Guerra contra mujeres 12 Palestina 12

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 61 No. 20 May 16, 2019 $1

Uber stock flops after Global rideshare workers strike By Martha Grevatt

Uber/Lyft/Via/Juno drivers leveraged their collective power and went on strike May 8 in a global day of action to protest their employers' greed. Drivers held a number of solidarity rallies and urged consumers to turn off their rideshare apps and not "cross the picket line." These actions raised the voices of drivers seeking higher wages, job security and a say on the job. In the U.S., strikes and demonstrations took place in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, places in Connecticut, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The historic action was initiated by Rideshare Drivers United-LA (RDU-LA), who networked with Chicago Rideshare Advocates and Gig Workers Rising. News of the day of action went viral. The “apps off” pro- test gained recognition from unions, policymakers and grassroots activists. The AFL-CIO tweeted that members should turn off their Uber apps on May 8. "It took on a life of its own, completely outside the control of the organizers in Chicago, LA and others who started this," CRA co-founder and organizer Eli Martin told Workers World. Drivers in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, England, Solidarity with rideshare drivers at May 8 Wall Street protest. WW PHOTO: TONI ARENSTEIN Kenya, Nigeria and other countries joined this historic strike. According to Martin, "We have been getting mes- demonstration. As Felipe V. Martinez, a leading organizer the drivers outside the New York Stock Exchange. sages from drivers around the world and all around our of the Guild, told Workers World: “The rideshare drivers Strike supporters constantly chanted, “Wall Street take nation, joining in solidarity," including France, Japan, of America initiated a national campaign of solidarity. Let a hike, workers of the world support the strike” and “We Uruguay and beyond. this be inspiration for all the workers around the country are all drivers today, workers demand decent pay!” Uber is the largest ride-hailing app company, with and around the world, whoever you may be, to stand for The latter was an important chant because decent pay millions of drivers. Last year Uber executives were paid equality, for the common worker. The workers have risen is one big reason app drivers went on strike. According $145 million, with CEO Dara Khosrowshahi receiving $45 and we will never give up. I now know the true meaning to a Vox article, most Uber/Lyft/Via/Juno drivers get million. of solidarity, and I am proud to be a common worker.” a third of what passengers pay and make an average of Drivers do not fare as well. In New York City, Uber's largest market, the $11.75 an hour. Half of it goes to cover an EZ-Pass and Rideshare drivers are not classified as employees but International Workers’ Solidarity Network and the gas. (tinyurl.com/y4w2ye8c) as "independent contractors," denying them many worker People’s Power Assembly called a solidarity rally with Continued on page 5 protections. They use their own cars and pay for gas, insur- ance and upkeep, while the companies get a large per- centage of the fares. According to a 2018 Economic Policy Institute report, wages of Uber drivers averaged $9.21 an hour. Many drivers barely make minimum wage, and some NYC: Bigots out! 2 even lose money. Sending a message Socialism vs. extinction 3 In Boston rideshare drivers were joined on May 8 by supporters from United Steelworkers Local 8751 (the Boston Jamil Al-Amin hearing 4 School Bus Drivers Union) and Service Employees Local 888. The Boston Independent Rideshare Guild called the Venezuelan Embassy defense 4

PHOTO: VENEZUELA EMBASSY Subscribe to Workers World PROTECTORS COLLECTIVE A road to revolution 6 ☐ 4 weeks trial $4 ☐ 1 year subscription $30 ☐ Sign me up for the WWP Supporter Program: workers.org/donate Farmworkers win 7 Name ______Anti-fascist liberators 1945 8 Email ______Phone ______

Street ______City / State / Zip ______May Day in Paris 9 Korea 11 Workers World Weekly Newspaper workers.org 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011 212.627.2994 Editorials: Iran 10 China & tariffs 10 Page 2 May 16, 2019 workers.org Protesters tell Focus on Family ‘New York is a pro-choice town!’ this week

