MAY DAY 2018

MAY DAY 2018
Yesterday, was May Day – Day of International Working Class Unity and Struggle.
All over the globe workers and other working people took to the streets to commemorate May Day demonstrate their solidarity and unity in their various struggles for political, economic, trade union, social and other rights.
In some places, workers defied bans imposed by governments on marches and protests in Turkey and elsewhere.
In Chile, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, France and other countries pitched battles raged as demonstrators defied police barricades and tear gas attacks to defend their right to march and celebrate this day of the Working Class..
In Germany, Sweden and Poland neo-Nazi and other fascist groups also took to the streets attempting to promote the racist and anti-worker policies of the most anti-democratic forces, particularly in the European-US axis.
In many countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia,  Africa and elsewhere trade union and other protests targeted the austerity programmes implemented by various governments.
In Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea and some other countries, there were celebrations of the advances of the working class in its struggle to assume the central role in transformation of the economy, politics and society for the creation of a new world, for independence and society’s progress and the end of exploitation and war.
The global demonstrations and events, including the union march organised in San Fernando on May Day, are all examples of the vigorous resistance of the fighting workers who are building their unity and standing up for their rights everywhere.
Through their austerity and ‘recovery’ programmes, governments are creating laws and taking measures to facilitate schemes to ensure the transfer of resources and profits of the monopolies and destroy state arrangements which protect workers’ rights that have been won by long and hard struggles.
This pro-monopoly and anti-social offensive is being resisted by the workers and people building their unity and strength in numbers to defend and advance their rights, to oppose the increasing use of police powers, the rise of fascist anti-immigrant politics and to oppose destructive wars.
May Day is the symbol for the working class and its historical role to establish a system in which they decide the direction of the economy, guarantee the rights of all, protect and improve the natural and social environments and determine a future in favour of public right versus private right, in favour of peace and not war and in favour of freedom and not exploitation and oppression.
At this time, the threats of war and openly fascist regimes is a real and present danger. The rise of the neo-Nazi and racist policies against immigrants, the continuous beating of war drums in Washington, London, Paris, Moscow etc, must be resisted.
The threats and use of missile strikes against Syria, Iran is part of preparation for the continuation of war in the Middle East. The threats against Venezuela and other countries who defy the dictate of the major world powers. The ongoing and escalating trade war among the big powers striving for global domination. The race for new conquest of the resources of Africa among those powers. All of these are examples of the danger to world peace posed by the fight among the old and new hegemonic powers still seeking global domination.
This May Day not only acknowledges the determination and resistance of the workers of the world to stand up for their rights and interests.
It also reinforces the Necessity for the working class to develop its own independent politics and to fight to halt the exercise of political power of the Minority which operates through governments of police powers, no longer of laws.
Those who hold control of the economy and politics are demanding that the workers and people give their resistance and submit completely to their dictate that society must serve the interest of the minority ruling elite.
The fight for democratizing the electoral and political processes so the people can participate in governing themselves directly is the path to defeat the imposing of the burden of economic crisis on the working people, to defeat the increasingly anti-democratic rule and the preparations of destructive wars.
To ensure the future, the workers must step up their efforts to unite, organise, organise and engage in actions to change the political process so that the workers and people have a real say in the decisions that affect them; decide the agenda for the economy and society.
This is the essence of May Day.
 
Clyde Weatherhead
A Citizen Fighting for
Democratic Renewal
of Our Society
2 May 2018

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