent status. How will workers vote? It’s hard to roof, but may not have had much personal grew—​so-called because many of them The union leaders should have know. Some clearly feel that after the contact, became friends. High seniority have been working and waiting for years insisted on the formula raised by rank- fight they put up, they deserve better. “traditional” workers, low seniority “in to acquire seniority. and-file activists: “Everyone tier one.” Others may think this is the best contract progression” workers and “temporary” Over the last four years, GM has made Unfortunately, multiple inequalities they’re going to get out of GM, which has workers with zero seniority walked the a record $35 billion in profits on the backs remain—​divisive inequalities threaten- played hardball from day one. picket line together. In some locations of the workers. This has fueled a desire by ing the precious new strike solidarity and Rank-and-file posts on social media indi- they were joined by the lowest-paid workers to win back what they gave up to the “expanding union of the workers.” cate a lot of opposition. The rank-and-file workers in the plant—​striking janitors “save the company” during the company’s group Autoworker Caravan has developed employed under contracts with Aramark. 2009 bankruptcy, and earlier during less Doors to close at iconic Lordstown plant a “contract lowlights” leaflet that outlines The strikers won the hearts and minds profitable years. In March, GM idled its Lordstown, Ohio, major problems with the agreement. A few of exploited people across the coun- The current tentative agreement falls assembly plant. This sprawling complex local union leaders are calling for rejection. try and beyond, with their emphasis on short of this goal in many areas. employed many thousands when it opened Nevertheless, the first UAW locals to making “temporary”—i.e.,​ precarious—​ in the 1960s. At the time it was a state-of- hold ratification votes passed the agree- workers permanent. The growth of pre- What does the tentative agreement offer? the-art facility that rolled cars off the lines ment by wide margins. carious work has become a global crisis The basic union principle of “equal pay at record speeds. Even after the steel indus- Either way, there are wins that can’t be for the working class. for equal work” has still not been fully try abandoned the Youngstown-Warren measured in dollars and cents. Isn’t this a living example of the restored. While the agreement reduces the area, Lordstown still provided good-paying “The biggest win that was made in the “ever-expanding union of the workers”? length of time it takes some second-tier union jobs to the community. past 33 days of our strike was educating Solidarity grows quantitatively during a workers to make first-tier pay, the pro- Under the tentative agreement, the a whole generation on the morals and strike. Eventually a qualitative change posed pension plans of the tiers are still plant, which one cannot miss while trav- the purpose of a union,” Jessie Kelley, takes place. The “rugged individual- grossly unequal, as are other benefits. eling the Ohio Turnpike, is being closed a striking member of Local 160, posted ism” fostered under capitalist society is Certain plants still have a lower pay scale permanently, along with transmission on Facebook Oct. 18. “They have had the replaced by class consciousness. than the major plants. plants in Michigan and Maryland and opportunity to witness a group of people That is the greatest achievement Temporary workers will need three years a parts warehouse in California. This willing to make sacrifices to improve the during a strike—​something that should of “continuous service” to be made perma- means workers will have to relocate to standard of living in America. be remembered by anyone assessing this nent in a process to begin in 2020. But if far-off locations to keep their jobs. “We have made a dent in society’s ‘all tentative agreement. they have been laid off for over 30 days in Some dislocated former Lordstown about me’ thinking. a row during the past three years, their ser- workers demonstrated outside the meet- “I’m so insanely proud of my UAW Tiered pay a menace to solidarity vice is not considered “continuous.” ing of GM local union leaders in down- family.” Tiered pay is introduced when a union What about future hires? When will town Detroit on Oct. 17, vowing to vote and management agree to allow some they make the same pay as current work- “no” to any agreement that doesn’t keep Grevatt, a trustee of UAW Local 869, workers—​often future workers not yet ers? It appears that workers hired after their home plant open. retired from FCA after 31 years. She was hired when a contract is signed—​to be this proposed contract goes into effect There are additional past concessions a founding board member of Pride at paid less than others for doing the same would have to wait at least eight years to this agreement fails to reverse. The cost- Work and served as vice president of its work. Besides being unequal and unfair, make top pay. Many, if not all, will start of-living allowance, a contract standard Michigan chapter. Chicago education workers strike for their students

On Oct. 17, the Chicago Teachers the CTU has prioritized rank-and-file Sarah Chambers, a special education Union—​25,000 strong—​struck their activism, a tactic that influenced Red for teacher at Alcott College Prep in the school district, which is the third larg- Ed education actions that have rocked Roscoe Village neighborhood, helped est in the U.S. They were joined by the U.S. and Puerto Rico since 2018. The lead picketing at her school. She is an 7,500 education workers from Service launch of the strike is covered in this area captain, so she then visited the Employees Union (SEIU) Local 73. By Oct. 18 article reprinted from Fightback other picket lines in the nearby schools. Oct. 21, the CTU strike had entered its News! (fightbacknews.org) As a member of the 40-person bargain- third day. These education workers are ing committee for CTU, she then sat in advocating for their students and going Chicago—​Picket lines went up at on the bargaining, and finally joined with on the offensive against school privatiza- hundreds of schools across Chicago at her co-workers at the massive rally in the tion and austerity measures. Since 2012, 6:30 a.m. Oct. 17. The Chicago Teachers Loop, Chicago’s central business district. Union (CTU) walked out for their third Talking to Fight Back!, Chambers strike since 2012. For the more than explained, “This strike of more than 7,000 members of the Service Employees 30,000 teachers, teacher assistants, cli- International Union (SEIU) Local 73 nicians, and special ed classroom assis- [joining them], this is an historic first tants with CTU and SEIU is about justice strike, and the first against Chicago’s new for Black and brown students in the city Chicago, Oct. 17. WW PHOTO mayor, Lori Lightfoot. of Chicago. They deserve all the support In the afternoon, the strikers went in their schools, [and] support to deal she is choosing to support the rich peo- downtown in a river of red—​the color of with the trauma they experience living in ple in Chicago by giving them $2.4 bil- CTU—​and purple—​the color of SEIU. the oppressive, racist system in Chicago lion in TIF [Tax Increment Financing] For over two hours, more than 20,000 means full-time social workers, nurses money, instead of putting money into our marched back and forth, surrounding the and restorative justice coordinators. schools.” Board of Education and City Hall build- “Our students deserve class-size caps, When asked about the outcome of ings. They chanted, “When education is with special education support, more this strike, Chambers didn’t pause. “We under attack, what do we do? Stand up, resources, and fully funded schools. are united and strong. We know we will Chicago, Oct. 17. WW PHOTO fight back!” “Lori Lightfoot has made it clear that win.” ☐ Page 4 Oct. 24, 2019 workers.org Death row families lead march to end executions Continued from page 1 She regularly tweets and speaks about the Texas case. Nichols, convicted under the Law of Reed’s mother, Sandra, and his Parties. He was not the shooter and brother, Rodrick, spent a good part of the Harris County acknowledged this, but day speaking with supporters and with he was executed anyway. His death cer- the news media. Because of the national tificate read ‘state-sponsored homicide.’ attention his case of innocence is getting, Executions reverberate throughout the local media are paying close attention your family and it leaves a lot of scars, to developments. some you don’t realize until later years. Sandra Reed spoke at the annual Joseph had four siblings and it affected marches beginning in 2002. She each one differently. I only ask that you exclaimed to the crowd: “Thank you all remember Joseph. Remember cases like for your support. Rodney’s case is a prime Frances Newton’s and Shaka Sankofa’s. example of why we should not have a As I promised my son, we just must death penalty at all. Corrupt police, cor- keep fighting!” Greenwood-Rollins had rupt Department of Public Safety, corrupt come with her granddaughter, Kristian lawyers, corrupt judges.” Nichols-Muchiri, on a bus from Houston. Four honored guests flew into Austin Vickie Curry spoke in front of the for the weekend and told their horror Vickie Currie and her daughter, Al'toria, in front of Capitol. WW PHOTO: GLORIA RUBAC Capitol with her 13-year-old daughter stories. Al’toria by her side. “George Curry is my Albert Burrell spent 13 years in the Louis Castro Perez and others on death condemned the use of the death pen- husband. He’s innocent, but we didn’t infamous Angola Prison, a former slave row. Nick Been and Tanner Tucker, who alty. “Juan spent almost nine years in have money for a lawyer. He refused to plantation, before being found innocent. founded KADP in 2008, tag-teamed their the county jail waiting for a trial. Not a plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of He came within 17 days of execution in speech. “I have had the opportunity to speedy trial! He has now been on death 60 years without parole, saying he wasn’t 1996 before his attorneys won a stay. speak at this march for the last ten years, row for five years and we are finally learn- going to confess to something he didn’t Ron Keine was on death row in New quite literally for over half of my life. One ing how to prove his innocence.” do. He was tried, convicted and now sits Mexico for three years until it was proven of my favorite quotes is from Desmond Balderas spoke for the Texas Death on death row.” that a cop actually committed the murder! Tutu: ‘If you are neutral in situations of Penalty Abolition Movement in Houston. Dozens of supporters of death row pris- Sabrina Butler-Smith was an African- injustice, then you have chosen the side Juan Balderas’ family and supporters oner Rodney Reed were present. Reed is American teenager in Misissippi when of the oppressor.’” were the largest contingent at the march. represented by the Innocence Project in convicted of the murder of her nine- Nicole Combs, speaking for the H.I.S. As the march approached the New York City. His execution date is set month-old son, Walter. She was later Ministry, introduced Lewis Bowden, who Governor’s Mansion, everyone loudly for Nov. 20, just four weeks after the rally. exonerated of all wrongdoing. She is one read a message from Pam Perillo. Perillo chanted: “Executions? Shut ‘em down! The Reed family is spending night of only two women in the United States spent 20 years on death row before her Capital punishment? Shut it down! Death and day traveling around the coun- exonerated from death row. sentence was commuted in 2000. She did row? Shut it down! Racist cops? Shut ‘em try, speaking, protesting, march- Gary Drinkard spent almost six years 18 more years and was finally released down! Corrupt judges? Shut ‘em down! ing, being interviewed and holding on Alabama’s death row before he was this year. Governor Abbott? Shut him down! The press conferences. Reed’s case was finally exonerated in 2001. Lillian Mauldin spoke for Amnesty whole damn system? SHUT IT DOWN!” recently featured for two days on the International, University of Texas The day’s activities were held on a “Dr. Phil” show. Reality star Kim Kids Against the Death Penalty Chapter. Travis County (Austin) District bright sunny day, the weather finally Kardashian just came out in support of Kids Against the Death Penalty was Attorney candidate Jose Garza told the under 90 degrees, with all participants stopping Reed’s execution. Sister Helen likely the most energetic group at the crowd that if elected he would not use the energized and ready to take on the state Prejean, noted author of the best-selling rally, giving out free water, selling death penalty as a sentence for any crime. until the death penalty and the execution book “Dead Man Walking,” from which T-shirts and giving away cute and creative The final speaker was Yancy Balderas, chamber are finally shut down. ☐ a movie was made, is supporting Reed. buttons for Abolition and for Jeff Wood, spouse of Juan Balderas, who strongly