By Siddika Degia abortion. The updating was to defend women’s reproduc- New York City tive rights in anticipation of more right-wing rulings on ◆ In the U.S. abortion coming down from SCOTUS. Times Square rang with chants for reproductive rights In Times Square, FOF blasted their propaganda through Uber stocks flop as global rideshare workers strike . 1 on May 4: “Not the church, not the state, women will live music, big speakers and graphic anti-choice videos. New York is a pro-choice town ...... 2 decide their fate!” and “Get up, get down, New York is a As NYC for Abortion Rights disrupted this anti-woman To save life on Earth, abolish capitalism . . . . . 3 pro-choice town!” production, FOF made the conspiracy theory claim that NYC for Abortion Rights, a coalition of groups with var- the protesters were being paid by George Soros, and then Venezuelan Embassy Protectors fight eviction . . .4 ious political beliefs, and with strong participation by the contradictorily accused the coalition of being fascists! Free Imam Jamil Al-Amin ...... 4 People’s Power Assembly and Workers World Party, came The coalition protesters stood their ground. They Workers Solidarity Day: an essential initiative . . .5 out to tell the hate group Focus on the Family that its big- showed FOF they were not welcome in NYC, chanting that A road to revolution ...... 6 otry does not belong in New York City. women alone have the right to decide what to do with their For the last 30 years, Focus on the Family has been an bodies. ☐ On the picket line ...... 7 anti-abortion, anti-woman and anti-LGBTQ2s group. FOF Farmworkers win big over Darigold ...... 7 organizes to make abor- Anti-Cuba dreamers need to wake up ...... 11 tion illegal even in cases of rape and incest. It has spent millions of dollars ◆ Around the world on political candidates who are against same-sex mar- Did U.S. troops liberate Mauthausen? ...... 8 riage and oppose anti-dis- France: United May Day march attacked . . . . .9 crimination legislation. Koreans reject U.S. attempt to overthrow system . 11 FOF promotes “gay con- version therapy,” proved to be completely without ◆ Editorial scientific basis. Focus on the Family What U.S. - China trade relations reveal . . . . .10 showed up May 4 in New USA: Hands off Iran ...... 10 York to create an outcry about the Reproductive Health Act recently passed ◆ Noticias en Español by the New York State Trump lleva guerra contra mujeres a O.N.U. . . . 12 Legislature. RHA updated an earlier, more restric- ¡Palestina será libre! ...... 12 tive state law that pre- dated U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decisions set- ting current limits on when women can legally get an WW PHOTO: TONI ARENSTEIN Workers World Fierce pro-choice advocates rally in Times Square, May 4. 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10011 Phone: 212.627.2994 Join us in the fight E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.workers.org for socialism! Vol. 61, No. 20 • May 16, 2019 Closing date: May 15, 2019 Workers World Party is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist people are gunned down by cops and bigots on a regular Editor: Deirdre Griswold 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 Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, LeiLani Dowell, nization that not only aims to abolish capitalism, but to decades of gains and benefits won by hard-fought strug- Martha Grevatt, Monica Moorehead, Minnie Bruce build a socialist society because it’s the only way forward! gles by people’s movements. The super-rich and their 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- and lack of hope for the future. No social problems can be talist profits. The wealth workers create should be socially Contributing Editors: G. Dunkel, K. Durkin, Fred solved under capitalism. owned and its distribution planned to satisfy and guaran- Goldstein, Teresa Gutierrez, Betsey Piette, Gloria Rubac The U.S. is the richest country in the world, yet no one tee basic human needs. Mundo Obero: Alberto García, Teresa Gutierrez, has a guaranteed right to shelter, food, water, health care, Since 1959, Workers World Party has been out in the Carlos Vargas education or anything else—unless they can pay for it. streets defending the workers and oppressed here and Supporter Program: Coordinator Sue Davis Wages are lower than ever, and youth are saddled with worldwide. If you’re interested in Marxism, socialism seemingly insurmountable student debt, if they even make and fighting for a socialist future, please contact a WWP Copyright © 2019 Workers World. Verbatim copying it to college. Black, Brown and Indigenous youth and trans branch near you. ☐ and distribution of articles is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. Contact a Workers World Party branch near you: workers.org/wwp Workers World (ISSN-1070-4205) is published weekly except the last week of December by WW Publishers, National Office Bay Area Durham, N.C. 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[email protected] [email protected] workers.org May 16, 2019 Page 3 To save life on Earth Abolish capitalism ASAP By Teresa Gutierrez It’s true that palm oil is useful to humans, especially for medicinal use such as prevention and treatment of Scientists have issued yet another dire warning on the cancer, dementia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol climate crisis. In what the New York Times described and malaria. But the real issue is about how decisions May 6 as a “sweeping new United Nations assessment,” are made about the land and the species that live there. a 1,500-page report compiled by “hundreds of interna- Capitalists are making those decisions merely to further tional experts and based on thousands of scientific stud- their drive for profits. ies” alerts the world that biodiversity around the planet By the end of “Our Planet,” the viewer is committed is on a dangerous, alarming decline. to saving not only humans, but the natural world from Twenty or 30 years ago, most people might have the climate crisis. You might find yourself Googling skimmed this kind of article. Only those following the “eco-warrior!” issue closely would have read the entire article, much PHOTO: SIERRA MAESTRA less the full report. Today, the entire working class and All life is connected Healthy coral reefs flourish in socialist Cuba, world leader in especially those in the global South must know to read If the natural world is in decline, it is an understate- sustainable development. such reports carefully, as the loss of homes, land and ment to say that humans are dramatically impacted—​ lives affects more and more people around the world. because the relationship is as decisive as life and death. elephants—​wondrous social, communicative, memo- The U.N.’s recent report, “UNEP/Global Environment Humans cannot live without food security, clean water, ry-bearing creatures—in​ the last two years alone. Outlook 2019,” (available at un.org) concludes that “civi- clean air—​and these are dramatically and negatively Who decides when to practice agricultural mono- lization and humans are accelerating extinction and alter- affected by climate change. culture rather than grow more than one crop and thus ing the natural world at a pace unprecedented in human Humans are producing more food than ever now. But replenish the soil’s natural nutrients? Who decides history.” It points out that this is not the first report about if there are no bees or other insects to help pollinate fruits where, when and how much to clear in the Amazonian the Earth’s ecosystem, but it does elaborate how “human and vegetables, people won’t have these foods to eat. forest? With a fascist president in Brazil who is a cli- life is intertwined with the fate of other species.” Only a fraction of the living creatures on Earth, about mate-change denier, who will protect the Amazon? The The authors conclude that the devastation of nature 1 million species, have been identified. Scientists esti- U.N. can publish all the groundbreaking reports it wants, has become so dire that piecemeal efforts are no lon- mate there may be 8 million plant and animal species but that won’t and can’t stop President Jair Bolsonaro. ger adequate. It calls for “transformative changes that still to identify. But these and other species may cease Will the capitalists of Indonesia allow the government include curbing wasteful consumption, lessening agri- to exist before they are even recognized. Extinction rates to move a city of 10 million fairly and safely? Will they cultural footprint” and comes down on “illegal logging are “currently tens to hundreds of times higher than pay for it? Will the government be up to such a task with- and fishing.” they have been in the past 10 million years.” (New York out the intervention of the masses? This report, like much other analysis, concludes that Times, May 6) Are these decisions being based on human need—​or “humans” or “civilization” is to blame. But it is not Land is being ravaged. Forests being cleared for farm- on profit? “humans” in the abstract who are responsible for the land, for unplanned roads and cities that mainly aid the According to the Decolonial Atlas website: “Just 100 decline in biodiversity or for climate change. It is the travel of capital, have meant that “three-quarters of the companies are responsible for more than 70 percent of capitalist class and their system that are entirely at fault world’s land area has been significantly altered.” the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. The for creating this crisis. Though tropical jungles and rainforests provide guys who run those companies—​and they are mostly The report calls for “transformative changes”—​and medicines—​like the ingredients for aspirin—​the guys—​have gotten rich on the backs of literally all life that is important. But that is not enough. What is needed unplanned, uncontrolled exploitation of these resources on Earth.” We should add “ultra-rich.” are revolutionary changes. What is needed is an end to for corporate profit is also driving plant species toward The most eco-sustainable country on Earth is socialist capitalism and building socialism. This is needed now, disappearance. Cuba. In 2006 the World Wildlife Fund reported Cuba to not tomorrow. What then for humanity? As the Earth is changed by be “the only country in the world to reach a sustainable fossil fuels, as ice caps melt away, the warming of the development, because the country covers their present Biodiversity—and​ humans—​at extreme risk globe and rising seas result in danger for all the plan- needs without compromising the ability of future gener- The report’s statistics on the natural world are indeed et’s biodiversity. Just as walruses lose space, so too do ations to meet their own needs.” (tinyurl.com/y2t3w9bj) alarming. The rain forests of South America, like the jun- humans find themselves uprooted and endangered. Merely compare Florida’s coral reefs to Cuba’s, and you gles of the Congo, are awe inspiring, with an abundance Jakarta, Indonesia, is one of many examples. A city of will see that the former look like a cancerous lung, while of diverse species not only stunningly beautiful to the eye, 10 million, Jakarta faces “obliteration by rising seas and Cuba’s are sparkling with health. but necessary planetwide for the continuation of life itself. sinking land. Models predict that by 2050, 95 percent China, with its centrally planned economy under the There is awe of another kind, however, at what is of north Jakarta could be submerged.” (Wired, May 2) aegis of its Communist Party, is actively combating global happening to the species in these areas—​which have warming. The Environmental Defense Fund admits, “As already declined by an awful 20 percent. Who is to blame? the United States steps away from global climate lead- According to the report, “Activities like farming, log- Who decides what is planted, where and how to log? ership, China is stepping up.” Even though China has ging, poaching, fishing and mining are altering the nat- Who has the equipment to enter the rainforest and pil- become “the factory of the world,” it has exceeded the ural world at a rate unprecedented in human history.” lage its resources? Who decides that palm trees are more pledges made in the Paris Accords to reduce carbon diox- The report estimates that biodiversity loss will accelerate important than keeping the rainforest’s land inhabited ide emissions, while the U.S. government has walked away through 2050, just a short 31 years from now. As local by its indigenous species? from the accords and even denies global warming. climates change, in which fish, mammals, plants, birds It is not adequate to say “humans” are making these It is capitalism that created climate change. It is social- and insects evolved over millennia, the very existence of decisions. An impoverished worker in Kerala, India, may ism that will resolve it. Only a planned economy based these species is in danger. have no choice but to place fishing nets and ropes that trap on solidarity and human need, not avaricious profit, can and kill sea turtles. That worker must eat and support a adequately and genuinely deal with the effects of climate ‘Our Planet’ is a must-see family. change. A recent Netflix documentary series, “Our Planet,” But who will stop the Trumps of the world from buy- Remember Hurricane Katrina. Remember Hurricane highlights the all-encompassing connection between ing and selling ivory? That act has killed off nearly 7,000 Maria. ☐ these diverse species in our world and human beings. The film opens with narration affirming the U.N. report that in the space of one human lifetime, the whole world has changed. In the last 50 years, wildlife populations Build Workers World! Defend workers’ rights have declined by a whopping 60 percent. Walruses are shown grasping for new space to live on Established to honor the historic 1886 struggle of and jail underage migrants crossing the border alone. a rocky island because the ice that once provided their Chicago workers for the 8-hour day, May Day marks the If you want to fight against capitalist reaction and home has melted. With no ice, extreme overcrowding worldwide fight for workers’ rights on May 1. There’s for socialist change, we invite you to join the WW leads to stampedes and death. Walruses are having to lots of good news this year: Education workers all over Supporter Program. The program was founded in 1977. climb up stony cliffs in search of living space. They are the U.S., from K-12 schools to universities, started a Ever since, our subscribers and friends have helped seen plunging from the dangerous cliffs that cannot sus- strike wave to organize for higher wages and better build the only revolutionary socialist weekly in the U.S. tain them. Their bodies pile up in an eerie graveyard on working conditions. Well-paid Amazon and Google that's in print as well as on the web. the water’s edge. workers have joined low-wage McDonald’s workers in For a donation of at least $75 a year—​and much The documentary points out that orangutans--indeed staging walkouts. more if you’re able—members receive a year’s subscrip- a spectacle to behold—​are dying at a rate of 100 a week. While Trump and the global ruling class are wag- tion to WW, a monthly letter about timely issues and Only recently this animal was discovered to use tools—a​ ing war on the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, his five free subscriptions to give to friends. Write checks fact highlighting the similarities between humans and administration is making war on Central American (either monthly or once a year) to Workers World and the other great apes, our evolutionary cousins. im/migrants and refugees seeking entry into the U.S. mail them, with your name and address, to WWSP, 147 Why are orangutans dying so rapidly? It’s because Workers are threatened with deportation after escap- W. 24th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011. Or sign up some capitalists have decided to clear the animals’ hab- ing horrific conditions caused by U.S. intervention in to donate online at workers.org/donate/ — it’s​ easy itat to grow palm oil trees. As a result of that decision, their home countries. Neo-fascist U.S. policies separate to set up monthly deductions. We’re grateful for your 75 percent of their jungle habitat has disappeared. infants and children from their parents at the border help in building Workers World—sign​ up today! ☐ Page 4 May 16, 2019 workers.org Venezuela embassy protectors tell State Dept., ‘No illegal eviction!’ On May 13 the Embassy Protection Protecting Power Agreement. The United and violate the embassy. We have put Collective sent this communication to the States wants a Protecting Power for its up barriers there and at other entrances U.S. State Department. embassy in Caracas. Venezuela wants a to protect us from constant break-ins Protecting Power for its embassy in D.C. and threats from the trespassers whom This is the 34th day of our living in the Such agreements are not uncommon the police are permitting outside the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C. when diplomatic relations are severed. embassy. The police's failure to protect We are prepared to stay another 34 days, A Protecting Power Agreement would the embassy and the U.S. citizens inside or however long is needed, to resolve the avoid a military conflict that could lead has forced us to take these actions. embassy dispute in a peaceful way, con- to war. A war in Venezuela would be The Embassy Protectors will not barri- sistent with international law. catastrophic for Venezuela, the United cade ourselves or hide in the embassy in This memo is being sent to the U.S. States and for the region. It would lead the event of an unlawful entry by police. and Venezuela as well as members of our to lives lost and mass migration from the We will gather together and peacefully Collective and allies. We are encouraging chaos and conflict of war. It would cost assert our rights to remain in the build- people to publish this memo, as a transpar- the United States trillions of dollars and ing and uphold international law. ent process is needed to prevent the U.S. become a quagmire involving allied coun- Any order to vacate based on a request from making a unilateral decision that could tries around the world. by coup conspirators [who] lack govern- impact the security of embassies around the We are serving as interim protectors in ing authority will not be a lawful order. world and lead to military conflict. the hope that the two nations can negoti- The coup has failed multiple times in There are two ways to resolve the issues ate this resolution. If this occurs, we will Venezuela. The elected government is around the Venezuelan embassy in D.C., take the banners off the building, pack recognized by the Venezuelan courts WW PHOTO: SARA FLOUNDERS which we will explain. our materials and leave voluntarily. The under Venezuelan law and by the United Embassy protectors display determination. Before doing so, we reiterate that our electricity could be turned on, and we will Nations under international law. An collective is one of independent people drive out. order by the U.S.-appointed coup plotters If there is a notice that we are trespass- and organizations not affiliated with any We suggest a video walk-through would not be legal. ing and need to vacate the premises, please government. While we are all U.S. cit- with embassy officials to show that the Such an entry would put embassies provide it to our attorney Mara Verheyden- izens, we are not agents of the United Embassy Protection Collective did not around the world and in the United Hilliard, copied on this memo. States. While we are here with permission damage the building. The only damage States at risk. We are concerned about We have taken care of this embassy and of the Venezuelan government, we are not to the building has been inflicted by coup U.S. embassies and personnel around the request a video tour of the building before their agents or representatives. supporters in the course of their unpros- world if the Vienna Convention is violated any arrests. We are here in the embassy lawfully. We ecuted break-ins. at this embassy. It would set a danger- We hope a wise and calm solution to are breaking no laws. We did not unlaw- 2. The United States violates ous precedent that would likely be used this issue can be achieved so escalation fully enter and we are not trespassing. the Vienna Convention, makes an against U.S. embassies. of this conflict can be avoided. 1. Exiting with a Protecting Power illegal eviction and unlawful arrests If an illegal eviction and unlawful There is no need for the United States Agreement This approach will violate international arrests are made, we will hold all deci- and Venezuela to be enemies. Resolving The exit from the embassy that best law and is fraught with risks. The United sion-makers in the chain of command this embassy dispute diplomatically resolves issues to the benefit of the States would have to cut the chains in and all officers who enforce unlawful should lead to negotiations over other United States and Venezuela is a mutual the front door put up by embassy staff orders accountable. issues between the nations. ☐ Free Imam Jamil Al-Amin! By Dianne Mathiowetz Al-Amin's fingerprints were not found Atlanta on the guns identified as those used to shoot the deputies. Supporters packed the 11th Circuit Furthermore, there was a blood trail Court of Appeals courtroom on May 3 to leaving the scene and eyewitnesses saw a witness the latest legal effort to win a new wounded man in the area. Otis Jackson trial for Imam Jamil Al-Amin, formerly confessed to the shooting, knew details known as H. Rap Brown. of the event, had been shot and knocked Al-Amin was convicted in 2002 of kill- on neighbors’ doors seeking help after ing a Fulton County Sheriff's deputy and the shootout. The state deemed his con- wounding a second during a shootout fession not believable. in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood, a An FBI agent was at the scene imme- charge he has consistently denied. diately and played a key role in the inves- The issue at the hearing was the prose- tigation and capture of Al-Amin. This cutors’ repeated violations, in the original is important because of the decades- trial, of Al-Amin's constitutional right not long effort of COINTELPRO (Counter to testify.They went so far as to present Intelligence Program) to "neutralize" a mock cross examination of Al-Amin to H. Rap Brown, referred to in a 1967 FBI indicate his guilt. memo. Two lower courts have agreed the pros- Persecution of a Black revolutionary PHOTO: ARCHIVES OF KARIMA AL-AMIN ecutors' actions violated his constitu- Jamil Al-Amin leads Eid prayers during the 1990s in Atlanta. tional rights, but claimed the abundance Since his teenage years, Brown was an of evidence validated his conviction. activist against racial injustice. He was crime to cross state lines to incite a riot. Georgia determined he was a "too high- If the three-judge Appeals Court panel part of Mississippi Freedom Summer, While in Attica Prison from 1971-76 risk" prisoner. The federal Bureau of rules in Al-Amin's favor, it would be a sig- organized voter registration in Alabama on a charge of attempted robbery, Brown Prisons took over his housing. In 2007 nificant expansion of what type of court- and in 1967 became chairperson of SNCC converted to Islam and changed his name he was sent to a Colorado supermax facil- room inequities and violations by the (Student Non-Violent Coordinating to Jamil Al-Amin. Following his release, ity and kept in solitary for seven years in state could trigger a new trial. That there Committee), then one of the most he moved to Atlanta, opened a grocery an underground cell. He is currently in a is no real consequence currently for a dynamic Black Power organizations. store in the West End and became imam Tucson federal penitentiary. prosecutor violating a defendant's rights A fiery speaker, Brown spoke across the of the nearby mosque. He organized the The many supporters in the court- is the crux of Al-Amin's appeal. country, rallying Black people to demand community to get rid of drug dealers and room reflected his decades of struggle. Allen Garrett, Jamil's attorney, also the rights guaranteed them by recently street crime, helped seniors remain in There were former members of SNCC, questioned the so-called weighty evidence. passed civil rights laws. their homes and set up youth programs. Muslims from multiple cities, West End For example, the surviving deputy con- He was charged with "inciting a riot" Brown was recognized nationally and neighbors, Pam Africa of International sistently claimed that he looked into the following a 1967 speech in Cambridge, internationally as a religious leader. Concerned Friends and Family of Mumia shooter's "cold grey eyes" and that he had Md., although the Kerner Commission In 2002, following his conviction Abu-Jamal, and members of the Malcolm wounded him. Al-Amin has brown eyes report totally debunked that account, and sentencing to life in prison without X Grassroots Movement, Workers World and was uninjured when arrested four faulting the local police for fires that hap- parole, Al-Amin was sent to Georgia's Party and Georgia student organizations. days later. The perpetrator's height was pened hours after Brown left the city. maximum security prison in Reidsville. For additional information, visit given as 5 feet, 10 inches, but Al-Amin is Nonetheless, the “H. Rap Brown law” When Muslim prisoners petitioned the ­imamjamilactionnetwork.org. ☐ 6 feet, 5 inches. was passed by Congress, making it a state to have him serve as their imam, workers.org May 16, 2019 Page 5 Workers’ Solidarity Day: an essential initiative By Martha Grevatt a longshot. Let’s have an International May 1 to June 1: It’s the first of the month. Workers’ Day each and every month: June 1 is a Saturday. What will happen This article is based on a talk by That’s the pitch and it resonates. after June 1 still has to be developed. Martha Grevatt at the Workers World Leading up to May Day, the IWSN There will be an emphasis on solidar- Party national strategic meeting held accomplished a lot. A call to action was ity with migrants under the theme of “No May 11-12 in Newark, N.J. Grevatt is a drafted and sent out. The call has got- Walls in the Workers’ Struggle.” There member of the Executive Committee of ten around 400 signers from around the is also the commemoration of the 50th the WWP Interim Central Committee, a country and around the world. There is a anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. managing editor of this newspaper and website and a presence on social media. Some areas will need to bring in local a long-time union activist. And a name for the group spearheading struggles, such as the laundry workers in WW PHOTO: PEOPLES VIDEO NETWORK this initiative—International Workers’ New York or teachers where they are in Martha Grevatt speaking on May 11 in Initiatives begin as proposals. Then Solidarity Network. motion. Internationalism is a big piece of Newark. proposals become reality. That is the Leaflets have been given out, as well as this. Don’t be afraid to customize. goal with Workers’ Solidarity Day and visibility with placards and banners. The Of all the historical mass units that the masses.” the International Workers’ Solidarity word is getting out from May Day and Stop WWP has helped develop, the IWSN has At that time, union density was much Network: to make the monthly solidarity & Shop picket lines to the annual remem- much in common with CULA—​Center higher, especially in urban areas. But days, originally a proposal, essentially “a brance of the Kent and Jackson State kill- for United Labor Action—​a forma- even then our orientation was not exclu- May Day every month.” ings. And of course the courageous Uber, tion that was truly engaged in the class sively to workers in unions. Remember: The plan was to make the first big Lyft and other rideshare driver walkouts. struggle of the 1970s. Back then Workers There was another organization—​the push on May Day. In general, workers The date for the first solidarity day is World Party Chairperson Sam Marcy ori- Prisoners Solidarity Committee. get it. Once a year is not enough, not by June 1. For now there’s a continuum from ented the party with the slogan “Face to Continued on page 7 Uber stock flops after global rideshare workers strike

