Un conflicto amargo 12 Desafíos 12 Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 62, No. 5 Jan. 30, 2020 $1 Iraqi protests demand U.S. troops get OUT! By John Catalinotto be considered “hostile to Iraq.” The New York Times of Jan. 24 reported Hundreds of thousands— maybe that many marchers carried signs in millions— of Iraqis demonstrated in English aimed at the U.S. public such as: Baghdad, Basra and other major Iraqi “To the families of American soldiers. cities on Jan. 24. They demanded the Insist on the withdrawal of your sons from U.S. pull its remaining 5,200 troops out our country or prepare their coffins.” of Iraq. U.S. imperialism has occupied The reasons for the hatred of the U.S. Iraq since the 2003 illegal invasion of the occupation should be easy to understand: country, carried out under the phony pre- From 1990 to 2003, strict U.S. sanctions text that the Iraqi government was devel- against Iraq caused the death of 1.5 mil- oping “weapons of mass destruction.” lion Iraqis, including 500,000 children The demonstrators, who approached the under the age of five. The 2003 U.S.-led “Green Zone” where the U.S. Embassy is invasion and occupation killed hundreds located, waved the Iraqi flag and shouted: Massive anti-U.S. outpouring in Baghdad, Jan. 24. of thousands more Iraqis and displaced “Out, out with the occupier!” and “Yes to millions. Also, the U.S. exacerbated reli- sovereignty.” Iraq Security Forces esti- took place three weeks after Washington opposition has grown stronger since the gious and ethic differences that virtually mated the crowd at 250,000. Other esti- murdered Iranian General Qassem assassination of the two leaders. The destroyed Iraqi society. mates reached as high as 2.5 million. Soleimani and Iraqi military leader Abu Iraqi people fear and resist having Iraq Parallel to the movement led by Organizations associated with the Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike. be the scene for a military confrontation Al-Sadr, a massive movement over the influential Shiite leader Muktada al-Sadr While the Iraqi population in general between the U.S. and Iran. In response to past months has been protesting cor- initiated and organized the protest. It opposes the U.S. troop presence, this the assassinations, the Iraqi Parliament ruption within the Iraqi government and voted to expel the U.S. troops from their demanding Iraqi sovereignty. Al-Sadr country on Jan. 6. withdrew his prior support for this 47 years after Roe v. Wade At the Jan. 24 demonstration in movement right after the Jan. 24 demon- Baghdad, a spokesperson for Al-Sadr read stration. Iraqi government forces then the Shiite leader’s statement demanding severely repressed anti-government dem- the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the can- onstrators on Jan. 25 and 26. Fight continues for cellation of “security agreements” with Despite the internal contradictions Washington and the closure of Iraqi air- in Iraqi society— which if underesti- space to military aircraft. He warned the mated would lead to political errors— a reproductive justice U.S. president not to be arrogant toward large majority of Iraqis share opposition Iraqi representatives, saying that if the to the ongoing U.S. occupation of their U.S. did not meet the demands, it would country. ☐ By Sue Davis racist, anti-LGBTQ2+ Trump in control of the state. The 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Trump took a bold step on Jan. 24 the Supreme Court decision that legal- by being the first acting president to We say NO to imperialist war! 2, 6-7 ized women’s right to choose abortion, address the so-called “March for Life” in was Jan. 22. While religious anti-abor- Washington, D.C. The reactionary, white tion forces have been trying to overturn supremacist march has been organized by it ever since, the threat has never been the Catholic Church-backed, misnamed greater— especially with woman-hater, Continued on page 5 Honoring King’s radical legacy Seattle march 4 Oakland Moms win 7 Philadelphia, Jan. 25 Global Day of Protest. WW PHOTOS: JOE PIETTE Editorial Delbert Africa Bolton, Trump & impeachment 10 speaks out 3 Subscribe to Workers World ☐ 4 weeks trial FREE ☐ 1 year subscription $36 ☐ Sign me up for the WWP Supporter Program: workers.org/donate Venezuelan Embassy Name _______________________________________________________________ Protectors head to court 9 Email _______________________________ Phone _________________________ Street _______________________________________________________________ City / State / Zip _______________________________________________________ India 6 France 8 Workers World Weekly Newspaper workers.org 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011 212.627.2994 Puerto Rico 8 China 11 Page 2 Jan. 30, 2020 workers.org Buffalo, N.Y. Police, private security try this week to suppress antiwar rally ◆ In the U.S. State of struggle for reproductive justice .......... 