MeTooMcDonalds.org. For those in the fast food indus- a spontaneous protest the next day. Virtually over- try who’ve been harassed or assaulted, here’s a number night, residents, health advocates and workers, mem- to call: 844-384-4495. bers of Service Employees Union (SEIU) Local 1021 and Technical Employees (IFPTE) Local 21, gathered over 1,200 signatures on a petition to stop the closure. On the Amazon night-shift They delivered it to the SF Health Commission’s Aug. 22 meeting after over 200 activists shut it down. strike in Eagan, Minn. Though the DPH initially refused to negotiate with the workers, who had been persistently grieving serious picket ine On the night of Oct. 2 in Eagan, Minn., nearly 60 understaffing and cuts to programs, the new plan adopted By Alex Bolchi and Suel Davis Amazon warehouse workers stood outside in the freezing on Oct. 15 helps both residents and workers by increasing rain in a 2 ½-hour work stoppage. The crew—​mostly staff and providing more comprehensive training needed immigrant women of Somali descent—​demanded bet- to improve patient care. An SEIU 1021 press statement ter pay for the night shift, weight restrictions on boxes noted that a joint group of staff and management has been and reversal of a cap on the 30-hour weekly workload. authorized for the first time to work on hiring and training, #MeTooMcDonald’s The night shift workers often lift boxes up to 70 pounds, among other issues. Both unions claim this is a victory for and rest breaks for workers’ 9-hour shift are a measly 15 patients and for San Francisco! (seiu1021.org) confronts U.S. CEO minutes. Pay currently sits at around $16.25 an hour. The workers ended the strike after a manager stated The president of McDonald’s USA, Chris that all truck deliveries were cancelled for the night and Contract victory for Kempsczinksi (worth $15.3 million as of February issues would be resolved in the morning. Strike orga- 2019), was a featured speaker at the annual Wall Street nizer Kadijo Mohamed told the Oct. 3 Vice that the work- 20,000 northwest workers Journal Global Food Forum on Oct. 7. He and WSJ ers decided to strike because it was the only way to get invitees were surprised when a determined group of their bosses’ attention. “The managers don’t listen,” she After a month of strong union boycotts against gen- survivors of McDonald’s workplace sexual harassment, said. “They ignore complaints. Sometimes they say, ‘If der discrimination and months of negotiating, nearly all Black women, crashed the meeting. Calling you can’t handle this job, you can quit.’” The strike fol- 20,000 Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local themselves #MeTooMcDonald’s, the brave women lows a righteous wave of Amazon worker actions across 555 members in Oregon and southwest Washington demanded an end to “low pay, sexual harassment, the country, but especially at the warehouse in Eagan, voted to approve collective bargaining agreements with violent attacks and attacks on union rights.” Minn. (See coverage in Aug. 23 WW.) workers at more than 90 Fred Meyer and Safeway gro- An Oct. 10 email about the protest was titled “We cery stores. Voting took place Oct. 4-11. Demand to Meet With the President of McDonald’s The new agreement runs three years and for the first USA.” And a video of the action with the same title was Workers help save time will guarantee 20 hours a week for workers who posted on the Facebook page of Fight for $15. Tanya want it. (KXL.com, Oct. 12) It also includes a fought- Harrell, who has sued the mega-billion-dollar corpora- facility for mentally for victory, pay equity for Schedule B workers, mostly tion demanding it do more to stop sexual assault on the women who called attention to gender pay disparity: job, said: “Black women are the backbone of our commu- ill in San Francisco lower pay in historically majority-women departments nities, but we experience more sexual harassment than like deli and bakery. Apprentices, who now get 10 cents anyone else in the workplace. After Monday’s action, I Residents and staff were shocked Aug. 21 when with- above minimum wage, will see a raise of $2 an hour. know that when we get together and demand justice, out warning eviction notices from the San Francisco The first year’s contract will be retroactive, so workers we’re a force to be reckoned with.” She added: “There Department of Public Health were sent to all severely will immediately see bigger checks. (NW Labor Press, will be no change for us, without us.” mentally ill residents at the Adult Residential Facility. Oct. 12) When unions fight they achieve! ☐ To sign a petition in solidarity with the workers, go to Shutting it down set off citywide outrage and sparked workers.org Oct. 24, 2019 Page 5

Haiti People rise up, say President Moïse must go

By G. Dunkel a major coastal city north of Port-au-Prince, and a wreath laying in honor of Haitian independence Hundreds of thousands of Haitians—​particu- leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines. larly the poor of the poorest country in the Western On Oct. 10, a big popular demonstration calling for Hemisphere—​came out on the streets of Port-au- the ouster of Moïse was accompanied by groups of Prince and every city throughout the country Oct. 20 armed individuals firing in the air to encourage the to demand President Jovenel Moïse depart. cops to stay in their barracks. (tinyurl.com/yxrprsvr) The regime’s refusal to concede has forced demon- It has been traditional for the Haitian head of strators to continue into the fifth week of their insur- state to lay a wreath at the tomb of Jean-Jacques rection, tearing the country into shattered tatters. Dessalines, the founder of the state of Haiti, who was No schools have opened; hospitals are closed or are assassinated at Pont-Rouge in 1806. But protesters without essential medicines like those supplying oxy- in Pont-Rouge said that if Moïse tried to appear, it gen; no public transportation runs; gas stations are Haitians take to the streets on Oct. 20. would be the last day of his presidency. closed; inflation is rampant; hunger, always present, Hundreds of thousands of protesters did come out is growing more intense; major roads are impassable due this much money in Haiti without the consent and in Port-au-Prince to protest Moïse laying the wreath to people creating barricades. approval of the U.S. government. Oct. 17 at the statue in a national museum. But hundreds Moïse is using force to maintain his tenuous and very Under a lot of pressure for being a foreign military of cops surrounded the museum, keeping the president fragile presidency. His party, the Bald-Headed Haitian force occupying Haiti, one that twice had introduced well protected, and he kept the ceremony very short. Party, won its first election in 2011 only due to the very cholera to the population, causing thousands of casual- In the Haitian press, there have been reports of differ- vigorous intervention of then Secretary of State Hillary ties, the U.N. withdrew its last remaining military forces ent committees being formed to handle the post-Moïse Clinton. U.S. intervention in the 2016 election was muf- on Oct. 15. But the police force it created, financed and transition. Some reflect the bourgeois elements in the fled but obviously present. Moïse won in the second trained will remain, including its “conflict resolution protest movement and others include trade unions and round in 2016 with just over 20 percent of the elector- programs,” a fancy name for social control apparatus. community organizations. ate voting. The U.S. ruling class will still be able to use the U.N. The Haitian people have made it clear that Moïse Without the continuing support of the United States presence as a veil for its activities in Haiti. The U.N. has must go and that the United States, through the agency and the police force trained and financed by the United withdrawn to the wings but is still on the stage. of the U.N., should stop interfering in Haiti’s internal Nations to the tune of $7.5 billion over the past 10 years, How tenuous Moïse’s hold is can be seen in two inci- affairs. ☐ Moïse would be long gone. The U.N. couldn’t have spent dents: an armed protest demonstration in Gonaïves,