are left in poverty and they addressed their working conditions labor costs down to barely above—and​ in Boston go bankrupt." (Uber and demands. The rally drew extensive some cases below—the​ federal minimum floated shares in the local news coverage. Later, the focus of wage of $7.25 an hour, with no benefits. company, called an the strike shifted to Lyft’s offices. Drivers Since less money for workers means IPO [Initial Public announced a statewide meeting later this more money for the bosses, one might Offering] on the stock month to grow their organization. expect investors to flock to these super-ex- market on May 10.) Rideshare Drivers United-LA, formed ploitive companies in droves. However, Upwards of 75 in 2018, organized a 24-hour strike the falling price of Uber stock reflects two Uber drivers, joined with drivers shutting down their apps problems for the investing class: one, cap- by other rideshare from midnight to midnight. Drivers set italism is in a deep, protracted crisis; two, workers and commu- up a picket outside of Los Angeles workers are fighting back. nity supporters, held International Airport. A New York Uber spokesperson tried a demonstration out- An RDU-LA press release demanded claiming that the New York Taxi Workers side Uber’s Greenlight "major reforms to the industry to make Alliance was not a real union and there- Hub in Philadelphia. it fair, dignified and sustainable." Lyft fore not a voice for rideshare drivers. The Philadelphia driver Karim Bayumi was quoted, “Uber (Vox, May 9) Drivers Union and estimates that 15 percent of their revenues What Uber fails to realize is that the the Philadelphia come from airport pickups. We provide an strike was very successful because it is Atlanta Limousine Association essential service, but Uber and Lyft inves- only the beginning of the gig-economy organized the action. tors are the only ones reaping the benefits." app drivers organizing and rising up. The demonstration As we all know, “The workers united was entirely ­worker- Strike impacts stock price will never be defeated!” led and reflected the Strike events were originally organized Contributors to this article included multinational and to coincide with Uber’s Initial Public Ben Carroll, Siddika Degia, Steve intergenerational Offering on May 8 when the company was Kirschbaum, Mike Kuhlenbeck and demographic of ride- to sell shares on the stock market. Uber Dianne Mathiowetz. share workers. Fliers Technologies Inc. was hoping to raise listing the drivers’ $9 billion to give the stocks demands were printed a market valuation worth in Spanish, Urdu, nearly $90 billion. Philadelphia Hindi, Arabic and Uber’s S1 filing with the English. Many drivers Securities and Exchange WW PHOTOS: STEVAN KIRSCHBAUM (BOSTON), JIMMY RAYNOR (ATLANTA) brought homemade Commission explains how the Continued from page 1 signs, led chants and gave speeches to the company plans to increase its Workers are demanding that companies crowd in various languages. profits by exploiting the driv- pay drivers 80 to 85 percent of the fare and The main demands were an 80/20 split ers even more. Uber is calling end “arbitrary and unjust deactivations.” on fares; a minimum wage of at least $20 for pay cuts, reducing driver “Deactivation” is rideshare company an hour after expenses; deactivation pro- incentives and "automated lingo for barring a driver from work for tection for drivers and the creation of an driving systems" to replace an indefinite length of time. As Caroline oversight board of workers with enforce- human drivers. Said explained in the Oct. 14, 2018, San ment power; and no changes to Terms As the worldwide strike Francisco Chronicle, “In the easy-come, of Service agreements without bargain- gained momentum, Uber easy-go gig world, workers can be deacti- ing directly with drivers and their union pushed the date for the IPO—​ New York vated with the click of a button or, more representatives. the biggest since Facebook’s often, the soulless calculations of an Many workers remarked that Uber and in 2012—to​ May 10. On that algorithm.” Lyft have been systematically lowering day, Uber’s opening share After learning of the May 8 coordi- drivers’ take-home pay without giving price of $45 declined almost nated actions, the 21,000-member strong workers a say in the policies that impact 8 percent and the loss was, New York Taxi Workers Alliance voted to them, forcing many to work longer hours. according to University of demonstrate in solidarity with the striking Some have had to live in their cars. Workers Florida professor Jay Ritter, drivers. Taxi drivers rallied at Uber and responded enthusiastically to signs from “bigger than first day dollar Lyft's NYC headquarters in Long Island the International Workers’ Solidarity losses of any prior IPO in the City. The Independent Drivers Guild, Network, particularly one that read, “Uber U.S.” (gizmodo.com) Losses which according to a May 7 article in AM profits = Stolen pay from drivers.” continued on the second day New York is funded partially by Uber, did After a spirited rally in the parking lot, of trading, with an even big- not encourage its workers to go on strike drivers marched directly to the front doors ger slide of over 10 percent, but did express solidarity with them. of the Uber office, demanding to speak while Morgan Stanley still NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi with a manager to deliver their demands. squeezed millions of dol- Desai said in a public statement: "Uber Eventually, after stalling, an Uber manager lars in fees from investors it and Lyft wrote in their S1 filings that they did agree to hear from them. steered toward Uber stock. think they pay drivers too much already. Drivers and supporters held a rally The greedy upstart ride- With the IPO, Uber's corporate owners and press conference outside Uber’s hub share companies in the new are set to make billions, all while drivers in Chamblee, a suburb of Atlanta, where gig economy have driven WW PHOTOS: BEN CARROLL (PHILADELPHIA), PEOPLES VIDEO NETWORK (NEW YORK) Page 6 May 16, 2019 workers.org A road to revolution Edited version of a talk by Loan Tran, a member a communist, a revolutionary, an out- of the Executive Committee of Workers World Party’s side agitator holding a picket line, Interim Central Committee and a leading organizer occupying an apartment building or of the Durham branch, at the WWP national strategy an embassy under siege, defending the meeting held May 11-12 in Newark, N.J. land, the water, the air. It is a matter of human life —​ not in Sarah Collins Rudolph refers to herself as the “fifth the idealistic or the moralistic sense—​ little girl” from the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist but in a socialist sense, ​that only Church in Birmingham, Ala., that killed four Black girls socialism has any chance of putting in 1963—​Carol Denise McNair, 11 years old; Carole the wealth of the world back into the Robertson, 14; Cynthia Wesley, 14; and Addie Mae hands of the billions who have paid for Collins, 14. Sarah is captured in a famous photograph it with their lives and labor. in a hospital bed with both eyes covered in gauze. Her This is the gravity of the task ahead sister and the three others were eulogized by the Rev. of us. And so much is beyond our con- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while she remained in the trol, as humans and as revolutionaries hospital recovering. who only have our bodies and each In the past 56 years since the bombing, she has not other. Perhaps things have already received a single apology from the city of Birmingham. tipped over the edge, perhaps at best No therapy, no treatment for her trauma and, perhaps our efforts are hospice care for the end, to add insult to injury, she is still paying for the medi- perhaps the aspiration to save human- Loan Tran speaking May 11 in Newark. WW PHOTO: PEOPLES VIDEO NETWORK cal bills related to treatment of her eyes—her​ left one, ity and change course is as impossible which she lost, and her right one, which still has glass as stopping the Earth from revolving in it. No restitution and no acknowledgment that she around the sun—but​ even then, we know we must try. like Facebook and Twitter—​not only buy but sell data was there and survived. She calls herself the carrier of And we must attempt this effort with great clarity. on who we are. These platforms are also warping our history. She has lived with that day every day, and today It is simply not enough to scoff at the Democratic sense of reality, inundating our psyche with images of she is witnessing the vile racism of Trump and every Party and its genius and evil process of absorbing our violent, capitalist oppression, and worse yet, limiting KKK member and neo-Nazi whom this administration class into the electoral arena where millions can vote and repressing the fightback that is taking place within embodies and enables. while millions more perish. It is not enough to simply and outside of a digital landscape. In 1973, four years after the historic Stonewall criticize the left for its shortcomings on questions of There are many young people, new workers and pre- Rebellion, an arson attack killed 32 people at the class and national oppression. It is not enough or even carious workers who are caught on a high wire between Upstairs Lounge, a gay bar and haven in New Orleans—​ right to simply dismiss the sectors of our class—​many revolutionary consciousness and demoralization. There a city at the time where an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 of whom are young and oppressed and who are deeply is a fatigue in knowing so definitively that the end of cap- people out of a population of 600,000 were gay and les- dismayed with capitalism—​as being self-absorbed for italism is near. And this fatigue pairs perfectly with the bian. Because being openly gay during that time was so saying who we are as queer people, as women and trans culture of individualism that capitalism has bred—espe​ - dangerous and could get you killed, few family mem- people, as disabled people. cially here in the center of the empire. How do we offer bers stepped forward to claim the dead bodies. Those As workers without work, we matter. We are up against a way which wins? who survived were isolated and kept quiet because the this period of capitalism where we should understand a We do not say to the distraught worker: Stop wor- fear they had was justified—​identifying with the burn key characteristic to be the attempt of finance capital to rying about yourself! We say to the distraught worker, scars on their bodies meant losing their jobs and any stop, as much as possible, the very human development the demoralized youth, the oppressed person: Fight for semblance of security. which could destroy it. what you deserve! Don’t fight each other! And don’t fight And as the homophobic and transphobic history of Unfortunately we do not have the favor of the revolu- alone! this country would have it, many of those survivors tionary fervor of the 1960s. We have 2019, for whatever would later die during the AIDS epidemic under the hor- it’s worth. And as it stands right now, I believe it’s worth Class solidarity matters rendous anti-gay policies of the Reagan administration. $280 trillion, half of which is being held hostage by 1 We demonstrate that solidarity in this period is not In 1994, Dr. John Britton and James Barrett, a clinic percent of the world’s population. lip service. We must be the harbingers of unity, no mat- escort, were shot to death outside an abortion clinic in It is worth the 3.5 to 5 million women who formed a ter how difficult. But we must not make decisions fool- Pensacola, Fla. This same clinic was bombed before in 385-mile wall around India’s western coast as they raised ishly—we​ must not mistake the urgency of this crisis as 1984 and again in 2012. the issue of women’s oppression. It is worth the thou- an opportunity to be rash, to cut corners or to not wres- The My Lai massacre took place in 1968, where over sands of Uber and Lyft drivers worldwide who went on tle with the new conditions of this period which distin- 300 Vietnamese people were brutally murdered by U.S. strike May 8. It is worth the more than a million students guishes it from many of the previous stages of capitalism. troops who were trying to eradicate the Viet Cong and worldwide who walked out in March to protest climate There is enough time for a breath, for ideological rear- the National Liberation Front. In 1982, ordered by the change. It is worth the tens of thousands of teachers who mament, to take our perspective to the highest level pos- Israeli Defense Forces, the Phalange killed anywhere went on strike in North Carolina, where striking is ille- sible and in the most winning way possible. We must tell between 460 and 3,500 Palestinians in an effort to clear gal, to demand funding for public education. the truth about what is happening to our class, and we out the Palestine Liberation Organization fighters from It is worth the thousands of migrants who have, since must be truthful in the role we hope to and can play as Sabra and Shatila. And in 2004, a year after the Iraq last October, come charging against the gates of the revolutionaries. War began, 42 Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. troops empire. It is worth the thousands of McDonald’s work- This struggle did not start with us, and it is very possi- during a wedding. ers on the picket lines in defiance of sexual harassment ble that it will not end with us. But are we ready to take Sara Collins Rudolph’s story perfectly captures what at the workplace. It is worth the millions from Haiti to up the responsibility of giving our class a true, fighting we mean when we say capitalism is dying. History is the France, Palestine to Venezuela and beyond who have chance? Our class is everywhere. How can we be every- past, but it is also the present. taken to the streets demonstrating what proletarian where with them? How do we fight and organize to make We do not have to reach backwards to tally deaths of democracy really means. them the best fighters in their own best interests, the our class given the ever-expanding empire. The killings It is worth the tens of thousands of prisoners who last best carriers of history? in Palestine continue. The treachery of U.S. occupation fall went on strike demanding an end to slavery in its Is this the year our class becomes a tsunami breaking continues. Just weeks ago three Black churches were newest form. the chains of capitalism? I don’t know. But I do know set on fire in Louisiana. Now at least six Ferguson activ- this has to be the year we get ready for the years ahead—​ ists have been found dead. The Pulse shootings in 2016 Preparing for the period ahead some of which may be very long, some of which could earned the title of the worst hate crime against LGBTQ Are we prepared to fight for the worth of the world, the pass by very quickly. We have no crystal ball, we are not people in history, with a gunman who killed 49 queer worth of our class? We must fight; we must put forward psychics—​in fact, we are better than psychics. We are people and left 53 others wounded on Latinx night in an a revolutionary program and strategy that is capable of communists, who know that the making of a socialist Orlando club. tearing down every wall in the workers’ struggle, jump- revolution requires many things. Perhaps foremost is the ing every barricade, and turning every corner where requirement that we are embedded in struggle, that we Capitalism at a dead end guns are pointed at us. And it cannot be stated enough, contend with reality to make sense of a historical imper- These massacres and shootings, bombings and fires quite literally: Put the wealth of the world back into the ative: the liberation of all humanity from capitalism and should indicate to even the most minimally politically hands of the world itself. oppression. conscious person that capitalism and its tendrils—white​ Just imagine what it would take and what it could do if We’ve got to prepare our class to become manifest supremacy and patriarchy—are​ dying, and as it drowns, every worker and oppressed person would hit the streets, of its responsibility as the locomotive, the carrier of it seeks to take as many with it as possible. In the course the banks, the workplaces and the bourgie condos and history. of its death, who will be the carriers of history? And ask: Where is our money? Every worker has the right to We must do this for the Birmingham Four, for Flint, of which history? I imagine for every Palestinian child make that ask. Are we prepared to receive the fervor and for Stonewall, for Mumia, for Leonard Peltier, for Leslie killed, there is a sister; for every lesbian murdered, there rage that this could unleash? Feinberg, for the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory work- is a lover or family member; for every Iraqi, Venezuelan, A revolutionary program for this period not only ers, for the Haymarket Martyrs, for Sandra Bland, for Syrian, Yugoslavian, there is a friend, a teacher, a parent, requires a sharp political analysis of the conditions fac- Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Haiti, Libya, for the a neighbor. ing our class, it requires a level of rigor that wrestles with gravediggers of capitalism, and for the future of and the Faced with this painful reality for every oppressed some contradictions and challenges new to communist infinite possibilities of humanity. person and worker here in the U.S. and abroad killed tradition. The challenges and benefits of technology—of​ Black Lives Matter! Build a Workers World! by police, by a boss, by a criminal billionaire like Jeff a world that is incredibly well connected and simulta- Smash patriarchy! Free Mumia! Long live Bezos, a sexist lawmaker, a developer—​there must be neously incredibly surveilled by social media platforms Stonewall! ☐ workers.org May 16, 2019 Page 7 Farmworkers win On the big over Darigold picket line By Jim McMahan lawsuit against the UFW and the 12 indi- By Alex Bolchi and Sue Davis Seattle vidual workers, which was filed in retal- iation for the workers seeking to recover The United Farm Workers union their wages. Fighting retaliation at just scored a big victory over 500-farm In April the UFW held a large picket dairy producer Darigold in the Pacific line at a Starbucks shareholders’ meeting Google and Boeing Northwest. For years farmworkers have in Seattle. Starbucks is a huge consumer been struggling at Darigold against racist of Darigold milk. Civil rights leader Jesse Two mega-billion-dollar U.S.-based international corporations retaliated recently and sexist harassment, along with brutal Jackson came to the UFW picket line and against employees who dared to organize for better working conditions. and unsafe working conditions. spoke out in solidarity with the workers About 20,000 Google workers staged a multicontinent walkout last November The "Darigold Dozen"—12​ dairy farm during the Darigold struggle. demanding changes in how sexual misconduct allegations are handled. An internal workers—filed​ a wage and hour lawsuit The UFW vowed in a press release that email published April 26 by Wired reported that two employee activists behind the against Darigold member Ruby Ridge it is still continuing its fight to protect protest accuse Google of retaliation. Google denied it. farm in 2009. The dozen have finally won workers at Darigold from retaliation, sex- Employee activist Claire Stapleton was demoted from marketing manager after their lawsuit and will recover the wages ual harassment and unsafe, even deadly, the walkout. Only after her lawyer contacted Google did management conduct an they charge were stolen by Ruby Ridge. working conditions. ☐ investigation and walk back her demotion. "While my work has been restored,” said Darigold has also agreed to drop its Stapleton, “the environment remains hostile.” Meredith Whittaker, who co-signed the email, said her role has been "changed dramatically.” She was told she had to give up her role at the AI Now Institute at New York University, which she co-founded, and to stop her work on artificial intelligence ethics. The women write: “Our stories aren't the only ones. Google has a culture of retaliation, which too often works to silence women, people of color, and gender minorities.” (bbc.com, April 23) In November 2018, Richard Mester, who brought 30 years of engineering experi- ence to Boeing in South Carolina where he has been a flight safety inspector for five years, was suddenly fired — along with two other employees — for allegedly failing to report a bird strike (when a bird collides with a plane). Impossible, said Mester, who had just been elected a union shop steward. The three workers filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging there was no bird strike, but that it was just an excuse to fire workers in the ongoing International Association of Machinists unionization drive. Boeing filed an objection. The NLRB refused to comment. “Boeing has no qualms about squashing any possibility of a union down here,” CREDIT: UNITED FARM WORKERS Mester told the May 3 Guardian. IAM Associate General Counsel Bill Haller explained: Farmworkers picket to demand Starbucks pressure Darigold, one of their primary suppliers. “[Boeing wanted] to send the message that if you support the union you’re going to get fired. They’re not being subtle.” In an email to the Guardian, Boeing denied retaliation. In addition to accusing Boeing of spying on workers who voted in the election, the union is seeking $100 million in a wage theft case — the largest involving a federal Workers’ Solidarity Day: contractor. “They started writing people up for things that were the norm. They’ve targeted union supporters,” said an unidentified Boeing worker hoping to avoid retal- iation. He noted that after the union vote, Boeing increased the workload of workers an essential initiative who voted for the union, reduced quality control and frequently reassigned workers to job openings in different locations. Continued from page 5 antagonisms, between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, remain. That is why In other words the party did a lot of one can read Marx and feel like he’s writ- work with a section of our class camp, ing about life today. He also used the word Rutgers faculty win historic contract! the most oppressed sector, who most “precarious” to describe working class life certainly did not have a legal right to in 1848. But he never saw any segment In a late-night bargaining session, on the brink of a strike (which would have been strike or engage in collective bargain- of the working class as “too hard to orga- the first in the university’s 253 years), 5,000 full-time faculty and graduate workers at ing—​although there were strikes and nize,” and revolutionaries can’t fall into Rutgers University won a victory with a robust seven-year contract. They organized rebellions and demands were negotiated. that trap when it comes to gig workers. jointly with the American Association of University Professors and the American But the point was: Solidarity was not con- The Uber and Lyft drivers, Google work- Federation of Teachers. During more than a year of pickets and protests, the union ditional on these workers being organized ers, Amazon workers, fast food workers, won support online and in the classroom with a creative social media campaign as well in a traditional union structure. etc., are going to organize in spite of and as “picket with your professor” events. A lot of retooling is imperative when around anyone who thinks that way. The workers’ gains address equity, security and dignity. Now there is equal pay for turning our face to the working class of Precarity and inhumanity will continue equal work for female faculty, faculty of color and for faculty in the Newark and Camden the 21st century. Now there needs to be under capitalism. It’s only when the pro- campuses. All faculty can now apply for equity correction if they believe their peers are an understanding on the ever-chang- letariat seizes the means of production unjustly earning more. Significant pay increases will help the lowest-paid members. ing character of the working class. Sam and takes hold of the repressive state Graduate workers will see their pay increase from $25,969 to $30,162 over the course Marcy wrote about this in the ground- apparatus that we will see needs come of the contract. The union also won $20 million for diversity hiring and the guarantee breaking 1986 work, “High Tech, Low before profit. Only the working class can of a workplace free of harassment and stalking, enforced by binding arbitration. Pay.” But a great deal has changed since carry out this historic task. The vanguard The contract revises the “green card” policy, so that faculty can now sponsor non-ten- then. Work is more precarious and more has to turn its face toward our class. ure-track (NTT) faculty for permanent residency. NTT workers, often the most exploited, workers are contingent workers. There is Workers’ Solidarity Day is a mechanism will have grievance procedures. Graduate employees and NTT faculty also won greater far less income or job security in today’s to conduct this necessary work. job security. The union won language requiring academic freedom that applies to social gig economy. Go to workersolidarity.net for different media. Though this is an historic victory, nearly 3,000 part-time adjuncts still await a Nevertheless the fundamental class leaflets that can be downloaded. ☐ contract, fair salaries and health care. Stay tuned. (Rutgers AAUP.org, April 17). ☐

