Category: Statements

May 16, 2018

The world should tremble at the sight of the innocent blood being shed on Palestinian soil.

More than half a century ago, David Ben Gurion, executive head of the World Zionist Organization proclaimed the Declaration of the Establishment of Israel on May 14, 1948. The following day sparks the beginning of Nakbah or the catastrophe for the Palestinian people as 750,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or have been displaced from their villages.

On the eve of the 70th commemoration of Nakbah, the imperialist state of America under the Trump regime moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, stating that Jerusalem is the capital of the Zionist state of Israel. Despite the international condemnation, representatives from 32 countries including the Philippines attended the inauguration. Protest on different cities sparked that day. Palestinians and supporters have been arrested but none would have anticipated the cold blood murders that took place in Gaza.

Gaza is the biggest open-air prison in the entire world with it’s 2 million residents isolated from the rest of Palestine, deprived of their fundamental right to electricity, water, food, and education. Gaza had enough of 70 years of illegal settlers killing generation after generation of Palestinians.

From al-Jalil (Galilee) to Ar’ arat an-Naqab, nationwide strikes organized by the Palestinians were held to oppose Israeli’s announcement to expropriate thousands of acres of lands. Every year since March 30, 1976, Palestinians commemorate the Land Day with protests actions.

Gazans marked the 42nd commemoration of Land Day with protests along the armistice line between Gaza and Israel. Tires were burnt and rocks were thrown against the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) while they were being shot with live bullets and droned with gas bombs and tear gas and yet more and more Palestinians joined the protest of the Great Return March that cultivated yesterday, May 15, 2018.

Trump was right, Israel created another history for killing 65 Palestinians in Gaza and wounding at least 3000. This number will continue to increase as long as the Zionist state of Israel exists. Palestinians have long respected Israel’s desire to live alongside them but Israel brought nothing but injustice and impunity to the Palestinians.

We, in Anakbayan-Europe strongly condemn the mass killings of the Palestinians not just of the recent event but since the establishment of the Zionist state. We recognize Palestinian right to resist. The recent even in Gaza is not an act of terrorism, what kind of terrorist organization will use slingshots and stones? Wooden sticks or tennis rackets and scrap metals to resist the bullets and gas bombs of one of the world’s most advanced military troops, the IDF? What act of terrorism did the 8-month old child commit for her to die from suffocation? The real terrorists are the ones in the White House, the ones in the Knesset and Malacañang. The real terrorists are the puppet regimes they have long installed to oppress the sovereign nations all because of land.

The form of oppression that the Palestinians are facing might be different than the monster we grew familiar with back home, but we recognize the face of the enemy even from afar. It matters not if it wears the face of religious war quoting from the old testament, the enemy of the Palestinians and Filipinos are the same and it is the imperialist state of the US, the Zionist Israel, the Duterte regime and its allies. To end all the oppression the only solution there is for us is a revolution. Be it in the form of freedom fighters or guerrillas in the countryside, it has become the duty of our generation to participate in the struggle for national liberation, for the ruling class will not give our freedom in peace. They will not hesitate to shed more blood and plunder more land. It is therefore not surprising the more and more people especially youth are joining the struggle. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Zionist state of Israel for its decades-long ethnic cleansing against the people of Palestine!

We as Filipinos have known what is it like to have our lands stolen. From Spanish colonization to US imperialism, there is no real independence for the Filipino people. We have come to know the demolition of our indigenous people’s community. The Moros in Mindanao are under siege and their villages being bombarded as well as their schools. Urban poor communities in the cities are being confronted by demolitions disguised as rehabilitation. We know the face of development aggression cause by the foreign powers. Like the Palestinian farmers, ours has no land to till. Like the olive trees of the Palestinian families, our crops are being taken by the landlords.

The Great Return March will start the prairie fire not just for the rest of Palestine but for all the people and nations that have fallen victim to imperialist war. The homeless, the migrants and refugees, the displaced shall return and we shall take back what is rightfully ours! Our enemies will do everything to suppress the uprising for it fears the victory of the people. But together through the leadership of the working class we will march forward to victory!