A view from inside Eleven days of Indigenous uprising in Ecuador

By Michael Otto & Zoila Ramírez The mobilization itself was a huge and militant upris- representatives is meeting today, Oct. 16, to replace Ibarra, Imbabura Province, Ecuador ing of the Indigenous movement, with estimates of Decree 883, in accordance with the agreement in last 50,000 Indigenous marchers in Quito. They were met Sunday’s dialogue. K was disappointed to learn that not Oct. 16—​On Oct. 7, 4,000 Indigenous people from in solidarity by hundreds of well-organized Quito res- all the items of the paquetazo were going to be placed on towns in and around the same canton marched for four idents, Afro-Ecuadorians, students and workers who the table for discussion. hours to Ibarra to present a manifesto to the governor of joined them in the streets. Imbabura. The governor refused to meet with them and Lawfare feels like a police state later rejected their primary demands: Cease the military Solidarity in Quito The persecutions and arrests of political leaders aggression against Indigenous communities and support Comuneros were housed in five universities in the cen- of Moreno’s main opposition party, the Revolución their resistance to the “paquetazo” (economic package) ter of the city. Residents of Quito provided more than Ciudadana (Citizens’ Revolution) of former President ordered by the International Monetary Fund and Decree enough food and water, mattresses, blankets and per- Rafael Correa, have intensified. This repression occurs 883, which removed fuel subsidies. sonal hygiene items for the out-of-town marchers. The parallel with the dialogue and the work of the joint Our friend—we’ll​ call him K—decided​ to join the Paro staff in the Politechnical Catholic University, where K commission. Nacional (Great National Uprising) when he attended a found refuge with about 700 people, maintained clean Assembly member Gabriela Rivadeneira, former people’s assembly on Oct. 8 organized in his community bathrooms and showers that were constantly in use. president of the National Assembly and former gover- by the Federación Indígena y Campesina de Imbabura. People could hardly rest for two straight nights in nor of Imbabura Province is now targeted. K witnessed FICI is affiliated with CONAIE, the Confederation of Quito as the cops kept firing tear gas and noise bombs in her marching with the Indigenous people of Otavalo on Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador. K said that FICI and around their campus shelters. The national police Monday, Oct. 7. Today she is reported to be a political includes Indigenous communities from the following: used up all their tear gas and sent ambulances to other exile in Mexico with Ricardo Patiño who was the minis- the Otavalos, Caranquis and Natabuela people. cities to get more. The gas canisters were being used as ter closest to Rafael Correa. K is Otavalo and a veteran of two decades of resistance bullets—​shot at protesters’ heads and bodies, injuring The arrest of the prefect [magistrate] of Pichincha led by the CONAIE against former presidents of Ecuador hundreds of people. Province, Paula Pabón, was recorded and the video has who were imposing the dictates of the Washington In the midst of the chaos, cops called a truce and then gone viral on social networks. Pabón’s recent election Consensus [the IMF, World Bank and U.S. Federal double-crossed mothers with children. Cops advised the was considered to be a major victory for the Revolución Reserve] on the people of Ecuador. women that they would be safe in the House of Culture. Ciudadana. In July 1999, FICI marched to Quito, the capital, for a After the women and children were inside, the police Several other leaders are exiled or being sought. Vice Paro Nacional called by CONAIE. The paro was a general gassed the building. President Jorge Glas, a political prisoner for more than strike which overthrew then President Jamil Mahuad. The Indigenous people were outraged. The well-re- two years, was the first target of Moreno’s power grab The manifesto of that insurrection reads as if it were ported repression was so brutal that the Indigenous after Glas exposed Moreno’s corruption in August 2017. written today. forces devised guerrilla tactics for self-defense. K Although few people believe him, Moreno has claimed In 1999, a three-day march of Indigenous women reported that he saw a huge explosion in Arbolito Park that Correa was paying the Indigenous $45 a day to hold from Imbabura traversed 60 miles over arid terrain and at 12:40 a.m. on Oct. 12 that rocked Quito. After being the general strike and charging that Nicolás Maduro, poorly paved mountain roads reaching Quito on July 15. chased by mounted police, comuneros strung heavy steel president of Venezuela, and the FARC (Revolutionary Brutal repression failed to stop that march even though wire between lamp posts on the streets where cops on Armed Forces of Colombia) were supporting the the national police and the military dropped tear gas motorcycles and horseback charged the protesters. Small Indigenous movement. K said that the people knew that bombs from helicopters on the marchers. groups coordinated to surround the police and pelt them the whole world was watching. FICI was planning a similar three-day march on the with stones from all directions. Today, the CONAIE are calling on CIDH—​Comisión capital city of Quito for the Paro Nacional that ended No cops were seriously injured. Nor has the govern- Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (tinyurl.com/ this past Sunday, Oct. 13. But last week, the people were ment taken responsibility for the deaths, injuries and y225fp5f/ in Spanish)—to​ investigate claims of human spontaneously rising up, and to catch up with the upris- disappearances among the demonstrators. rights violations against the general strike participants. ing, FICI had to organize comuneros—​Indigenous par- The general strike forced President Lenín Moreno K had not yet learned as of yesterday, Oct. 15, that only ticipants—​to ride in big trucks and in double decker to call for dialogue. Unfortunately, it was much too Decree 883 was on the table of the joint commission. buses volunteered by a local bus company. The vehicles late to spare the lives of the eight people killed by the When informed of the current situation, K said that he carried hundreds of comuneros back and forth between police—​as reported by the Defensoria del Pueblo (the went into the streets to fight the IMF paquetazo of neo- Imbabura and Quito during the uprising. national organization for the defense of human rights liberal reforms and to get Moreno out, not just to repeal K said he joined the Paro for the sake of his daugh- in Ecuador), and too late to prevent grievous injuries to 883. Many people here in Ibarra are disappointed that ters, his grandchildren and his extended family. The many hundreds more. The Defensoria del Pueblo did not the CONAIE has agreed to limit negotiations. comuneros took children to Quito, not expecting that the report on the disappeared, which CONAIE estimated to The class struggle has only begun in Ecuador. ¡Hasta repression would be an order of magnitude greater than be more than 100. la victoria siempre! Until victory! ☐ anything they had ever experienced before. The joint commission of government and Indigenous Page 6 Oct. 24, 2019 workers.org LeBron James and the Hong Kong debate

By Monica Moorehead

Los Angeles Laker icon LeBron James received a major amount of criticism from bourgeois pundits for his Oct. 14 statements on a controversial Oct. 4 tweet from white general manager of the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey. As the Rockets, the Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets were in China to play preseason games there, Morey tweeted, “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” This tweet, which was quickly deleted, created an immediate condemnation from millions of Chinese sports fans on social media, followed by the Chinese government. The condemnations evolved into a global debate regarding the NBA’s financial ties to China and the very nature of the Hong Kong controversy. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver apol- ogized to the Chinese government for the tweet, but also defended Morey’s “right to free speech.” NBA social programs between the play- ers and the fans were cancelled, as well LeBron James with Chinese fans. as some media events. NBA players were told by the association not to publicly comment on the controversy, especially until July 1, 1997, when it was legally ago. He has not been allowed to play pro before the Morey tweet. The South China if they were still visiting China. (Go to declared a sovereign territory of main- football since 2016. Morning Post also reported that Chinese tinyurl.com/y4emvbc7 to read “NBA and land China. Black sports commentators, for the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng China: The ‘right to free speech’ vs. the The pronouncement of defending most part, gave James the benefit of the Shuang said the Beijing government right to sovereignty.”) “democracy” is an attempt to pull the doubt due to his being the most outspo- never requested that Silver fire Morey. LeBron stated, “I don’t want to get in a wool over the eyes of the world—​to hide ken among the mainly Black NBA players As the Post explained, “Silver has word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey, that the Hong Kong protests are pro-im- on these social issues. Some of the Black spared no effort to portray himself as a but I believe he wasn’t educated on the perialist and seek to turn back the reac- commentators questioned why James fighter for free speech and used freedom situation at hand, and he spoke. So many tionary hands of time to when British should be expected to comment on other of speech as an excuse to cover for Morey, people could have been harmed, not only Hong Kong existed. One only has to wit- social issues outside of the U.S., especially who voiced his support for the violent financially but physically, emotionally, ness the domination of U.S. and British those of a geopolitical nature. actors in Hong Kong. This has crossed spiritually. So just be careful what we Union Jack flags to understand the pro- China has the right to self-determi- the bottom line of the Chinese people.” tweet and what we say and what we do. tests’ long-term political objectives. nation without the interference of U.S. (Oct. 19) Even though, yes, we do have freedom of An important question is: Why aren’t and Western imperialism into its inter- When Silver addressed this, he stated speech, there can be a lot of negative that the Hong Kong protests drawing atten- nal affairs. That is what the Chinese that not only would he not fire Morey, but comes with it.” tion to the growing numbers of homeless Revolution of 1949 was all about. Black he would not discipline him. LeBron continued, “When I speak and impoverished residents there? This NBA players like LeBron James should At a Brooklyn Nets home preseason about something, I speak about some- is in contrast to Hong Kong’s standing also have the right to self-determination game Oct. 18, film producer Andrew thing I’m very knowledgeable about, as a global capitalist financial center. in terms of what they say or don’t say Duncan purchased 3,000 tickets, something that hits home for me, some- In 2017, it was reported that one out of about social issues at home and abroad, costing tens of thousands of dollars, for thing that I am very passionate about. I every seven residents were millionaires, especially with issues they don’t feel com- protesters who wore “Stand with Hong felt like with this particular situation, it a hugely disproportionate number con- fortable talking about. Kong” T-shirts in the arena. This was was something that not only was I not sidering the general population of just an obvious slap in the face to Joseph informed enough about, I just felt like it over 7.3 million. (businessinsider.com) NBA comments deepen Chinese anger Tsai, the Chinese principal owner of the was something that not only myself and In stark contrast, according to the South Silver stated on Oct. 17 that the Chinese Nets, who was critical of the Hong Kong my teammates or our organization had China Morning Post, one in five were government asked the NBA to fire Morey. protests from a historical and cultural enough information to even talk about it impoverished in Hong Kong. (Nov. 17, This was refuted by Chinese state media, perspective. ☐ at that point in time, and we still feel the 2017) CCTV, which broadcast NBA games to same way.” (USA Today, Oct. 14) millions of Chinese on a regular basis LeBron even stated that there are times Self-determination for China when social issues relevant to Black NBA and Black athletes players are not raised by the NBA hierar- Once LeBron made his public state- chy. Not one NBA official has been crit- ment, it provoked the burning of his pop- New York forum icized for not publicly supporting Black ular jersey by Hong Kong protesters. Lives Matter; a case in point is Daryl LeBron was accused of being inconsis- Morey. tent and even hypocritical when it came ‘End sanctions on Zimbabwe and China!’ LeBron clarified that Morey being to not outwardly supporting the demands “miseducated” was not a reference to of the Hong Kong protests and for speak- A Workers World Party forum on at tinyurl.com/y2b6g7de/.) what he said in his tweet, but the ill tim- ing out against racist injustice inside “Resisting Sanctions & U.S. Economic The 16 member nations of the ing of it and how it could have negatively the U.S., especially the police killings of Warfare, from China to Zimbabwe” was Southern Africa Development impacted the players who were in China unarmed Black people. held in New York City on Oct. 17, featur- Community have declared Oct. 25 “A at the time. This criticism came mostly from pre- ing two speakers. Day of Action” to end the sanctions on dominantly white sportscasters, who are Omowale Clay, a longtime leader of Zimbabwe. Hong Kong rooted in colonialism not inhibited in exhibiting their anti-com- the December 12th Movement, has been Sara Flounders, a WWP Secretariat The protests in Hong Kong were munist views. These same commenta- a main organizer in building solidar- member, spoke about her recent trip sparked in June by a proposed bill to tors accused James of caring more about ity in the U.S. with the former British to China as it celebrated 70 years of allow extradition to mainland China. The his multimillion-dollar contracts with colony of Zimbabwe, located in south- great social advancements since the bill was withdrawn in September but did Chinese businesses than what was going ern Africa. He spoke on the impact triumph of the People’s Revolution in not stop the protests, which are indica- on in Hong Kong. of 20 years of sanctions imposed by 1949. She also described U.S. sanc- tions of long-standing, deep anti-com- That is certainly hypocritical consider- U.S. and Western imperialism, call- tions as an act of economic war aimed munist hatred of Chinese sovereignty, ing the NBA is a multibillion-dollar, cap- ing it an act of international terrorism at China, as it continues to move for- rooted in colonialism. This was the real italist, global corporation with 10 percent on the Zimbabwean economy and its ward with building socialism. Read motivation for Morey’s tweet and Silver’s of its revenue coming from China. Indigenous population. more of her observations about China defense of it. These were some of the same Clay also shared remembrances of at tinyurl.com/y3z9n8w8/ or watch Hong Kong was a British colony from sportscasters who were critical of his organization’s relationship with the Flounders’ remarks at tinyurl.com/ 1841 to 1941. It was under Japanese occu- former pro-football quarterback, Colin late president of Zimbabwe, Robert y58543qz/. pation from 1941 until 1945. After World Kaepernick, when he took a knee during Mugabe, who visited Harlem many War II, Japan surrendered Hong Kong the playing of the national anthem to years ago. President Mugabe died on — Report and photos by back to Britain as a colonial possession protest racist police brutality three years Sept. 6 at the age of 95. (See Clay’s talk Monica Moorehead Omowale Clay Sara Flounders workers.org Oct. 24, 2019 Page 7