100 Years Later Some Lessons of the Great Bolshevik Revolution High Tech, Low Pay By Deirdre Griswold A Marxist Analysis of the Changing Contents: From Marx’s view of social evolution Character of the Working Class to Lenin’s ‘Imperialism’ ◆ Social gains in the early years of Soviet power ◆ ‘Whose state? Our state’ — By Sam Marcy with an updated introduction by Fred meaning all nationalities ◆ External and internal Goldstein, author of Low Wage Capitalism. problems, strengths and setbacks ◆ To the 0.001 percent: You are cheering too soon Available at major online booksellers. Read at workers.org/books Download it free from www.workers.org/books Page 8 May 16, 2019 workers.org Did U.S. troops liberate Mauthausen Concentration Camp? By Ángeles Maestro Martín expand the organization to other compa- triots. The eight formed the nucleus of the The author is a leader of the Red Mauthausen International Committee. Network, a communist organization in Their main objective was to maintain the Spanish state. Translation by Workers morale and uphold political principles in World Managing Editor John Catalinotto. the midst of barbarism. Constante explains it this way: "It was In many European countries, people about making everyone understand that, celebrate the victory of the allied troops to struggle inside the camp, we needed to over Nazi Germany in World War II. This have an unwavering will of combat and is especially important now as we witness hope, without which nothing was possible; a widespread growth of fascist organiza- to have confidence in the final victory; to tions and their great myths of that epoch fight against depravity and corruption, to are rehashed. avoid playing the SS game that worked to Once again the Normandy landing of the detriment of other political prisoners; the Allied troops will be described as a to maintain total solidarity at any time Who had already liberated Mauthausen when U.S. troops arrived in 1945? transcendental event, while the liberation and in any circumstance; to do everything of most of Europe by the USSR, which possible to prevent those committing ‘com- had received Himmler's order to exter- their posts, awaiting orders from our GS. paid for it with the very heavy price of 27 mon crimes’ like stealing our scarce food; minate all prisoners. It was to be carried “The military chiefs were summoned to million dead, will be undervalued. to try to introduce trustworthy Spaniards out by taking advantage of an anti-aircraft receive orders, and within minutes all the Hardly anyone will speak of how the into job assignments where it was possible alarm, whether there was an air raid or necessary arrangements were made and Allied governments ignored Moscow's to help others and, as far as possible, also not. The Nazis planned to kill the prison- executed. Internal order was restored, repeated requests to open a front in the in the barracks; to obtain intelligence and ers by means of a gigantic explosion set off and where the SS had previously been giv- West, only carrying out their "Operation monitor the conduct of the SS in order to in ships already loaded by the prisoners ing orders to exterminate, there was now Overlord" in June 1944, leaving just confront and anticipate their reactions; to themselves, who would be gassed inside. the International Military Staff.” enough time, they thought, to prevent the establish contact with political deportees of The clandestine organization accelerated The struggle was far from over. The Red Army from entering Berlin[1]. other nationalities." its work, intensifying the gathering of intel- SS redeployed to Mauthausen from The objective then was to portray U.S. The activities they contemplated ligence through documents snatched by Czechoslovakia. Spanish and Soviet resis- intervention as decisive for victory. This included contributing some grams of sup- those who cleaned the offices or who were tance combatants in Mauthausen Camp was essential to impose U.S. hegemony plementary food to the weakest and trying on night watches. They sent out of the camp confronted the SS and forced them to flee over European reconstruction, particu- to spare them the hardest tasks; obtaining incriminating documents and photographs after heavy fighting. The troops of the camp larly through NATO. posts that would allow mobility within the obtained clandestinely by the photogra- Commandants Ziereis and Bachmayer But there was another episode of spe- camp; hiding the sick so they would not pher Paco Boix that proved the barbarity of were on the other side of the Danube and cial significance for us at that time: the lib- be executed; and carrying out minimal the extermination and the visits of the Nazi were preparing to attack the camp. eration of the Mauthausen Concentration sabotage, such as breaking some tools to chiefs and, above all, assured discipline and Stopping the SS Camp [near Linz, Austria], allegedly by "hinder their production by destroying coordination to avoid hoaxes. U.S. troops. part—a tiny part, it is true—of the war To stop this attack, camp combatants Liberation This myth is repeated in spite of the potential of the Third Reich." had to take the first step and prevent the existence of a well-known and contradic- At the end of April, Mauthausen SS from crossing the river over the only tory graphic document: In the photo of International Brigades Commander Ziereis gave orders to mobi- intact bridge, the railway bridge. The bat- the arrival of U.S. armored vehicles at the Little by little the organization expanded lize the Spaniards to fight the Soviet troops tles led by Mauthausen Camp combat- camp, an enormous banner hangs at the with the arrival, from the beginning of 1942, approaching Mauthausen. Forced to stand ants, in which the Soviets, the Spanish entrance door, over hundreds of prison- of political prisoners from all European in front of the machine guns pointing at and the Czechs participated, stopped the ers. The banner reads: "The anti-fascist countries, some of them ex-combatants of them from the turrets, no one stepped for- first German Tiger tanks from crossing Spaniards salute the liberating forces." the International Brigades [of the Spanish ward. "It was a moment when everything the bridge. The question is obvious: Who had lib- Civil War]. The organization managed could happen and, fully aware of this, we On May 6, the SS made several attempts erated Mauthausen before the U.S. troops to introduce trusted comrades into the were ready to risk everything: The pistols to cross the Danube that failed, despite arrived? kitchen, housekeeping, the infirmary and and the bottles of benzene were ready. having tanks, cannons and machine guns. Resistance was organized inside the administration offices. Seeing that he could not undermine our The camp's resistance fighters had only the camp, led by Spanish communists They were weaving a spider's web. In determination, Ziereis ordered us to break machine guns and Panzerfaust (anti-tank [who were there because Mauthausen the second half of 1942, in the midst of the ranks. I'm sure he was afraid.” tubes—bazookas) stolen from the enemy, Concentration Camp was the main place killings and tortures, the news of Soviet A few days later, at night, Vienna city which they were using for the first time. where the Nazis incarcerated Republican resistance and the subsequent defeat of guards replaced the SS guards. "Some The situation was critical and the resis- political prisoners from Spain]. the Nazis in Stalingrad strengthened the SS captured after liberation confirmed tance could not last long, so they decided In Mauthausen, unlike in other Nazi confidence in victory among those who to us that Ziereis feared a general upris- to blow up the railway bridge with explo- camps, where mass executions took place had believed in it when there was not even ing and preferred to retreat to the village sives that the Nazis had planted. practically without opposition, an import- a ray of hope. of Mauthausen with his SS. A delega- The attack against German troops by ant international clandestine organization The arrival of a large contingent of tion from the International Committee the Soviets on the Ens Plain had forced the was established for four years. French deportees between 1943 and demanded that the urban guard surren- SS to move part of their troops there and This was the organization that lib- 1944—communists, socialists, Catholics der all their weapons.” reduced the pressure on the resistance, but erated the camp—saving hundreds of and, above all, military leaders of the On May 5, 1945, shortly before 2 p.m., the struggle continued. "That was a Tower lives—before the arrival of Allied troops. [anti-Nazi] Resistance—allowed the two armored vehicles and a jeep of the U.S. of Babel, where we had to translate all the This feat, unknown to most and carried strengthening of the International Army entered the camp. The urban guards orders given. [...] Everywhere else German out in the harshest conditions imaginable, Committee and, above all, the estab- fled, abandoning all their weapons. troops received orders to surrender and is full of Spanish surnames. lishment of the International Military The large banner prepared by the Berlin had already fallen into the hands of Some documents exist, but without Apparatus (IMA). An Aragonese, Miguel Spanish Republicans was mounted and the Soviet Red Army. Yet for us the struggle a doubt it is the Spanish communist Malle, was the head of the General Staff the famous photo taken. continued. ... It was our destiny. We had Mariano Constante[2] who has described (GS) of the IMA, composed of four mem- When the International Committee been the first to fight Hitler's hordes and it best, and with such historical rigor bers, including the Czech leader of the approached the U.S. troops to find out it was written that we would be the last to that he is known as the "notary of International Brigades, Arthur London, their intentions and explain the situation lay down our weapons," Constante wrote. Mauthausen." I base my account on his and Mariano Constante. Soviet Colonel to them, the U.S. commanding officer Finally, a column of U.S. tanks report; the quotes are from his text. Pirogoff also joined this apparatus. explained that his unit was a reconnais- appeared. The battle was over. The network grew stronger, in spite sance patrol that had lost its way and that, A long journey awaited the Spanish The organization begins of continuous casualties, and gained in fact, U.S. troops were 40 kilometers Republicans until France welcomed The organization began to take shape access to a radio that members of the SS away. When the IC informed them that the them, but that's another story. on June 22, 1941. Nazi troops had occu- had hidden and that allowed the IMA to SS were nearby, "The U.S. patrol left with- This story of resistance and libera- pied one country after another, the inva- obtain information broadcast by London out entering the interior of the compound, tion has nothing in common with the sion of the USSR began, and the world or Moscow. Months later, in addition promising us a quick return with sufficient official story. It is, however, an epic led seemed to collapse. to arming, with the continuous theft of weapons to defend ourselves. So we were by Spanish communists, carried out by At Mauthausen that night, the camp weapons from the SS, the organization left alone to face whatever came up." those who decided to resist and organize administration decided to “disinfect” obtained a new resource: its own radio "In the camp confusion reigned. Some against despair and death. the camp. They forced all the prisoners, set that was then hidden in a rubbish bin. prisoners had raided the armory and oth- This is the historical confirmation of the naked, in intense cold, into the “garages.” In April 1945, as German defeats fol- ers had robbed the SS warehouses where continuity of the fight undertaken during At that point members of the Communist lowed one after the other—U.S. planes the few remaining provisions were stored. the Spanish Civil War, which lasted on Party of Spain realized they had to get orga- bombed the nearby city of Linz and the Fortunately we had an organization in European soil against Nazi Germany; nized within the camp. They elected eight Soviets occupied Vienna—news came place and a disciplined military apparatus. it involved the use of organizational comrades to the leadership and tried to that the camp commander, Franz Ziereis, The members of the IMS had remained at Continued on page 11 workers.org May 16, 2019 Page 9 France United May Day march attacked by police By Rémy Herrera a building’s porch, into an unbarricaded Paris shop nearby or toward the nearest adjacent street to be able to breathe and try to open Herrera is a Marxist economist and their eyes. Union balloons were gone, ban- researcher at France’s Centre National ners were trampled, orchestras were dis- de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). located and lunch snacks were trampled. He works at the Centre d’Économie de Groups of friends were scattered, haggard. la Sorbonne. He attended the May Day The president had warned everyone that march in Paris and wrote this article May those who joined the protests were accom- 5. Workers World staff translated it. plices of the “casseurs” [breakers], the looters and the Black Blocs. In the trendy May Day off to a strong start French democracy of President Emmanuel The 220 demonstrations that took Macron’s party, La République en marche place throughout France on May 1 [The Republic on the march], participating brought together nearly 310,000 peo- in International Workers' Day was under- ple. For now, let us focus on the parade taken at one’s own risk. in Paris that brought together 80,000 A tag placed near La Rotonde, a famous May Day march in Paris. people (unions’ attendance figures). The luxury restaurant, proclaimed: "Repression major labor unions were the chief orga- on the march.” Its windows were protected The mass of demonstrators who had the as if it was a trap. The police regularly nizers of the parade, as they always are on by wooden boards. Macron had celebrated courage to arrive were forced to retreat interrupted the march by forming bottle- May Day. It was really special. there in anticipation of his victory against again under waves of water cannons and necks, closing off surrounding streets and Let us start at the beginning. The ultra-rightist Marine Le Pen, on April 23, a flood of tear gas grenades. dividing it into smaller sections to “better initial rally point was planned for 2017, the evening of the first round of pres- Under such conditions, is it surpris- manage it.” Cops surrounded it, muzzled Montparnasse, south of the capital. The idential elections ing to learn that these innovative polic- it and blocked it, sometimes prohibiting procession was supposed to start at Among the many who paid the price ing methods—encouraging the cops to entry or exit. They choked it by gassing 2:30 p.m. Nevertheless, by midday, the of the cops’ violent attack on the demon- make physical “contact”—caused rela- people. And they prevented it from com- police—who also came in droves—had stration was General Confederation of tively harsh clashes to take place at the pleting its journey. In many places, police their own event with the workers. Labor (CGT) Secretary General Philippe end of the march route? launched offensives, suddenly charging Many demonstrators were already Martinez. However, since the begin- everyone and everything in their path and there around noon at the foot of the ning of the Yellow Vests’ mobilization in State, media try to stop march removing targeted individuals, according Montparnasse tower. Tens of thousands of November, he has been overly cautious and In other words, the Parisian parade, to the new doctrine being implemented. people had arrived, including labor union reluctant to openly support the protests. in addition to having twice the num- activists, members of the Yellow Vest He was trying to keep the Confederation ber of participants as attended last year, ‘We have to struggle for unity’ movement and the Black Bloc [anarchists]. away from the popular rebellion, even according to the CGT, was tense. In the It is in this complicated, often confus- Ecological activists were also there. Police though his union’s rank-and-file mem- days leading up to May 1, the Ministry ing, sometimes chaotic context that Yellow headquarters had banned their march bers have been demonstrating with the of the Interior was sending out com- Vests and red ponchos of the unionists have on the climate crisis, which was planned Yellow Vests since they began—on a daily muniqués and tweets spewing pro- learned to blend in on the streets of Paris. for that morning in the Latin Quarter. basis in the streets. Union members have paganda—generously relayed by the Also true of those wearing black T-shirts. They had all passed through the barriers constantly pushed the CGT leadership to domesticated media—meant to drama- The desire for convergence was very widely of "preventive controls" installed by the be more resolutely committed to working tize the situation, to frighten and strongly shared and affirmed by the demonstrators. police, who were stopping the new arriv- alongside the Yellow Vests. dissuade people from going on the march. They are not all marching to the same als, searching backpacks and confiscating In short, it was intended to prevent the beat, but many demands overlap, such as Everyone marched together, faced cops masks, protective glasses and helmets. Workers’ Day parade from taking place. “We have to struggle for unity,” “We have At around 12:15 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., However, everyone marched together on The alarmist media hype forewarned no choice,” “This is an emergency” and as the usual peaceful preparations were May 1, a happy thing. But the police vio- that this May Day would be “the worst,” “Everything can change for the better or being made, the procession of trade lence was unprecedented. Parade security “the apocalypse” and a “civil war.” It prom- for the worse.” unionists with thousands of demonstra- forces were targeted. Clearly identifiable ised that Paris would become the “capital The French ruling classes have managed tors, committed marchers, a large num- CGT members were repeatedly attacked of the riot.” Therefore, those who chose to to numb a large number of France’s popu- ber of Yellow Vests, a few Black Bloc and beaten by police. Martinez, who was join the march and the struggle this year lation to the army’s bombardments of peo- groups, and others advanced toward the positioned at the front of the labor union had to overcome widespread apprehension ple in the global South. Now they are trying beginning of the route. They overtook the procession, had to be hastily spirited away and fear—which was skillfully manipu- to make the people of France indifferent to unions' markers and vans and took the by his security guards. A lot of other dem- lated from the top by political authorities. the misfortunes, suffering and repression lead of the entire group. onstrators were brutalized, too; many peo- A result of this fear campaign was that that overwhelm the poorest and least for- ple suffered at the hands of the police. no children marched in this year’s parade. tunate among their compatriots at home by Sudden, brutal police attack Some people may have claimed that Today, people in France can no longer exhuming the figure of the “inner enemy.” Regular cops and CRS riot police Black Bloc forces wanted to move for- march as a family. Everyone thought of the With police clubs, tear gas and crude immediately cut off the march and ward to attack CGT leaders, but witnesses mind-boggling and incredible, but very real lies, President Macron and his govern- blocked the surrounding streets. Then at the scene saw police attack members police attacks on the Yellow Vest move- ment—the only ones responsible for this they fired powerful gas grenades into the of the CGT and Solidaires unions with no ment in the last six months which have outburst of violence on May 1—are lead- air at the dense crowd and tear gas pellets provocation. The Paris Police Prefecture caused terrible injuries, disfigurements, ing the country straight down the path of at ground level. If there were any warn- quickly denied what many eyewitnesses loss of limbs and eyes, and amputations. a transition resembling the entryway into ings ordering the people to desist, no one observed—that labor unionists had been For this May Day parade—after 25 a form of neofascism that dares not say its heard them. First came the blows from deliberately attacked. weeks of mobilizing by the Yellow Vests, name. This would be smooth, reformed police clubs. Then bottles were thrown, About an hour and a half after the pro- and more than two years of workers fight- neofascism, with a distinguishing feature: and there were clashes with the protest- cession was finally allowed to enter the ing against “labor laws”—7,500 members It smiles. But it is still frightening. ers. In the confusion inside the crowd march route, the same attack on dem- of the security forces, wearing armor and It represents the dictatorial power and in reaction to the rush, demonstra- onstrators took place as on Boulevard equipped for combat, had been deployed of state authorities who represent high tors had to push back as best they could de l'Hôpital. CRS riot police charged the in the capital. finance capitalism; they simulate popu- toward the starting point. union parade and again targeted its secu- Throughout the route from lar participation while at the same time This set the tone. Nothing could have rity guards. The same siege took place Montparnasse to Place d'Italie, this over- dissolving social ties and draining the upset the demonstrators more and got- near Place d’Italie at the end of the day as whelming, oppressive police presence blood from the people, destroying their ten them angrier. This was a police prov- had happened at the start of the parade. crushed and enclosed the procession, happiness. ocation. And for what purpose? Injured This could be the new page in France’s people with bloody faces were treated by history that this president is writing for street medics, heroic volunteers. Chants the people. If the man who presents him- of "Here it goes!" "Revolution!" and self as “the rampart against the fascism” "Anti-capitalist!" were widely repeated of Marine Le Pen looked in the mirror, and applauded. he would see that he is none other than Until 2:15 p.m., those who arrived on her double. time in Montparnasse were harrassed Looking closely at this head of state by police as described. The preemptive who is being sold to the people with the police intervention immediately plunged image of the “best guarantor of democ- the crowd into panic. It was a remarkably racy” shows that he is really its gravedig- well-organized mess caused by the harsh ger. After all, didn't he declare—shortly instructions of the Minister of the Interior before the Yellow Vest insurrection Christophe Castaner and his new police erupted—that Marshal Henri-Philippe prefect, Didier Lallement. Pétain was “also a great soldier”? [Petain Before marching out in the clouds of headed the Nazi-collaborationist Vichy smoke, people had to run in all direc- government during World War II.] ☐ tions to seek refuge somewhere—under Police attack Paris May Day march. Page 10 May 16, 2019 workers.org What U.S.-China trade editorials relations reveal