1 By Nigel Bouvart National Lawyers Guild legal observer. Police, security try to suppress antiwar rally .......2 Buffalo, N.Y. Several protesters intervened when the guard attempted Following release: Delbert Africa speaks ..........3 to place the NLG observer in a headlock and finally freed Delbert Africa: Free!............................3 In conjunction with actions in the U.S. and internation- them from the guard’s grasp. Around a dozen cars from ally, some 50 anti-war activists demonstrated Jan. 25 in the Buffalo Police Department soon arrived, including Houston: Fight for fair pay for construction workers. 4 the Canalside district of the Buffalo harbor on Lake Erie. officers wielding billy clubs and lieutenants who ordered Seattle: 10,000 march to honor MLK ............4 The activists called for an end to U.S. aggression against protesters out of the street and off the adjacent Metro light Significant win for Clark College faculty...........4 Iran and for U.S. withdrawal of all military personnel from rail line. Women's liberation must be anti-capitalist ........5 the entire Middle East region. In the end, no arrests were made, and the Buffalo Protesters chanted “Iran wants peace, U.S. out of the AntiWar coalition is determined to continue demonstrat- Jan. 25: Protests against U.S. war ................6 Middle East,” “1 2 3 4, we won’t fight a rich man’s war” ing whenever and wherever necessary. UNAC Conference: Unite the antiwar movement! .. 7 and “Not U.S. land, not U.S. oil, U.S. off Iraqi soil!” Several The successful demonstration was organized by the Oakland Moms 4 Housing win................... 7 gave speeches against U.S. imperialism, the devastating Buffalo Antiwar Coalition, which includes WWP-Buffalo, Embassy Protectors speak in New York ...........9 repercussions of U.S. wars abroad for people at home and IAC-Buffalo, Western New York Peace Center, Green of the desire for peace that the people of Iran share with Party of Erie County, Veterans for Peace 128, DSA-Buffalo, Embassy Protectors face court: A trial of our times . 9 people in the U.S. U.S. Friends of the Soviet People-Buffalo and U.S. Peace When protesters attempted to march around the block, Council-Buffalo. ☐ they were intercepted by private security forces employed ◆ Around the world by LECOM Harborcenter, Iraqi protests demand U.S. troops get out ......... 1 the property of natural Worldwide protests slam Modi’s anti-Muslim law..6 gas billionaires, Terry and Kim Pegula. Activists were French say ‘No!’ to attack on retirement plan ......8 falsely informed that the Puerto Ricans protest undistributed 2017 supplies . 8 Harbor sidewalk was pri- China mobilizes to combat coronavirus ...........11 vate property and told to immediately step into the ◆ Editorials busy street. Trump, Bolton and the impeachment process ....10 While demonstrators attempted to determine Washington embraces Bolivia’s rightists .........10 if this was a legal order, ◆ Noticias en Español a security guard pushed one protester, first into Un conflicto amargo........................... 12 the street and then into a Desafíos ..................................... 12 parked vehicle. The guard then began shouting at a Buffalo, N.Y. WW PHOTO: ELLIE DORRITIE Workers World 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10011 Join us in the fight Phone: 212.627.2994 E-mail: [email protected] for socialism! Web: www.workers.org Vol. 62, No. 5 • Jan. 30, 2020 Workers World Party is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist people are gunned down by cops and bigots on a regular Closing date: Jan 29, 2020 party inside the belly of the imperialist beast. We are a basis. multinational, multigenerational and multigendered orga- The ruthless ruling class today seeks to wipe out Editor: Deirdre Griswold nization that not only aims to abolish capitalism, but to decades of gains and benefits won by hard-fought strug- Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, Martha Grevatt, build a socialist society because it’s the only way forward! gles by people’s movements. The super-rich and their Monica Moorehead, Minnie Bruce Pratt Capitalism and imperialism threaten the peoples of the political representatives have intensified their attacks on Web Editors: ABear, Harvey Markowitz, Janet Mayes 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 lenge—the capitalist system. Mazumder, Scott Williams repression, attacks on im/migrants, misogyny, LGBTQ2+ WWP fights for socialism because the working class Copyediting and Proofreading: Paddy Colligan, oppression and mistreatment of people with disabilities. produces all wealth in society, and this wealth should Sue Davis, S. Hedgecoke It means joblessness, increasing homelessness and impov- remain in their hands, not be stolen in the form of capi- Contributing Editors: LeiLani Dowell, G. Dunkel, erishment and lack of hope for the future.