WW commentary U.S. ‘democracy’ for $ale Hong Kong protesters in NYC unmasked By Sara Flounders attempting to intimidate thousands of students New York from China. According to a June 28 NPR report, FBI agents I watched as a prefab “rally in a box” about Hong are now busy visiting many of the 360,000 Chinese Kong opened up here on Oct. 13. students in the U.S., reminding them that they are I don’t know if this rally was funded directly being monitored and should stay out of politics. by the notorious U.S. National Endowment for Universities are being pressured to monitor stu- Democracy, a congressionally funded agency dents, graduate students and visiting research pro- that plays the same role as the CIA did in an ear- fessors of Chinese nationality. lier period. But it featured Sharon Hom of the This March, U.S. intelligence officials briefed Human Rights in China organization. Hom actu- about 70 college administrators in the American ally announces on the group’s website that funding Council on Education, according to university par- for its projects comes from NED, as well as Soros’ ticipants. The officials said the presidents should Open Society and Human Rights Watch. Hom is a increase oversight of Chinese researchers and avoid law professor at New York University. research funding from Chinese firms like Huawei. Alan Weinstein, founder of NED, explained in The presidents were “skeptical of many of the a 1991 Washington Post interview: “A lot of what claims, but many of them receive U.S. government we do today was done covertly by the CIA 25 years research money.” (tinyurl.com/yytfm2s4) ago. We are the sugar daddy of overt operations.” U.S. intelligence agencies are encouraging U.S. Recently web commentators have exposed research universities to develop actual protocols NED’s sinister role in funding the protests, violent for monitoring students and visiting scholars from riots, fire bombings and assaults in Hong Kong. Chinese state-affiliated research institutions. So we can certainly ask what might be NED’s This clear double standard confirms that stu- role at a Free Hong Kong rally in New York City. dents from China are being monitored and sur- Funders with deep pockets were definitely needed veilled, while students from Hong Kong are being to provide all the theatrical props, gear and anti- funded and promoted. China propaganda I saw that morning. ‘Performance art’ protest The best ‘democracy’ money can buy The Oct. 13 rally and its staging were followed The Oct. 13 rally, which drew a couple hundred by another “pro-Hong Kong” rally on Oct. 18 at the students, was announced on Facebook sites NY4HK WW PHOTO: SARA FLOUNDERS Brooklyn Nets basketball game. Thousands of dol- and DC4HK. The location was “The Cube” on Astor ‘Rally in a box’ being unpacked, Oct. 13, New York City. lars must have been spent to secure nine rows with Place, near New York University and Cooper Union. more than 100 seats in the prime Section 1 area The rally was scheduled to support anti-China bills due security vests. There were boxes of folded, new, black in the Barclay Center. The people in those seats were for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 15. T-shirts with white silk-screened slogans. There was a wearing matching “Stand with Hong Kong” T-shirts and The bills, HR3289 and HR4270, were designed to set up cornucopia of pricey material. facemasks. There were also front-row seats reserved for sanctions on China, using Hong Kong as a lever. A small prefab stage was quickly snapped together. those wearing “Free Tibet” shirts. I arrived an hour early to observe the set-up, and what Delivery people showed up with musical instruments, This was a direct challenge to Joe Tsai, the Chinese I saw confirmed my suspicions. I watched as 15 to 20 including wind, string and percussion, as well as fold- owner of the Nets—​and also a challenge aimed directly matching boxes were delivered early. It looked like a roll- ing chairs and music stands. A sleek generator powered at Chinese sovereignty. out for a movie set! a high-tech sound system that played the new “protest All these events reaffirm a separatist agenda—​by In them were stacks of glossy yellow postcards pro- anthem”—“Glory​ to Hong Kong”—in​ repeat mode. including prominent “Free Tibet” and “Independence moting “freedom, human rights and democracy in Hong As people began to arrive, they were given facemasks, for Taiwan” signs, as well as “Stand with Hong Kong.” Kong” and urging support for a “yes” vote on the bills. T-shirts and chant sheets to become “instant activists.” These costly “performance art” actions are actually As I saw the sophisticated equipment rolling in, I Out of plastic wrap came U.S. flags for them to hold and promoting U.S. interference in Chinese sovereignty, as thought how, in my 50 years of participating in and wave on telescoping metal flagpoles and “official volun- well as far-reaching sanctions on China. organizing many different kinds of protests in New York teer” badges to hang around their necks City and in the U.S.—​from anti-racist, anti-war, com- I sat and took pictures, trying to be inconspicuous. I New sanctions munity-based small events to major coalition efforts of admit I felt jealous of this incredible street equipment. The Oct. 13 pop-up rally promoted Congressional bills: hundreds of progressive groups cooperating together—I​ The gear looked so high-tech and glossy! And delivered HR3289, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy had never seen a political event unfold like this action. on site! Act of 2019, and HR4270, the Protect Hong Kong Act. The advance team opened box after box, pulling out I thought of how I and other progressive activists These are sanctions legislation that subject Hong Kong’s crisp new signs and flags, along with black facemasks, spend hours designing signs, then copying and stapling special U.S. trading status to annual reviews and autho- everything still plastic-wrapped. There were new gas them, first onto placard board and then onto cardboard rize sanctions on Hong Kong based on certain charges. masks, yellow umbrellas, yellow helmets and yellow tubes. I thought of the mismatched sound equipment we For instance, the annual Congressional review would rig together, how we transport our gear in shopping carts include “human rights charges” against China as well as on subways, hauling it up and down steps, or in dented trade, customs and claims about any shipments from New York forum rental vans or trucks. China to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, And I looked at the telescoping metal flagpoles. Metal Iran or any U.S.-sanctioned country. poles are explicitly prohibited in New York protests. The review, aimed at China, would determine whether There is also a well-known ban on facemasks. Migrant- Hong Kong was sufficiently “autonomous” from Beijing ‘End sanctions on Zimbabwe and China!’ rights activists, Antifa and Occupy forces have often to justify its special trading status under U.S. law. been arrested for even having a bandana on their face. The bills were swiftly passed by the U.S. House of At least one-third of these Hong Kong protesters were Representatives on Oct. 15 by an undisputed voice vote, wearing full black fabric facemasks, as if they faced tear with forceful assistance from House Speaker Nancy gas or any repression in this city, especially from police Pelosi (D-CA). The legislation is now on a fast track to who conveniently and untypically were not present the U.S. Senate. I asked a few young people where they were from. They Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson identified themselves as from Hong Kong and studying at Geng Shuang warned U.S. lawmakers to stop meddling New York University. Students at NYU and many univer- in China’s internal affairs. Geng said the House action sities have their own separate student and alumni organi- “fully exposes the shocking hypocrisy of some in the zations and clubs. Although Hong Kong is officially part of U.S. on human rights and democracy, and their mali- China, these clubs reinforce a separatist ideology. cious intention to undermine Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability [in order] to contain China’s development.” Police repression and Chinese students (scmp.com, Oct. 16) In September, one of the Facebook groups announc- The Oct. 13 pop-up rally in New York, along with ing the Oct. 13 rally, NY4HK, had attempted a “pro-Hong other costly staged events, are examples of U.S. so-called Kong” rally in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The group was democracy at its finest. Just pour on $$! chased out by pro-China community residents. All these measures—​including the congressional leg- But pressure from the U.S. federal level now makes a islation—are​ designed to undermine China’s continuing pro-China show of support by Chinese students far more efforts to advance on the road to socialism. difficult. Now is the time for social justice and antiwar activ- No police were visibly present at the Oct. 13 “pro- ists to speak up and demand: Hands off China! End all Hong Kong” rally, but other branches of the police state sanctions! ☐ Omowale Clay Sara Flounders are hard at work promoting an anti-China message by Page 8 Oct. 24, 2019 workers.org