Much has been revealed about the world’s two largest of its people to prosperity for the majority in the span of economies in the fallout from the tariffs imposed by the just two generations. Indeed, China plans to have com- U.S. government on goods from China—and​ that coun- pletely eliminated poverty by 2020—​next year! Those who put try’s response. The basic elements of its economy since its revolu- When the Trump administration announced on May tion in 1949 have been state-owned and integrated into China’s tremendous 10 that it was imposing a new 25 percent tariff on $200 a broad plan for social development. However, after billion worth of goods imported from China, nothing a great internal struggle, the ruling Communist Party achievements down dramatic happened in the stock markets of the two decided in the late 1970s to allow capitalist ownership countries. The Shanghai composite stock index fell only and investment in order to stimulate economic growth. solely to the capitalist slightly and is still up by 15 percent for the year. The results have been mixed and contradictory, with Trump then tweeted a warning: “China should not great successes and great dangers. A class of billionaires market— and thereby retaliate—​will only get worse!” now exists in China. Their appetite for luxury and excess His imperialist arrogance had no effect. have a corroding influence on socialist solidarity and discount its great socialist In less than two hours, China did retaliate, but care- egalitarianism. fully. It announced it would put tariffs ranging up to 25 At the same time, the spectacular growth of China’s revolution against both percent on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods. economy has lifted 800 million people out of great pov- That was later on the same day, May 10. In reaction to erty—​accounting for fully 70 percent of the world’s world imperialism and this news, the U.S. stock market then plunged 617 points progress in this period. on Monday, May 13—the​ biggest drop so far in 2019. Those who put China’s tremendous achievements the internal parasitic So which economy is more fragile and unstable? That down solely to the capitalist market—and​ thereby dis- of the wealthy imperialist U.S. or that of People’s China? count its great socialist revolution against both world imperialism and the internal parasitic classes of land- classes of landlords and Why did talks break down? lords and compradore capitalists—​should ask them- The move by Washington to impose new tariffs on selves this: Why then is China so different from India or compradore capitalists— Chinese goods came after a breakdown in trade talks. Indonesia or Brazil? According to the New York Times: “The United States Why have the lives of Chinese workers and peasants should ask themselves and China were nearing a trade deal that would lift tar- improved so greatly, while those in truly capitalist coun- iffs, open the Chinese market to American companies tries are mired in poverty? this: Why then is China and strengthen China’s intellectual property protections. But discussions fell apart last weekend, when China China—and​ U.S. workers—push​ back so different from India or called for substantial changes to the negotiating text The U.S. imperialist ruling class is not used to being that both countries had been using as a blueprint for a resisted by the leaders of a developing country. Their Indonesia or Brazil? sweeping trade pact. American officials said that China mighty military arsenal and strong industrial develop- claimed that provisions of the deal would be in violation ment have put this U.S. class of predators on top of the of Chinese laws—​which could not be easily changed—​ world for several generations. and that the United States was demanding too much and But the times are changing. Not only has People’s Why have the lives of giving too little.” (May 10) China been on the rise, but conditions for workers in If this interpretation is correct, it shows several things: the U.S. have deteriorated, leading to increased class Chinese workers and The inroads of the capitalist market in China have struggle at home. produced a class of trade negotiators who were willing The U.S. government has accumulated enormous debt peasants improved so to make significant concessions to the U.S. in order to after years of giveaways to the corporations and banks, promote Chinese businesses. plus the great cost of maintaining U.S. military forces greatly, while those in The U.S. was pushing for changes to China’s laws that on bases around the world. The U.S. uses many of these would weaken the role of the state in ownership and con- bases to actively engage in shoring up repressive regimes truly capitalist countries trol of the economy. that otherwise would have been overthrown by the peo- When leaders of the government and the Communist ple long ago. are mired in poverty? Party reviewed these concessions, they saw them as Debt is weighing down on the U.S. economy, even as incompatible with China’s socialist roots and an attack changing technology is erasing workers’ jobs and corpo- on its state-owned industries and financial institutions. rations vie with each other to reduce costs at the expense state-owned industry. They pulled the agreement back. of wages. If what is being reported is true, it would indicate that To sum up, the U.S. has seen the capitalist part of the prevailing view in China’s Party leadership is that its China’s socialist roots China’s economy as a Trojan horse that could eventually trade negotiators were giving in too much to pressure China is the fastest-growing large economy in the lead to the breakup of its socialist system. It has been from U.S. imperialists. world, set to surpass the U.S. in a few years. It has devel- pushing China to change not only the laws regarding This is good news for China’s future development as oped from a time of wrenching poverty for the great mass trade but the basic relationship between the state and a socialist country. ☐ USA: Hands off Iran!