The young and the old will never forget the names of the martyrs, we will say the names of the martyrs with pride and honor. The war is cruel but the reason behind the war behind it is much more cruel, for it is a war against the rich and the poor. It is a war of capital. But the war that the people of Palestine and Philippines is waging is a just one for it will liberate all the oppressed nations and peoples of the world, it is a people’s war for the people’s peace!

We give the highest honor to the martyrs of Palestine. The youth and student leaders who selflessly stood in the front line with only rocks and slingshots to defend their people and reclaim their land with their lives. You do not die in vain, the day will come when your olive trees will bloom again and the harvest will be yours. Your children and the children of your children will return to your ancestral homes and villages and Jerusalem will be the capital of Palestine again. You will no longer have to live in the cold refugee camps. We will return.

We urge the international community to put pressure on your government. Boycott! Divest! Sanction! Join mass protests and expose the reality that is happening in Palestine.

Palestine! Your freedom is the freedom for us all!

From the river Jordan to the Mediterranean sea, Palestine shall be free!
From Palestine to the Philippines stop the US war machine!
Boycott Israel!
Worldwide intifada until return!

April 30,2018

On the May 1st 2018 International Workers’ Day: Migrants and workers of the world unite!

As the global economic crisis boils up, the ruling powers are aggressively bolstering the oppressive social order that afflicts the majority of the masses. US imperialism is now more than ever eager to launch wars of aggression for the sake of sustaining its war-based economy at the behest of global monopoly capitalists and the warmongering monsters of the military industrial complex. Wherever it goes, it wreaks havoc on its path.

In the Philippines, the puppet US-Duterte regime finds pleasure in its harlotry with imperialist rivals China and the United States. We have seen how death and destruction has engulfed the city of Marawi for the sake of expanding EDCA-compliant military bases that will host more American troops while our territorial waters on the West Philippine Sea are now teeming with artificial islands guarded by Chinese military forces.

These devastating imperialist conquests are all attributable to monopoly capitalism and its ravenous greed salivating after the extraction and exploitation of our natural resources while subjecting the Filipino people to all sorts of neoliberal attacks. Boozed in his puppetry, Duterte still had the nerve to implore for patriotism from OFWs in Kuwait by urging them to come back, only to retract it later by pointing to China as their next destination.

Approaching his second year in office, the US-Duterte regime is clearly placing the interests of big corporations above the rights and welfare of the working class by legitimizing contractualization, flexible working schemes, union-busting and the perpetuation of regional wage boards. Moreover, unemployment, landlessness and privatization of public services inflict more pain and agony to our poor farmers and workers. Adding insult to injury, this year’s imposition of Duterte’s TRAIN law caused prices of basic commodities to spike rapidly. We can really be certain that under these conditions, millions more of our countrymen will leave the country to look for greener pastures abroad. Desperation has even caused many to end up working in war-torn and hostile countries. Duterte’s attitude on the issue of the OFWs in Kuwait and the case of MJ Veloso displays his lack of a clear and comprehensive program to resolve the long-standing problem of the migrant workers.

All over the Philippines, relentless killings and bombings have gripped communities and displaced hundreds of thousands. A few days ago, armed security ruffians opened fire at protesting farmers in Nueva Ecija. In Cagayan Valley, Father Mark Ventura was gunned down before his congregants just after officiating over his Sunday mass. The government’s fake war on drugs is claiming more and more lives in poor communities while big drug-lords are absolved of their crimes.

There is no denying that US-Duterte is waging war against the people by unleashing State-terror to establish his Fascist dictatorship. But the growing intensity of our unwavering resistance continues to frustrate his vicious ambitions. No amount of state-led repression or intimidation will ever immunize Duterte from the waxing outrage of the struggling Filipino masses. We rest in our strong faith that workers in unity with the farmers and other patriotic sectors will emerge victorious in the battle against Fascism and Imperialism.