China eyewitness, Part 2 Beijing rocks to celebration of 70 years of revolution

By Sara Flounders and Michael Kramer ideology.” The next units were listed as “People, The writers traveled in three major rise up and become masters of the land” cities in China—Shanghai,​ Nanjing and and “Praise to the youth, liberate choice Beijing—​from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4 on a and love.” personal trip. This is Part 2 of an infor- This was followed by a smaller contin- mal travel log sent to Workers World gent in yellow (not red) with a big picture newspaper. of Deng Xiaoping, the 1979 reforms and the opening to Western investment, fol- On Sept. 28, we took a high-speed train lowed by a unit in praise of reforms. This from Shanghai to Nanjing and a Sept. 29 placement seemed intended to give a har- overnight to Beijing. Nothing in our U.S. monious sweep to tumultuous historical experience had prepared us for these eras. enormous modern stations or trains. U.S. That sequence ended with thematic transportation seems a century behind. groups, such as One Country, Two From the windows, we saw many Systems, with people from Hong Kong construction projects. In every town we and Macau, and one on President Xi and zipped past there was older two, three, his theme of Rejuvenation by strengthen- even five-story housing as well as tall ing socialist planning. modern apartment blocks, almost all with Next was a section titled Forward balconies and big windows. A forest of Thinking, with separate contingents construction cranes showed that far more emphasizing innovation, scientific prog- buildings are still under construction. ress, development of rural areas, lifting Tree planting is happening on a vast rural areas from poverty, unifying ethnic scale, both in cities and in open spaces minorities and Chinese cultural pride. between cities and towns. Judging from The unit titled “A beautiful life” included the size of the trees, much has taken place people with disabilities and buses of in the past two to four years. These plant- seniors. ings will be green forests in a few more Then came giant floats from many cit- years. ies and regions. At the very end was a con- When we arrived in Beijing, we tingent of the future—5,000 Communist could see that China’s capital had been Young Pioneers. transformed by preparations for the ‘Me and My Country’ Revolution’s anniversary. The city was PHOTOS: XINHUA awash in red flags that adorn every A parade (right photo) highlighting the People’s Republic of China’s poverty alleviation As the parade finished at noon, we were building. achievements during the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the fortunate to get tickets to a new patriotic With most stores closing for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing. movie made for the 70th anniversary and national holiday, people are rushing to do playing in theaters across China, “Me last-minute shopping as we walk around Later we and over a billion people and to the imperialist forces that demand and My Country.” This moving film con- for a last-minute personal look. watched the military and civilian parades China change course. sisted of six personal vignettes of ordi- Red slogans were all over billboards and the evening celebration on TV. Access The celebration opened with a short nary individuals and their participation and subways: “Listen to the Party, win and participation in the actual parade talk by President Xi Jinping, who encour- in key accomplishments since the 1949 every fight! Keep good moral character! was of course limited and a highly sought aged the Chinese people to stay true to Revolution. Serve the People, train hard, keep a pos- honor. But even on TV, on millions of the “original mission” of the party and We watched the movie at a packed film itive manner” were just a few. The char- handheld devices and on big screens, continue the revolutionary struggle. Xi center in a huge five-level megamall in acters for the 24 core Chinese socialist as people watched in big crowds, it was made a political point to visit Chairman downtown Beijing. Every global brand values were repeated on thousands of a long day of incredible pageantry and Mao Zedong’s tomb the day before the name in cosmetics, clothing, shoes and street flags. patriotism. Our guide Siu Hin Lee trans- celebration. Xi has increasingly invoked fast foods seemed to have a shop there. Along with police, there were 78,000 lated and explained what we were view- Mao and the spirit of the Long March and Contradictions again! proud young volunteers organized by ing. There was lots of commentary on the revolutionary victory of 1949. We rushed from the movie with huge the Communist Youth League wearing WeChat discussion groups of the mean- Xi did not specifically mention any crowds all trying to get close enough red armbands. They helped direct metro ing and significance of different parade country by name, but he defiantly to the evening program in Tian’anmen crowds and were vigilant at public build- contingents. declared: “There is no force that can Square to see the fireworks. All around ings. There were lots of senior volunteers, shake the foundation of this great nation. us people were using phones to watch the also with red armbands, comfortably Parades, fireworks, history … No force can stop the Chinese people elaborate celebration at the square. seated in chairs in front of buildings. and patriotism and the Chinese nation forging ahead.” This program involved tens of thou- News coverage of Hong Kong protest- Patriotism has a repugnant feel in the He emphasized that China would con- sands of people in a choreographed ers setting fires at metro station entrances center of U.S. imperialism. It is coated in tinue to pursue peaceful development. extravaganza with sparkling flash cards, and platforms heightened transportation layers of chauvinism, jingoism and rac- The purpose of the military parade that a huge orchestra and fireworks displays precautions. Security was a high pri- ism. It is embraced by right-wing and followed was clearly to send a message of between sets. The theme was “New sky, ority. Bag checks and scans, like at air- white supremacist forces and dragged out determined and well-prepared defense. new land, new era!” A favorite old song, ports, were at every metro entrance. But with fervor as part of war mobilizations. Chinese media said the review showcased with the same name as the film we saw, the checks go seamlessly fast. There was But patriotism has an entirely differ- 160 aircraft and 580 pieces of new mil- “Me and My Country,” was the back- a collective determination not to let this ent dimension in an oppressed country itary technology, including drones and ground music. celebration be disrupted. where a people’s movement has strug- missiles. Some 40 percent of the arma- The day’s program ended with “Praise The zone for the parade and the eve- gled to break free and resist domination. ments were displayed in public for the for the People!” written in fireworks of ning’s spectacle was cordoned off for The 70th anniversary celebration on Oct. first time. Chinese characters. blocks, as equipment and units moved 1 was clearly intended to send a strong On display were units with ground-to- The next day, Oct. 2, Tian’anmen into place in Tian’anmen Square. political message to the people of China air anti-aircraft missiles, long-range and Square was opened to the general public. short-range missiles on trucks, sea-to- Though the parade was finished, the cel- air missiles and tactical nuclear missiles. ebration continued. There were tanks and helicopter units, It was a holiday, and we walked to radar, info warfare and telecommunica- the square with hundreds of thousands tions divisions, a unit with mini-subma- of people, many dressed in red, waving rines and a unit with drones of every size. flags. Thousands of young people had After logistics units and medical support their faces painted or stickered with PRC units, finally came soldiers marching in red flags. People were cheering and wav- military units; 15,000 military personnel ing and had children on their shoulders participated. and in strollers. Of course, everyone was The civilian part of the parade was far taking pictures and watching videos of larger and longer, although it received the previous day. no attention in Western media. It had 18 We have so much to process and think different contingents with themes, each about since our return. The U.S. attacks with over 1,000 people, highlighting an on China are not likely to recede. China event of the last 70 years. The civilian sec- is determined to reinforce its core values tion opened with thousands, dressed in and its revolutionary gains. red, carrying a giant picture of Mao and We all need to learn much more. ☐ enormous signs: “Firmly support Mao workers.org Oct. 24, 2019 Page 9 To U.S. anti-war movement Stay focused on getting U.S. out of Syria

By Sara Flounders (5 million live abroad now as refu- gees) includes Arab, Kurdish, Assyrian, Oct. 20—​The author visited Syria in Armenian, Turkoman and Circassian 2014 and 2015 in small International nationalities as well as Sunni, Alawi, Action Center solidarity delegations. At Shia, Druze, Yazidi, and Christian reli- that time, no road in the country was gious sects. There are also 1.5 million safe and one-third of the population Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. was displaced—​taking refuge inside Syrian government spokespeople, dip- Syria or in surrounding countries. The lomats and the mainstream Syrian media schools, mosques, churches and commu- always assert that Syria is a secular and nity centers in Damascus were packed multi-ethnic, multinational, multireli- with tens of thousands of desperate ref- gious country and that the identity and ugees. Everywhere, including downtown culture of every group must be respected. Damascus, was being shelled. The Syrian government has again Today Syria is rebuilding after eight and again expressed its determina- years of war. More than 1,550 schools tion to resolve the problems among the have been rebuilt, and in the past month whole mosaic of nationalities and reli- 10,000 teaching jobs were added. But Damage after U.S. bombing of Syria in 2017. gious groups within Syria, free of foreign U.S. war planners are still active. interference. that a ceasefire by the armed militias government was fighting for its very sur- U.S. plans in disarray When forces in U.S. ruling circles con- attacking the Damascus government vival in Aleppo and Damascus and was in tend with and denounce each other to jus- would be possible only if the elected no position to do more. Today in Syria, U.S. plans are in com- tify foreign intervention—as​ is currently Syrian government, led by President Washington offered the Kurds a mil- plete disarray. Each of its many merce- happening in reaction to the announced Bashar al-Assad, resigned. Then these itary alliance and U.S. protection from nary armies is defeated. Faced with a U.S. pullback from the Kurdish area of pirates would decide what regime would both U.S. bombing and ISIS forces. The new reality on the ground, Turkey is now Syria—​this generates speculation, anal- lead Syria and what forces and militias armed Kurdish YPG units entered into an open to making other deals, possibly with ysis and confusion in the population, would control various regions. alliance, maybe of convenience, maybe of Russia and Iran, which could destabilize including among anti-war activists. It survival, with U.S. imperialism. NATO. This is why Pence rushed to visit demands a clear political response. U.S. instigated war on Syria Through the war years, the Syrian gov- Erdogan. This confusion takes place because U.S. In 2011, after seven months of U.S./ ernment, although it had no control over The Turkish ruling class fears having apologists invent pretexts for the gov- NATO bombing of Libya, U.S. policy the Kurdish region of northeastern Syria, armed units of Kurds in Syria, because ernment’s military interventions. They makers in the Obama administration, continued to pay salaries to health work- the Turkish army is waging a war against falsely claim it sends troops to defend including Vice President Joe Biden and ers, teachers and all government officials the far larger oppressed Kurdish popula- democracy or to protect the human rights Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had throughout the country. This was a life- tion in Turkey. for some group. Rather, U.S. troops are convinced the Turkish regime and others line for the civilians in the whole region, The Kurds are an oppressed nation in sent to intervene only to protect and in the Middle East and in the European even where they were under ISIS control. Western Asia. Some 20 million people expand the strategic or economic inter- Union that they could quickly dismem- The Kurdish forces in Syria, while in who identify as Kurds—​the overwhelm- ests of U.S. imperialism. ber Syria. The Turkish rulers opened their an alliance with the U.S., nevertheless ing majority of the Kurdish population in U.S. forces in Syria have brought noth- borders to the invading anti-Damascus made it a point to avoid attacking Syrian the Middle East—​live in Turkey, where ing but misery to that country’s people, forces and served as a major conduit of government forces. Their focus was on they are 25 percent of the population. including its Kurdish population. The arms to them. defeating ISIS forces. They are denied the use of their own lan- Pentagon was there neither to promote Eventually 100,000 mercenaries in Now, faced with an abrupt U.S. pull- guage in schools and services. democracy in Syria nor to defend Kurdish competing gangs operated inside Syria back and a Turkish onslaught, the Kurds The Workers Party of Kurdistan (PKK) self-determination. against the Damascus government. They have announced that they will seek a is waging a guerrilla struggle against Washington has tried to maintain its were backed by different U.S./NATO/ negotiated solution with the Syrian gov- Turkish domination. dominance in the Middle East by inflam- Saudi/Israeli/UAE money and advisers. ernment. This seems to be already hap- There are 1.5 to 2 million Kurds in ing sectarian, national, ethnic and reli- At the time, the corporate media were pening. It is a realistic choice. Syria, where they make up 30 percent gious differences. In the long war against predicting that the Syrian government Throughout these years of war, many of the population in their northeastern Syria, where all the people of Syria have would collapse within six weeks. social democrats, academics and anar- region. Even this region is truly a mosaic suffered, the many statements for or But after eight years of massively chists in the imperialist countries have of different peoples, not only Kurds. against the Kurds in Syria take the focus destructive war, this complex, U.S.- glorified and idealized the Kurdish capital There are also 5 to 8 million Kurds living off the real culprit—​U.S. imperialism. orchestrated effort to dismember Syria of Rojava as a place of social revolution. in Iraq and in Iran. has failed. Some have described Rojava as the most U.S. imperialism has often maneu- U.S. out! U.S. advisers and contractors were communist, communal, feminist society vered to use for its own interests the Therefore the best response, the only embedded in numerous mercenary in the world. Unfortunately, these forces movement of Kurds for independence legitimate response, from anti-war forces bands, which often fought each other. have counterposed uncritical support for against the governments in the region. in the U.S. is to re-raise the most basic One by one all were pushed back by the Syrian Kurds and the Kurdish city of And it has just as often abandoned the demands: U.S. out of Syria! Respect Syria’s determined resistance and by Rojava to support for Syrian sovereignty Kurdish movement. Syrian sovereignty! assistance, first from Hezbollah militias against imperialist intervention. U.S. wars, invasion, bombing cam- This response is the only viable solu- in Lebanon, then from Iranian advisers, paigns and sanctions in Iraq, Libya, Syria tion to the more than eight years of U.S.- then in 2015, by decisive Russian inter- Syrian government on unity and Yemen; U.S. sanctions and threats on instigated war that have ripped Syria vention with air cover. During eight years of brutal combat, Iran; U.S. military bases and arms sales apart, displaced one-third of the popu- This assistance was both solidarity and Syria’s government avoided publicly to the Gulf monarchies or to Egyptian lation, created millions of refugees and self-interest. Each of these very different attacking the Kurds. Groups supporting dictators; and its decades of support for homeless people, and laid waste to large political entities identified with Syria’s Syrian sovereignty should take a similar the Zionist occupation of Palestine have parts of this once relatively prosperous, plight and knew a U.S. “success” in dis- attitude. Syrian officials have also avoided destabilized and impoverished Western developing country. membering Syria would make them a attacking Sunni forces as a religious Asia and North Africa. Turkey has been a member of the U.S.- target. group or any of the other groups which U.S. imperialism is an enemy of all commanded NATO military alliance since were swept up into this war by the impe- human progress. 1952 and is the site of many NATO and Syria’s Kurdish population rialists’ false promises. All those interested in peace, human U.S. military bases, including the major Before 2011, the Kurdish population in Syria’s position has always been that solidarity and national sovereignty need air base at Incirlik. The Turkish regime northern Syria had a form of autonomy, any Syrian force that lays down arms and to refocus the discussion on Syria and has played a criminal role in the efforts with schools and services in their own stops fighting the Syrian government will more strongly demand: U.S. out! ☐ to dismember Syria. language. In 2011, when the U.S.-backed be granted amnesty and be welcomed Vice President Mike Pence’s latest destabilization effort started, Kurdish back into Syria. President Assad says in proposal on Oct. 17 to Turkey’s President nationalists set up their own armed every public statement that Syrians have Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the latest People’s Protection Units—​YPG. to consider how to put Syria back together scheme to keep Syria divided. In essence, In 2014, thousands of heavily armed after the war ends. two members of the NATO military alli- ISIS terrorists swept into Syria, including In sharp contrast, the Syrian govern- ance agreed to partition Syria under northern Syria, with unprecedented bru- ment position has always been that all Turkish occupation. tality. The U.S. war strategists used ISIS the uninvited foreign-funded forces—​ Their meeting in Turkey was little terror as a convenient and cynical pretext including the U.S., NATO, Turkey, ISIS, different from the eight years of U.N.- to escalate military operations in Syria and tens of thousands of foreign mer- brokered “peace negotiations” in Paris, and to re-occupy Iraq. The Pentagon cenaries operating under many names Geneva, Vienna or New York. began openly bombing the whole region, and funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and These meetings of imperialist forces destroying much of the developed infra- UAE—must​ leave Syria. and their collaborators simply repeated structure in Syria. At this time the Syrian Syria’s population of 22 million Page 10 Oct. 24, 2019 workers.org