As if the White House gang felt incom- of the nuclear accord with Iran signed by attended, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy commented on the growing strength of his plete simply leveling economic threats the Barack Obama administration. That Hunt said his government was worried country’s defense forces, saying the U.S. against China, making hostile comments had opened up trade with Iran from both about a conflict and an unintended esca- military presence in the Gulf used to be a about Russia and imposing illegal sanc- the U.S. and European Union countries lation. Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko serious threat but now represents a target. tions — illegal because they amount to col- in return for Iran stopping its nuclear Maas told Pompeo his country doesn’t (reuters.com, May 12) lective punishment of the populations — on program. want to see a conflict. And France’s If the Pompeo-Bolton-Abrams gang Venezuela, Cuba and north Korea — they U.S. officials claim, without giving evi- Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged think a few Trump tweets and the move- have once again put the Islamic Republic of dence, that Iran poses a threat to U.S. Europeans to remain united in support of ment of warships will bring the rest of the Iran in the gun sights of U.S. imperialism. troops in the region. Even some U.S. allies the Iran nuclear deal. (New York Times, world to its knees, they need to face a new The Trump gang, in a show of force, has have remarked that this kind of claim May 13) reality. Cubans are organizing rationing to sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers sounds much like George W. Bush’s 2002- While no serious resistance can be withstand hard economic times; Venezuela to the Persian Gulf, near Iran’s coastline. 03 claims that Iraq possessed “weapons of expected from the European imperialists already smashed three coup attempts; the They asked the Pentagon to supply a plan mass destruction.” to U.S. aggression, it was obvious that none DPRK said it would continue to defend for sending 120,000 U.S. troops to prepare The spread of Bush’s “Big Lie” led to the of the governments saw the U.S. moves as itself; and the Iranians are staying strong. an invasion. They have also attempted to March 2003 invasion and occupation of something they could openly sign on to. This resistance from around the world stop Iran from exporting any oil to its cus- Iraq. What followed was Iraqi resistance to Instead, they are attempting to set up a path should also encourage anti-imperialists tomers. These exports are necessary for the the U.S. occupation that threatened to drive for Iran to make trade deals while avoiding within the United States to stay strong Iranian economy. Stopping them raises the the troops out. Only a U.S.-instigated civil the U.S.-controlled global financial system. and oppose any new aggressive moves price other sellers of petroleum can demand war that divided and destroyed much of Iranians themselves are in a much by both the White House gang — and the — something important for U.S. oil compa- Iraq prevented a U.S. defeat. stronger position than Iraq was in 2003 to Democratic Party leaders who go along with nies trying to increase exports of fracked oil. Before a Brussels meeting this May 13 resist a U.S. attack and make it costly. An this aggression. In May 2018, Trump pulled the U.S. out that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander U.S. hands off Iran! ☐ workers.org May 16, 2019 Page 11 Koreans reject U.S. efforts ‘to overthrow our system’ By Deirdre Griswold relations, but that the “American ulterior intention” is “to overthrow our system.” Once again, the Democratic People’s For a while, the current U.S. president Republic of Korea has refused to be intim- appeared to be softening the hostile atti- idated by the U.S. imperialist government tude of the U.S. ruling class toward the and its threats to the DPRK’s sovereignty northern half of Korea. But when Trump and socialist system. met with Kim Jong Un and shook his hand, After the U.S. State Department, it was only a gesture—one that Trump’s headed by notorious right-winger two most influential advisers on foreign Mike Pompeo, issued a statement on affairs, war hawks John Bolton and Mike “Supporting Freedom in North Korea,” Pompeo, immediately overruled. the DPRK Foreign Ministry responded May 11 with a press release castigating the U.S. unable to turn back U.S. for “turning its back on the June 12 Korean Revolution [2018] DPRK-U.S. joint statement com- The hostility of the world’s biggest impe- mitting to establish new bilateral rela- rialist power toward the DPRK has pre- tions.” That joint statement was issued vailed since that country’s establishment These U.S. soldiers were captured during the Korean War, then decided to stay in the DPRK after an historic summit between Donald in 1948. Even before that, at the end of after the armistice. Trump and the DPRK’s Kim Jong Un. World War II, when the masses had been The north Korean release concludes struggling against Japanese colonial rule, From 1950 to 1953, U.S. planes bombed made clear to the world last year when a that the State Department is not only Washington and Wall Street were deter- every structure in north Korea over one joint north-south delegation received an obstructing any attempts to improve mined to prevent a revolution in Korea. story. Millions were killed. Yet the Korean ecstatic welcome at the Winter Olympic The forces led by Kim Il Sung liberated people would not bow down. Games in Pyeongchang, south Korea. the north and eventually began a process The war ended in a stalemate with The only person not cheering the joint of socialist construction there, while U.S. Korea divided; and ever since then, the north-south athletic cooperation was U.S. troops occupied the south and installed a U.S. has refused to sign a peace treaty Vice President Mike Pence, who could be series of right-wing governments. with the DPRK. While the north built up seen in news clips slumping down in his The refusal of the U.S. to accept the an independent socialist economy, the seat as south Koreans around him jumped great and popular Korean socialist revo- south remains saddled with U.S. military to their feet, applauding the delegation. lution, which had begun in the struggle occupation. The rising progressive movement in the against Japanese imperialism, led to the The largest overseas U.S. military base United States should embrace the desire of horrendous imperialist war of 1950-53. in the world, Camp Humphreys, is in south the Korean people to end the state of war The U.S., using the cloak of the United Korea. It exists to prevent a rapprochement that still exists between Washington and Nations, launched one of the most uneven between the south and the north. the DPRK and push to end U.S. occupation and ferocious military assaults the world That the majority of Koreans fer- of the south, which has so cruelly separated has ever seen. vently want such a rapprochement was Korean families for almost 75 years. ☐