The tempest still rages but let us keep pressing on in demanding for genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization to decisively address the roots of forced migration and underdevelopment in our country. As we continually realize our collective strength by struggling for the attainment of justice and national democracy, let us take inspiration from the working men and women of ages past who braved all hardships and persecutions when they fought unjust working schemes that deprived them of their rights and benefits.

The International Workers’ Day is the day when we glorify and honor all workers who struggle to build a just new world where the current oppressive order will finally be abolished and thrown into the dustbin of history. Migrante International salutes all progressive Filipino workers in their strong resolve to build a strong labor movement in the country for the liberation of the entire working class not only in the Philippines but in the entire world.

Migrants and workers of the world unite!

We have nothing to lose but our chains!

Long live the labor movement!

http://www.anakbayan.org/anakbayan-decries-charges-filed-vs-youth-leaders/

February 1, 2018

Youth group Anakbayan strongly condemns the filing of charges against its national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo, secretary general Einstein Recedes, and other progressive leaders over their alleged hand in inciting violence during the Nov. 13 anti-Trump protest in line with the ASEAN Summit last year.

On January 30, the Manila Office of the City Prosecutor issued a subpoena against Crisostomo, Recedes, Rep. Carlos Zarate and Teddy Casino of Bayan Muna, and Renato Reyes of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), over charges of direct assault with physical injury, resistance and disobedience to a person in authority, and violation of Public Assembly Act of 1985.

Undoubtedly, this is Duterte’s crackdown in action. The subpoena came just days after the deranged president threatened that he will go after legal and progressive organizations deemed as “communist legal fronts” and “enemies of the state.” It is meant to harass the youth leaders in lieu of massive walkout protests against the Duterte government scheduled on Feb. 1 and 23.

After being exposed as a complete US lackey during the ASEAN protests, he is now using legal institutions to pursue staunch critics and prevent them from further exposing the US-Duterte regime’s corrupt and fascist ways. This calibrated attack affirms Duterte’s subservience to the whims of US, which has been further cemented following Trump’s visit.

Anakbayan firmly stands that the protest is rightfully justified. For over a century, US imperialism has plundered our natural resources and kept our economy backward, and it has lorded over virtually all aspects of our country’s affairs. It is therefore completely rational to assail the US-Duterte regime’s anti-people policies and hold it accountable for its atrocities against the Filipino people.

By intimidating and harassing progressive leaders, the fascist regime is unwittingly catalyzing the upsurge of the student movement. As such, the US-Duterte regime can only expect more youth and students to take to the streets in droves to frustrate his ascent to absolute political power.

The youth has said it many times, but we will not get tired of reiterating this: No amount of intimidation and harassment can diminish our revolutionary fervor. If anything, these attacks only firm up our resolution to carry on with the fight against tyranny and, ultimately, for the liberation of the Filipino people from the shackles of a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society

https://www.migrante.eu/international-migrants-alliance-usa-ima-usa-statement-may-day-2017/

Migrant Workers and Refugees Rise Up!

Build solidarity with workers and oppressed and exploited peoples of the world!

The International Migrants Alliance-USA Chapter (IMA-USA) stands with all the workers of the world on May 1st, International Workers’ Day.

Ironically, it was in the United States where International Workers’ Day was initiated. Workers in Chicago started a general strike on May 1, 1886 to demand an 8-hour work day. A few days later, some workers were killed by state forces, prompting the bombing at the Haymarket Square, also known as the Haymarket Massacre. Around the world, International Workers’ Day has been commemorated on May 1, except for North America — the United States and Canada.

In recent years, the workers and migrants rights movement in the United States has reclaimed May 1 as International Workers’ Day. In December 2005, the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act, also known as H.R. 4437 or Sensenbrenner Bill, was proposed in the 109th United States Congress criminalizing working-class undocumented migrants and those who would be found helping them. This prompted the mobilization of millions of migrant workers into the streets in different parts of the country on May 1, 2006.

As the United States of America enters a new period under the Trump administration in 2017 — a brazenly fascist, racist and anti-im/migrant president — within his first 100 days in office, we have seen his administration attack immigrants, migrant workers, and working-class people of color through his proposed Executive Orders.