editorials In Chile, one abuse too many

The ideology of the “Chicago Boys” the water supply. They would have pri- The current president of Chile, The protest turned from one against a is facing its moment of truth in Latin vatized air if they could have figured out Sebastián Piñera, a favorite of Washington fare hike to a general protest against the America. This week, the Chilean gov- how to charge for the oxygen. and the International Monetary Fund, rampant inequality in Chilean society, an ernment’s attempt to impose a fare hike It also meant using the state to break proposed a modest increase in subway inequality imposed through the ideology for public transportation in the capital or at least weaken workers’ organiza- fares. That turned out to be the straw that of the Chicago Boys, which is really the resulted in a full-fledged rebellion. Led tions. Since only the working class pro- broke the camel’s back. High school youth ideology of unfettered world imperialism. by high school students, the protesters duces wealth, what that really meant was decided to evade the fares and did it mas- Piñera has rescinded the fare hike—but​ obtained support and encouragement using the armed state to increase the rate sively. Piñera treated them like criminals, this may turn out to be too little, too late. from the entire working class. of theft from the workers—​i.e., the rate calling out the police, declaring a state When Ecuador’s President Lenín The Chicago Boys is a nickname of exploitation. of emergency, launching tear gas, beat- Moreno made a similar attempt, in for Chilean economists trained at the For the Chicago Boys, the pro-fas- ing and arresting them. When the young his case to raise gasoline prices, hun- University of Chicago in the 1970s. Milton cist military dictatorship in Chile from people fought back, some destruction in dreds of thousands of people, led by the Friedman was the leading professor there. 1973-90 was their model experiment. subway stations brought the city to a near Indigenous population, walked out in He, his team and the Chicago Boys pro- The Augusto Pinochet regime had halt. a massive general strike. Moreno had posed unfettered capitalism as the model already crushed the workers’ organiza- An article from a Chilean progres- to rescind his decree, which had been of “development” for Chile, and anywhere tions with brutal force. It was a success! sive, published on rebellion.org on Oct. ordered by the International Monetary else they could impose it. The gross national product grew—​with 21, described the mood: “It is true that Fund. What that really meant was restruc- all the growth going to a handful of rich despite the inconvenience caused during In Argentina, across the Andes moun- turing the Chilean economy to eliminate capitalists. these days to users—​closed doors in the tains from Chile, an Oct. 27 national elec- social programs and whatever might Even after the Pinochet era ended and metros, closed stations, police presence tion is expected to evict the neoliberal allow some of the wealth produced by governments were once again elected at ticket offices, longer journeys—​in the Mauricio Macri from the presidency. the workers to be used for their benefit. in Chile, this alleged economic success street what one can see most is support These struggles are far from won by the It meant privatizing every government increased unemployment, cut workers’ for young people. This apparent contra- masses of people in these South American sector in order to turn it into a profit cen- wages and pillaged the Indigenous popu- diction is simple: For the vast majority of countries. But, in all of them, the peo- ter for the rich—​including education, lation, while leaving many retired work- those who use the metro, the protests are ple are saying “enough” to rampant health care, public transportation, even ers on the edge of hunger. not only logical, but legitimate.” inequality. ☐