A bizarre banquet of anti-Cuba dreamers needs to wake up

By Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada suits before U.S. courts against those who Advisor John Bolton played the main by the CIA and supported by the U.S. use in any way the properties they claim role. His audience was the remaining armed forces, they went to Cuba to Between 1993 and 2013, Alarcón was belonged to them or their families. members of those who were part of the recover "their" estates, "their" factories President of the National Assembly of There were no questions. No text was 2506 Brigade, that is, the wreckage of and "their" mansions. Now Bolton prom- People's Power of Cuba. This article was delivered to answer the questions that the invading group that 58 years ago the ises them that their ancient fantasy will published on April 19 at poresto.net and such a decision must have provoked Cuban people defeated in 66 hours [at the finally come true. translated by WW Managing Editor among those who remember that for 23 Bay of Pigs]. Nicolás Gutierrez Castaño summed up John Catalinotto. years, presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bolton repeated what Pompeo had said the spectacle: "Even in our most feverish After three months of threats and Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump about the lawsuits. He also announced dreams, we could not conceive that a U.S. threats and on two stages—the State himself had adopted a position contrary the re-imposition of severe restrictions on government would do it. No one ever did. Department in Washington, D.C., and a to what has now been announced. Cuban-Americans' trips to their country Forget Reagan. Forget Bush." theater in Miami—the U.S. administra- Official statements were immediately of origin and on the remittances they send Excited, the skillful managing lawyer tion finally announced what it intends to made by Spanish, Canadian, Mexican and to their families on the island. These mea- of Helms-Burton [Gutierrez] believes the do to intensify its economic war against European Union authorities who, in addi- sures were previously applied by George time has come to "recover" the large prop- Cuba. tion to protesting, warned that they will W. Bush and generated their rejection by erties stolen by his great-grandfather. On April 17, at midmorning in a cer- take necessary measures to neutralize any the immense majority of that [Cuban- An unabashed dreamer, Bolton, for his emony of barely a few minutes in the attempt to harm their legitimate interests. American] community, which has since part, invited people to make a toast to the capital, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo They also pointed out that they are capa- been reflected in the Miami-Dade County Monroe Doctrine that, according to him, announced that the administration would ble of taking these measures, considering elections. is alive and healthy. Intoxicated, "cele- fully implement Title III of the Helms- that there is no shortage of U.S.-based The Miami show was as pathetic as it brating" their crushing defeat, the guests Burton Act. He offered no further expla- investments in their countries. was grotesque. at the bizarre banquet applauded him nation, although he did say that as of May The most notorious spectacle was The old and tired veterans flopped with delirium. 2, "Cuban-Americans" will be able to bring reserved for Miami. National Security when they were young, when, organized It’s time to wake them up. ☐