Banning of Muslims, heightened raids in communities, profiling people of color in different parts of the country, continuous deportation of migrants and his plans of building the wall at the Mexican border are only the beginning of his open anti-im/migrant attacks. Trump has also made clear in his pronouncements that refugees are not welcome to the United States.

As migrant workers and refugees, we have long been forcibly displaced victims of the ravages of U.S. Imperialism. With its huge demand for cheap labor to sustain its capitalist needs, to the imperialist and proxy wars that the U.S. has been waging all over the world, displacing peoples from their home countries and resulting in forced migration and the current refugee crisis, Trump has only intensified the U.S. imperialist crises in different global regions. We can expect Trump to continue the horrendous legacy of past U.S. presidents, but we predict he will only worsen these problems, including the climate crisis as a professed climate change denier.

In this light, we call on all migrant workers and refugees to stand up against this new face of U.S. imperialism, still the most powerful among the world super-powers. Trump has pitted the U.S. working class against migrant workers and refugees, and so we must strive to create bridges, not bans or walls, to connect our struggles together.

We must build the broadest alliances and mass movements with the working-class peoples and the most oppressed and exploited communities around the world, forging strong international solidarity to resist the neoliberal policies advanced by U.S. imperialism and its representatives across the globe.

This May Day 2017, just like when it was called for in 1886, we support the calls for a general strike and to shut down businesses who do not support the struggles of the working-class, whether migrants, people of color and/or U.S.-born.

A tyrant can only be defeated by the people’s collective voices, efforts and power. Let us march together as IMA-USA and advance people’s movements and struggles to greater heights!

Migrant workers, refugees, and workers of the world unite!

No to deportations! No bans! No walls! No to U.S. imperialist wars!

Anakbayan-Europe,

November 26, 2016

Our generation has been spared from the dark days of Martial Law declared by the Dictator Ferdinand Marcos four decades ago. To permit Marcos to be buried at the Heroes Cemetery is a great insult to the martyrs of the Martial Law days who fought for what we, especially millennials are practicing today.

On November 8, 2016 the Supreme Court of the Philippines rejected the protests and petitions of the Filipino people that the Dictator Marcos is inapt to be buried at the Heroes Cemetery. In a 9-5 split decision, the SC proves where its loyalty lies.

During the 10 years of military rule in the country, oppositions have been witch-hunted that resulted to 70,000 Filipinos arbitrarily detained, an estimated number of 34,000 were odiously tortured, extra-judicial killings numbered to 3,240 and thousands remained missing.

Having plundered the wealth of the nation and collaborating with the imperialists forces, the father of the Labour Export Policy (LEP) has now been buried as ‘hero’.

Anakbayan-Europe decry the treacherous decision of the Supreme Court and the support of President Rodrigo Duterte. Marcos exported not only the country’s natural resources but as well as its citizens, paving way to the 10% of the Filipino people working abroad.

We denounce the national disgrace of the SC, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and the Marcos’ family against the Filipino people. Ferdinand Marcos deserves not to rest in peace as thousands of family still grieve their martyrs and disappeared, as thousands of Martial Law survivors still suffer from traumas and emotional wreckage from his atrocities. The Marcos family should not have victory over the decision of the SC, they are as accountable as Ferdinand himself.

Anakbayan-Europe supports the Filipino people in the Philippines and around the world as different sectors of the Philippine society staged protests and campaigns to revise the order of the SC and not the history. We support the Filipino migrants whose family has been wrecked due to the LEP that Marcos implemented. We support the millennials whose 10% grew up with [n]either one of their parents. We recognize that these are the Filipino people who overthrew the Dictator Marcos, that the victims of the Marcos’ military rules were mostly patriotic youth.

We denounce the continuous revisions of our history!

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER!

MABUHAY ANG MGA BAYANI NG MARTIAL LAW!

MABUHAY ANG MGA KABATAANG LUMALABAN!

Anakbayan-Europe

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