Legendary Cuban ballerina, Alicia Alonso, ¡presente! The following obituary of Alicia Festival of Havana. Precisely in the foyer of Alonso was written by Prensa Latina “Art can contribute to understand- the Alicia Alonso Grand on Oct. 17 and appeared in its entirety ing and dialogue between peoples as it Theater of Havana stands in granma.cu. On Alonso’s 97th birth- shows some of the highest and purest a bronze statue of the artist day, Miguel Cabrera wrote on granma. coincidences among all human beings,” dancing her favorite classic cu: “Her rise to stardom knew no paral- she once told Prensa Latina. [role], “Giselle.” lel, as she represented Cuba in 61 coun- The Cuban ballet school founded by In 2017, she was invested tries across the five continents, proving Alicia, Fernando and Alberto Alonso is as a UNESCO Goodwill to be a dazzling figure from the early unique in the Americas and one of the six Ambassador. In addition, days of Broadway musical comedies to recognized in the world. UNESCO officially created later groups with which she performed The BNC, created by the three of the Alicia Alonso Ibero- regularly, such as the American Ballet them in 1948, was distinguished by the American Dance Institute Caravan, the Ballet Theatre of New York, Cuban government last year as Cultural in 2018, attached to the the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, and Patrimony of the Nation. Rey Juan Carlos University the Washington Ballet, and many others Alicia served as a model for maestro in Madrid, Spain. … where she appeared as a guest star.” Fernando when he wrote the method- Since January 2019, ological bases of the Cuban school and she has shared the artistic “Her technical strength, ‘which was 20 starred in many of Alberto’s choreogra- direction of the BNC with years ahead of the standards of the time,’ phies, the first great defender of national one of her disciples, first as well as her stylistic adaptability, led identity in the choreographic field. dancer Viengsay Valdes. As her to perform an amazing repertoire of Alonso was awarded Cuba’s National such, the very school that 134 titles, 82 of them worldwide … the Dance Prize, Spain’s Gold Medal for Merit Alonso founded has con- work of the most important choreogra- in Fine Arts, and the ALBA Prize for the tributed to guaranteeing phers of the romantic-classical tradition Arts, awarded to recognized personalities her continuity. of the 19th century [as well as] of the of the continent. The legendary artist most important figures of the 20th cen- In 2000, the Council of State of the received many more awards Alonso performing her legendary role of “Giselle.” tury, among them … George Balanchine, Republic of Cuba granted Alonso the throughout her lifetime, Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, Alberto highest decoration of the island, the José including the Star of the Century award However, no award is comparable to Alonso and Alberto Méndez, to mention Martí Order, and in 2015, the same body from the Latin Institute of Music, for hav- the mark she has left as the leading para- just a few.” (Dec. 28, 2017) decided to add her name to Havana’s ing been a true promoter of Latin cadence digm of dance in Cuba, a legacy that lies Workers World Party not only mourns Grand Theater. in classical dance. with all Cuban ballet dancers today. ☐ the loss of this giant in the ballet world, but also salutes this staunch supporter of the Cuban Revolution, who moved from the U.S. back to her homeland in 1959 after Change is essential! Build Workers World! the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, had been ousted from power. As a newspaper that promotes rev- Workers World to salute the importance Cuba’s most internationally acclaimed olutionary socialism, it’s essential to of change this month, then it’s time to ballerina, Alicia Alonso passed away welcome change—​especially long over- join the Workers World Supporter today at the age of 98, the National Ballet due change. Like throwing Christopher Program, which since 1977 has helped of Cuba (BNC) announced. Columbus into the dustbin of world his- put out the paper. Members receive a The legendary dancer, founder and tory with other false idols of colonialism year’s subscription to WW, a monthly director of the BNC also participated and imperialism. letter about timely issues and five free in the founding of the American Ballet A movement has been afoot for sev- subscriptions to give to friends for a Theatre [in 1939]. eral decades to eliminate Columbus donation of a minimum of $75 or $100 Alonso’s talent was legendary, offering Day, the second Monday in October, or $300 (only $25 a month). Workers technical and interpretative virtuosity in and rename it Indigenous Peoples’ Day. World appreciates your generosity. classical works, while her resolve to con- This country, from the Atlantic Ocean Write checks to Workers World and tinue dancing, despite her progressive to the Pacific Ocean, was built on sto- WW PHOTO: MONICA MOOREHEAD mail them, with your name and address, loss of vision, and [her] will to remain len lands. Indigenous Peoples’ Day calls to 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Floor, New active on the stage until a very advanced attention to U.S. genocidal policies of historical, cultural, social, economic York, NY 10011. Or donate online at age was widely admired. warfare, massacres, smallpox blankets and political contributions that Native workers.org/donate/; it’s easy to set up The prima ballerina assoluta directed and forced assimilation. nations and peoples have made across monthly deductions. Know we’re grate- the BNC and staged shows until her Indigenous Peoples’ Day also com- this country. ful for your help in building Workers death, as well as the International Ballet memorates and honors the great If you agree that it’s essential for World—for​ today and for the future! ☐ workers.org Oct. 24, 2019 Page 11 Barcelona, Catalonia Massive general strike demands ‘Free political prisoners’ By Nelson Marinelli Basque Country. And in the city of Oviedo, that same night, at the Marinelli writes often for Prensaobrera.com on presentation of the Princess of Catalonia. This article was published Oct. 19 on Asturias literature prizes, a cer- redroja.org and translated by John Catalinotto. Some emony attended by kings, there background on the events is included in a Note at the was a mobilization in the street end of the article. that expressed support for the Catalan struggle. Oct. 18—​More than a half-million people overflowed An interesting fact is that the the streets of Barcelona today, as five columns of marchers “Classic” Barcelona-Real Madrid who had left from different points inside the Catalonian soccer match has been suspended region [in eastern Spain] two days ago converged on the (it is usually watched by millions city. The marchers demanded the release of nine regional of people around the world) for political leaders, who were found guilty of sedition and fear that it would turn into a mas- sentenced this week to between 9 and 13 years in prison for sive rally for sovereignty and for having organized an independence referendum two years freeing the political prisoners. ago. (tinyurl.com/yyrqs6fu) An enormous number of picketers on roads, highways, Political crisis avenues, trains and subways accompanied today’s mobi- The picture of rebellion unleashed in Catalonia has Together with this debacle, which has produced a lization, which also demanded Catalonia’s independence put the Spanish central government in check and has dislocation of all political parties, the rebellion is tak- from Spain. These picketers aimed to ensure compli- triggered a crisis within the Catalan independence par- ing place in the midst of an enormous economic crisis ance with a strike, which two smaller pro-independence ties. A few days before the new general elections (set throughout Europe and Spain in particular—​which trade unions (Intersindical-CSC and IAC-CATAC) called, for Nov. 10), the Socialist Party (PSOE), which has not includes in Catalonia itself. attracting significant sectors of workers. been able to form a government for months, is trying to For that reason, the Spanish bourgeoisie and its polit- This widespread network of picket lines was coordi- avoid an intervention in Catalonia. Such an action could ical and judicial apparatus harshly punished the attempt nated by the Committees for the Defense of the Republic generate a greater crisis that could spread beyond the at independence, which would further undermine the (CDR), an organization that operates through assem- Catalonian region. state. At the same time, it seeks to strike at all mani- blies in different neighborhoods. The left-wing political Opponents from the right (Popular Party, Citizens, festations of independence and workers’ and people’s tendency Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) has a major Vox) question the government’s tepid reaction in the struggle throughout Spanish territory. political influence in the CDR. Today the press reports face of the popular rebellion and call for a “strong hand” that the CDR organized its own column that brought and immediate intervention in Catalonia, in what also Perspectives more than 10,000 people to Barcelona. appears as a way of reducing votes for the PSOE can- After today’s mobilization and strike, the sectors didate in the next elections. The PP spokesperson in linked to the Catalan bourgeoisie have decreed a pause The scope of the strike Barcelona has described the strike as an “attempt at a in the struggle, but the resistance seems far from being Data from the two employers’ associations of rude and useless coup” and the leader of Citizens, Albert brought under control. The most active sector of the Catalonia’s small and medium-size companies show Rivera, as “general sabotage.” (La Vanguardia, Oct. 18) CDRs has called for an indefinite encampment in the that the strike shut down more than 40 percent of the center of Barcelona. companies in these associations. According to official Independence movement divided The enormous wave of these days, which included the sources, the strike was also felt strongly in commerce In Catalonia, the independence front has been bro- working and student youth in a prominent position, indi- (between 60 and 80 percent compliance); in education, ken in the face of the elemental mass force that has cap- cates that the crisis will be ongoing. The Catalan rebel- where activity was paralyzed at all levels and tens of tured the rebellion. The Republican Left of Catalonia lion has triggered a process that puts on the agenda the thousands of students mobilized; and in public adminis- (ERC), which forms part of the bloc, is calling for the unity of the workers of the entire Spanish state for their tration and transport, where the strike call was followed resignation of Catalonian Prime Minister Quim Torra demands and against the capitalist, monarchical regime. to the extent allowed by Spanish laws that force workers and calling for elections to “achieve a government that Faced with threats of the application of the national to “guarantee minimum services.” These repressive rules tackles the economic crisis and thus build a negotiat- security law and of a new intervention, we [Prensaobrera. apply to all public services. ing scenario” (with the central government). And the com] defend the right to self-determination of the The supermarket and gas station sector announced the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), one of the organizers Catalan people, including their independence, within the closure of all its establishments. Dockers in Barcelona’s of today’s marches and part of the coalition of the sover- framework of a federation of socialist republics. seaport supported the strike, which was strong there. eign bourgeois parties, demands the resignation of the Catalonia’s largest company, the automaker SEAT, had head of the Catalan government’s Interior Councillor, Note: Spain is a multinational country ruled from closed its plant, in which 3,500 cars are produced per accusing him of not controlling the police repression car- Madrid by a parliamentary monarchy since 1978, with day, because of “the difficulties that workers will have ried out by the Mossos [Catalonian police]. significant movements for national self-determination reaching the plant.” In this unstable situation, the center-left Podemos in the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia. The dom- (We can), the third political force and potential partner inant parties in the national parliament are the right- Traditional union leadership sides with ‘order’ of the Socialist Party to form a government (which has wing Popular Party and the centrist Socialist Party, The strike’s repercussions take on a greater dimension already divided), asked the pro-independence support- which have alternated running the central government because the leadership of the two central labor confeder- ers to abide by the ruling and the government to nego- since 1978. Recently they have lost their predominant ations—the​ pro-Socialist Party (UGT) and the Workers tiate. But the mayor of Barcelona, in the same party, position and depend on alliances, with the PSOE, with Commissions (CCOO), led by the Communist Party—​ played it safe and warmly greeted the pro-independence Podemos and the PP with the Citizen’s Party. did not support the action, a sign these union officials mobilizations. This is opportunism preparing for a crisis. align with the parties of Spanish “order.” The Councillor of the Department of Labor of Catalonia, Chakir El Homrani, stressed that “many other people, because of their work or personal situation, have not gone Un reporte interno del levantamiento to work but have not registered their strike,” given “the pressure of precarious work.” The media point out that, indígena en Ecuador in the massive columns that marched toward Barcelona, “the demonstrators’ chant spread of ‘Strike, strike, gen- Continúa de la página 12 estaba mirando. eral strike!’ which repeatedly merged into shouts of Hoy, la CONAIE hace un llamado a la CIDH—​ ‘Independence.’” (La Vanguardia, Barcelona, Oct. 18) las redes sociales. Las recientes elecciones de Pabón Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos Raising these same popular demands, 60,000 people se consideraron una gran victoria para la Revolución (tinyurl.com/y225fp5f/) para investigar las denuncias mobilized and marched Oct. 18 in Catalonia’s second Ciudadana. de violaciones de derechos humanos contra los partici- largest city, Girona, showing the strength of the strike. Varios otros líderes son exiliados o buscados. El vice- pantes de la huelga general. presidente Jorge Glas, preso político durante más de K aún no se había enterado hasta ayer, 15 de octubre, Solidarity spreads dos años, fue el primer objetivo de la toma de poder de de que solo el Decreto 883 estaba sobre la mesa de la The other important political fact is that faced with the Moreno después de que Glas expusiera la corrupción de comisión conjunta. Cuando se le informó de la situación harshness of the official repression and the appearance of Moreno en agosto de 2017. actual, K dijo que salió a la calle para luchar contra el hostile pro-fascist elements, which have gone to demon- Aunque pocas personas le creen, Moreno ha afirmado paquete de reformas neoliberales del FMI y para sacar strations and have attacked people who are pro-indepen- que Correa le pagaba a los indígenas $45 por día para a Moreno, no solo para derogar 883. Muchas personas dence, a movement of solidarity with the Catalan people realizar la huelga general y acusó a Nicolás Maduro, pre- aquí en Ibarra están decepcionadas de que la CONAIE has begun to appear in different cities in Spain. sidente de Venezuela, y a las FARC (Fuerzas Armadas haya acordado limitar las negociaciones. An Oct. 18 mobilization in Madrid was joined by oth- Revolucionarias de Colombia) de apoyar al movimiento La lucha de clases solo ha comenzado en Ecuador. ers in different Spanish cities, such as in Bilbao, in the indígena. K dijo que la gente sabía que todo el mundo ¡Hasta la victoria siempre! Hasta la victoria! ☐ 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. 61 Núm. 43 24 de octubre 2019 $1