Did U.S. troops liberate Mauthausen? WAR WITHOUT VICTORY by Sara Flounders

Continued from page 8 Spain in the Mauthausen International “By revealing the underbelly of the empire, Flounders sheds insight on Committee. Mariano Constante and how to stand up to the imperialist war machine and, in so doing, save experience and internationalist combat. Miguel Malle considered him their brother. ourselves and humanity.” What was essential to victory was the I wrote a biographical account of the – Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, conviction that the defeat of the most political dimension of his life titled "La President, U.N. General Assembly, 2008-2009; powerful enemy is possible as long as voz a ti debida" [3]. It is a personal story, Foreign Minister of Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. there is an unshakable will to resist and but it bears the same stamp of heroism, the ability of the organization to win. pain, ideological firmness and solidar- Available at major online booksellers. PentagonAchillesHeel.com That is probably why the official account ity that thousands of women and men is so intent on concealing feats like this one. from the best generation of our history They prefer us to be defeated, powerless bequeathed to us. and ignorant. It is up to us to re-establish the red thread of the historical continuity of Sources: Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba the struggle, not only to pay tribute to the 1. Jacques R. Pauwels, “The Myth of by Leslie Feinberg heroic fighters, but also to know where we Good War.” Editorial Hiru, 2000. This ground-breaking book is a compilation of 25 articles come from and who we are. 2. Mariano Constante, “The Red Years.” about same-sex love and sex/gender variance in Cuba’s Note from the author: I obtained part Editorial Círculo de Lectores, 1974. pre- and post-revolutionary history. of this information from the testimonies of 3. Ángeles Maestro, “La voz a ti debida.” Available at major online booksellers. Tomás Martín, my mother’s brother and redroja.net, 2016. (tinyurl.com/ representative of the Communist Party of y4fy4u7k/.) 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. 20 16 de mayo 2019 $1

Progresistas estadounidenses defienden la embajada de Venezuela en Washington, D.C. Administración Trump lleva guerra contra mujeres a O.N.U.

Por Sue Davis los lectores el primer acto de Trump en 2017: resta- La semana pasada, en el 22 de abril, el Presidente blecer la llamada “regla de Donald Trump llevó su guerra a los derechos de las mordaza global”, que pro- mujeres y las personas no conformes con el género a la híbe toda financiación fede- ONU. Es terriblemente irónico que el gobierno de Trump ral para las organizaciones amenazara con vetar la resolución de la ONU sobre el fin internacionales que brin- de la violencia sexual durante las guerras y los conflictos dan asesoramiento sobre el hostiles si la ONU no estuviera de acuerdo con su agenda aborto, incluso si también anti-mujeres, anti-género oprimido. brindan nutrición e higiene; El borrador inicial de la resolución decía: “Las enti- tratamiento para la malaria, dades de las Naciones Unidas y los donantes brinda- tuberculosis y enfermedades rán servicios de salud integrales y no discriminatorios, tropicales; y atención a la incluidos servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva, psi- salud maternoinfantil. cosociales, legales y medios de subsistencia y otros ser- Los grupos de ayuda con- vicios multisectoriales para sobrevivientes de violencia denan esta regla, que refleja sexual, teniendo en cuenta las necesidades específicas de la extrema derecha, el con- las personas con discapacidad”. servadurismo religioso de La administración de Trump exigió que se eliminara la las personas designadas por frase “salud sexual y reproductiva” porque podría inter- Trump en el Departamento pretarse como un apoyo al derecho al aborto. Incluso de Salud y Servicios WW FOTO: SOFIA ADAMS después de que el representante alemán que presentó la Humanos, diciendo que ya Manifestantes por los derechos de las mujeres. El 4 de mayo, Nueva York. resolución aceptó eliminar esa frase, los EE. UU. se opu- está socavando la atención sieron a la frase original, “servicios de salud integrales”, de salud global en general y da como resultado más abor- familias y comunidades en todo el mundo. en la resolución original del 2008. tos y un aumento de la mortalidad materna e infantil. El balón está en la cancha de todos los que se oponen Después de que se eliminara toda referencia a la aten- Es reprensible que los EE. UU. puedan acosar al resto al patriarcado capitalista racista, sexista, anti-LGBTQ2S ción médica de la resolución final, así como la “educa- del mundo para que queden atrapados detrás de sus del 1% que controla este país. Continuando con la lucha ción integral en sexualidad”, que protegería los derechos políticas totalmente misóginas e insensibles que cau- por eliminar a Trump y todos sus perpetradores de la de las personas homosexuales, transgénero y no confor- san un daño irreparable a mujeres, niñas, hombres, sus guerra y la violación de la clase dominante burguesa. ☐ mes con el género, fue aprobada por una votación de 13 miembros del Consejo de Seguridad. Incluyendo los Estados Unidos, no hay votos en contra, con Rusia y China absteniéndose. Pero hubo una protesta mundial inmediata. Los repre- sentantes de Alemania, Bélgica, Gran Bretaña y Francia no solo hablaron enérgicamente contra el acoso esco- lar de los Estados Unidos, sino que también lo hicieron muchos representantes de los 90 países que participaron editorial en la reunión. ¡Palestina será libre! Llamando a la posición de los Estados Unidos “into- lerable e incomprensible”, el Embajador de Francia, Otro ataque horrible a la población palestina ocurrió Los conservadores furiosos enfocaron su ira en ella, Francois Delattre, declaró que “las mujeres y las niñas durante el fin de semana del 4 al 5 de mayo. Una vez incluido un video publicado por el asesor principal de que sufrieron violencia sexual en conflicto, y que obvia- más, las muertes incluyen algunas de las personas más campaña de Trump. El video intentó presentar el lanza- mente no eligieron quedar embarazadas, deberían tener vulnerables, de un pueblo que ya se ha vuelto completa- miento de cohetes en Ucrania, otro lugar donde la inter- el derecho de terminar su embarazo”. mente vulnerable por décadas de condiciones de apar- vención de Estados Unidos ha alimentado la guerra y Además de los diplomáticos, otras personas promi- theid, incluida la inanición de rutina, el encarcelamiento la destrucción, como un ataque palestino contra Israel. nentes se manifestaron en contra de la política de los y el desempleo. (Haaretz.com, 5 de mayo) EE. UU., incluida la Ministra de Relaciones Exteriores de Una vez más, los grandes negocios mediáticos juga- Incluso los medios de comunicación burgueses admiten Alemania, Heiko Mass, y la actriz Angelina Jolie, en un ron un juego de números en un intento por ocultar la que el tenue cese al fuego alcanzado el 5 de mayo fue pro- artículo de opinión del Washington Post del 22 de abril. verdadera naturaleza de la ocupación. Que varios cohe- movido por Israel para que la nación de los colonos pueda Las dos personas galardonadas con el Premio Nobel de tes lanzados desde Gaza se usan para desviar el hecho tratar de limpiar su imagen, ¡esta vez organizando una la Paz de 2018, Nadia Murad, sobreviviente de la escla- de que 24 de las muertes eran palestinos—o el 86 por próxima competencia de canto de Eurovisión en Tel Aviv! vitud del grupo del Estado Islámico de mujeres y niñas ciento—en comparación a las cuatro de Israel. El hecho es que los palestinos continúan resistiendo y yazidi en Irak, y Denis Mukwege, ginecóloga congoleña, Los políticos estadounidenses aprovecharon la opor- exigiendo el fin de la ocupación, nada menos. emitieron una declaración: “Simplemente no hay excusa tunidad para mostrar su complicidad en los continuos En un artículo de opinión publicado en Aljazeera. para continuar "Falla a quienes ya han sido víctimas, así intentos de Israel por el genocidio del pueblo palestino. com, Haidar Eid, profesor asociado de la Universidad como a quienes continúan en riesgo de niveles devasta- En términos inequívocos, el presidente Donald Trump Al-Aqsa en Gaza, declara: “Nosotros, los palestinos en dores de violencia sexual en conflicto”. tuiteó: “Apoyamos a Israel al 100 por ciento”. Gaza, ya hemos hecho nuestra elección. No moriremos Si bien el objetivo de la resolución era poner fin al Según el Jerusalem Post, también envió un mensaje de manera deshonrosa una muerte lenta mientras agra- “fenómeno atroz, bárbaro y muy a menudo silencioso paternalista, altivo e hipócrita: “Para el pueblo de Gaza: decemos a nuestros asesinos el autoengaño que presenta de la violencia sexual durante el conflicto” y adoptar un estos actos terroristas contra Israel no le traerán más la esclavitud al invasor como un hecho consumado. enfoque centrado en el sobreviviente, todas las referen- que más miseria. FIN a la violencia y trabajen por la paz: “No. Continuaremos luchando por nuestra dignidad, cias a expandir el monitoreo de la ONU para rastrear las ¡puede suceder!” (6 de mayo) por nosotros mismos y por nuestros hijos”, continúa violaciones de la resolución fueron borradas. Del texto Hace solo un par de meses, Trump firmó una orden Eid. “Nosotros, miembros de la sociedad civil palestina, final. Rusia, China y los Estados Unidos se opusieron a ejecutiva que afirma que Israel tiene soberanía sobre el hemos sostenido durante mucho tiempo que el camino ese lenguaje. Golán sirio, ocupado ilegalmente por colonos sionistas a seguir debería ser el poder del pueblo, la única fuerza El abogado inglés Amal Clooney instó al Consejo desde 1967. capaz de enfrentar la enorme asimetría del poder en de Seguridad a procesar a los miembros del grupo del Mientras tanto, una nueva voz de disidencia en el la lucha contra Israel. ... No queremos migas de pan. Estado Islámico por crímenes de guerra, igual que a los Congreso fue atacada de inmediato. El representante Queremos regresar a nuestras tierras, queremos que funcionarios de alto nivel en el partido nazi fueron pro- Ilhan Omar, la congresista musulmana somalí-estadou- nuestros derechos conforme al derecho internacional cesados después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. “Este es nidense de Minnesota, tuiteó: “¿Cuántos manifestantes sean reconocidos”. (6 de mayo) tu momento de Nuremberg”, subrayó. más deben ser fusilados, deben dispararse cohetes y La llamada de Eid nos recuerda aquí en los EE. UU.: El 23 de abril, la Organización Nacional para la Mujer deben matarse niños hasta que termine el ciclo intermi- Ejercemos nuestro “poder popular” para continuar emitió una declaración firme en la que recordaba a nable de violencia?” nuestra máxima solidaridad con el pueblo palestino. ☐