MO FOTO Huelga de maestrxs en Chicago, 17 de octubre. Un reporte interno del levantamiento indígena en Ecuador

Por Michael Otto y Zoila Ramírez mujeres indígenas de Imbabura atravesó higiene personal para los manifestantes La huelga general obligó al presi- Ibarra, provincia de Imbabura, Ecuador 60 millas sobre terreno árido y caminos de fuera de la ciudad. El personal de la dente Lenín Moreno a llamar al diálogo. de montaña mal pavimentados que llegan Universidad Católica Politécnica, donde Lamentablemente, ya era demasiado Octubre 16—​El 7 de octubre, 4000 a Quito el 15 de julio. La represión brutal K encontró refugio con unas 700 perso- tarde para salvar la vida de las ocho per- indígenas de pueblos de los alrededores no pudo detener esa marcha a pesar de nas, mantuvo baños limpios y duchas que sonas asesinadas por la policía, según lo del mismo cantón marcharon durante que la policía nacional y el ejército arroja- estaban en constante uso. informado por la Defensoria del Pueblo cuatro horas a Ibarra para presentar un ron bombas lacrimógenas desde helicóp- La gente apenas podía descansar (la organización nacional para la defensa manifiesto al gobernador de Imbabura. El teros a los manifestantes. durante dos noches seguidas en Quito de los derechos humanos en Ecuador), y gobernador se negó a reunirse con ellos FICI estaba planeando una marcha mientras los policías seguían disparando demasiado tarde para evitar lesiones gra- y luego rechazó sus demandas principa- similar de tres días en la ciudad capital gases lacrimógenos y bombas de ruido ves a muchos cientos más. La Defensoria les: Cesar la agresión militar contra las de Quito para el Paro Nacional que ter- dentro y alrededor de los refugios del del Pueblo no informó sobre los desapa- comunidades indígenas y apoyar su resis- minó el domingo pasado, 13 de octubre. campus. La policía nacional utilizó todos recidos, que CONAIE estimó en más de tencia al “paquetazo” (paquete econó- Pero la semana pasada, la gente se estaba sus gases lacrimógenos y envió ambulan- 100. mico) ordenado por el Fondo Monetario levantando espontáneamente, y para cias a otras ciudades para obtener más. La comisión conjunta de represen- Internacional y el Decreto 883, que eli- ponerse al día con el levantamiento, FICI Los cartuchos de gas se usaban como tantes gubernamentales e indígenas se minó los subsidios al combustible. había organizar comuneros, participantes balas, dispararon contra las cabezas y los reunirá hoy, 16 de octubre, para reem- Nuestro amigo, lo llamaremos K, indígenas, para viajar en grandes camio- cuerpos de los manifestantes, hiriendo a plazar el Decreto 883, de conformidad decidió unirse al Paro Nacional (Gran nes y en autobuses de dos pisos ofrecidos cientos de personas. con el acuerdo en el diálogo del domingo Levantamiento Nacional) cuando asis- por una compañía local de autobuses. Los En medio del caos, los policías pidie- pasado. K se decepcionó al saber que no tió a una asamblea popular el 8 de octu- vehículos transportaron cientos de comu- ron una tregua y luego traicionaron a las todos los artículos del paquetazo iban a bre organizada en su comunidad por la neros de ida y vuelta entre Imbabura y madres con los niños. Los policías acon- colocarse sobre la mesa para su discusión. Federación Indígena y Campesina de Quito durante el levantamiento. sejaron a las mujeres que estarían a salvo Imbabura. FICI está afiliada a CONAIE, K dijo que se unió al Paro por el bien en la Casa de la Cultura. Después de que La guerra jurídica se siente la Confederación de Nacionalidades de sus hijas, sus nietos y su extensa fami- las mujeres y los niños estuvieron aden- como un estado policial Indígenas del Ecuador. K dijo que FICI lia. Los comuneros llevaron a los niños a tro, la policía inundó de gas el edificio. Las persecuciones y arrestos de líderes incluye comunidades indígenas de Quito, sin esperar que la represión fuera Los indígenas estaban indignados. La políticos del principal partido de oposi- los siguientes: los pueblos Otavalos, un orden de magnitud mayor que cual- represión bien denunciada fue tan bru- ción de Moreno, la Revolución Ciudadana Caranquis y Natabuela. quier cosa que hayan experimentado tal que las fuerzas indígenas idearon tác- del ex presidente Rafael Correa, se han K es Otavalo y un veterano de dos antes. ticas de guerrilla para la autodefensa. K intensificado. Esta represión ocurre décadas de resistencia liderado por La movilización en sí fue un gran informó que vio una gran explosión en paralelamente al diálogo y al trabajo de la CONAIE contra ex presidentes de levantamiento militante del movimiento el Parque Arbolito a las 12:40 a.m. del 12 la comisión conjunta. Ecuador que estaban imponiendo los indígena, con estimaciones de 50.000 de octubre que sacudió a Quito. Después La asambleísta Gabriela Rivadeneira, dictados del Consenso de Washington manifestantes indígenas en Quito. Fueron de ser perseguidos por la policía mon- ex presidenta de la Asamblea Nacional [el FMI, el Banco Mundial y la Reserva recibidos en solidaridad por cientos de tada, los comuneros colgaron alambre de y ex gobernadora de la provincia de Federal de Estados Unidos] sobre el pue- residentes de Quito bien organizados, acero pesado entre postes de luz en las Imbabura, ahora está en la mira. K fue blo de Ecuador. afroecuatorianos, estudiantes y trabaja- calles donde policías en motocicletas y testigo de su marcha con los pueblos En julio de 1999, FICI marchó a Quito, dores que se unieron a ellos en las calles. a caballos atacaron a los manifestantes. indígenas de Otavalo el lunes 7 de octu- la capital, para un Paro Nacional convo- Pequeños grupos se coordinaron para bre. Hoy se informa que es una exiliada cado por CONAIE. El paro fue una huelga Solidaridad en Quito rodear a la policía y arrojarles piedras de política en México con Ricardo Patiño, el general que derrocó al entonces presi- Los comuneros estaban alojados en todas las direcciones. ministro más cercano a Rafael Correa. dente Jamil Mahuad. El manifiesto de esa cinco universidades en el centro de la Ningún policía resultó herido de gra- El arresto de la prefecto [magistrada] insurrección se lee como si hubiera sido ciudad. Los residentes de Quito propor- vedad. El gobierno tampoco se ha res- de la provincia de Pichincha, Paula Pabón, escrito hoy. cionaron más que suficiente comida y ponsabilizado por las muertes, lesiones fue grabado y el video se volvió viral en En 1999, una marcha de tres días de agua, colchones, mantas y artículos de y desapariciones entre los manifestantes. Continúa en la página 11 ¡Día de los pueblos indígenas!

El “viaje de descubrimiento” de 1492 ingenuamente, o con racismo deliberado, tomando una posición contra la xenofo- de Colón, que se enseña a todos los niños que el Día de Colón simplemente honra bia, la supremacía blanca o la coloniza- de las escuelas de los Estados Unidos, la herencia cultural italiana, las personas ción. (Sueños comunes, 11 de octubre) editorial fue de hecho un viaje de conquista por progresistas de ascendencia italiana han En cambio, esa llamada fue la señal parte de cristianos europeos. Esa con- dejado en claro que se unen en solidari- de un nuevo acuerdo emergente en los Workers World Party se solidariza fir- quista fue bendecida oficialmente por la dad con los pueblos indígenas para luchar Estados Unidos y se ofreció a los “inmi- memente con los pueblos indígenas en la máxima autoridad religiosa. En 1493, el contra la supremacía blanca. grantes étnicos”, que podrían ser eslavos, lucha por abolir el actual “Día de Colón” papa Alejandro VI emitió una bula papal La memoria histórica aguda subraya italianos u otros grupos vilipendiados por como feriado nacional de los EE.UU. y dando la justificación espiritual, política y este apoyo porque los italianos del siglo su color. cambiarle el nombre y transformarlo en legal para apoderarse de cualquier tierra XIX y principios del siglo XX que emigra- ¿El trato? Acepte y sigue a la supre- el “Día de los Pueblos Indígenas”. no habitada por cristianos. Los autores de ron a los Estados Unidos enfrentaron un macía blanca y conviértase en “blanco”, La organización de los pueblos indíge- este documento sabían que había pueblos racismo virulento. Este racismo estaba o enfrente el genocidio, la violencia y la nas, que se niegan firmemente a marcar indígenas que vivían en esa tierra, elabo- especialmente dirigido a los del sur de discriminación que se visitó en los pue- el genocidio como un feriado, ya ha dado rados deliberadamente para justificar la Italia y Sicilia vinculados al linaje afri- blos indígenas o afrodescendientes. como resultado que seis estados y 130 colonización. cano. De hecho, en 1891, once hombres Pero millones de personas han dicho ciudades y pueblos hagan el cambio pro- El “nuevo mundo” de la conquista italianos fueron linchados abiertamente NO a ese acuerdo, eligiendo en su lugar gresivo en los EE. UU. europea se estableció sobre la base del en Nueva Orleans. organizarse y luchar contra el racismo. Los pueblos indígenas han librado siglos genocidio, el robo de tierras y la brutal Pero en 1892, cuando el presidente de El próximo año, hasta el 12 de octubre de lucha para sobrevivir y avanzar contra injusticia hacia los pueblos indígenas. Y los Estados Unidos, Benjamin Harrison, de 2020, ofrece otra oportunidad para que la marea mortal del colonialismo en los eventualmente, en todo Estados Unidos, pidió a los Estados Unidos que marca- las personas progresistas digan “¡No a la Estados Unidos. La decisión de cambiar el se levantaron estatuas para honrar al ini- ran el 12 de octubre como el “descubri- supremacía blanca! ¡Abajo las estatuas de nombre del feriado es un intento de corre- ciador simbólico de este derramamiento miento de América por Colón” en parte Colón o cualquier monumento al racismo gir la historia oficial según lo contado por de sangre. debido a “el cuidado y la guía divinos que y la colonización! ¡Arriba con pancartas del los invasores y colonizadores. Aunque algunos pueden discutir han dirigido nuestra historia”, no estaba Día de los Pueblos Indígenas!” ☐