It’s enough! The hour of the rising has come!

Antarsya
International Viewpoint
October 2011


The government has crossed all limits. It’s not enough that the workers, the unemployed, the young people, pensioners and professionals are plunged into misery—Finance Minister Venizelos went so far as to announce in Parliament—we should also be happy to be “under control”! The PASOK government and the interests of capital that it represents, in absolute harmony with the Troika, felt extremely positive shortly before announcing their slaughter package! The humiliation is almost perfect. At the same moment as their policy becomes bankrupt, and as working families are driven into bankruptcy, the holy alliance of government, the EU, and the IMF want to make us believe that there is no other way to save the country from bankruptcy. In reality they are the ones who lead us into bankruptcy under the control, and according to the terms of, the banks and multinational companies, the EU and the Greek industrialists (SEV).


There is another path, the path of the anti-capitalist break with the ruling order, in order to impose the interests of working people: by stopping the payments to the bankers and the cancellation of debt, by withdrawing from the euro zone and leaving the EU, by the nationalization of banks, state-owned enterprises and enterprises of strategic importance under workers’ control and without compensation, through a radical redistribution of wealth, by increasing wages, pensions and public spending in order to cover social needs and to create jobs by an adequate capital tax and the redistribution of profits through the cancellation of bank debts for those without vast fortunes, and for the unemployed.
We wont pay your poll taxes!

We shall bring about your downfall

The unified mass political movement will open the way, an uprising of all workers and of the entire population is needed here and now! With unlimited strikes and a nationwide general strike, with occupations as they have already begun in the ministries, with militant demonstrations, and with the democratic coordination of the branches that started fighting and of the rank and file basic trade union units, things can move beyond the bureaucratic leaderships of GSEE (private sector) and ADEDY (public service). Through the united struggle of student occupations and unlimited strikes we can win! It is time for a popular uprising that will lead to the overthrow of the government of shame, that will unshackle the rule of EU, IMF and capital and that will seal the defeat of the black bloc of PASOK, ND and LAOS. All the forces of the Left and the movement involved in the struggles must contribute through their joint action to an unprecedented revolutionary movement.

ANTARSYA fights for the abolition of capitalist barbarism as a whole and is involved with all its forces in the current conflict.

ANTARSYA, 21 Sep 2011

-ANTARSYA is an alliance of the anti-capitalist revolutionary left in Greece. It includes OKDE-Spartakos, Greek section of the Fourth Inrternational, and SEK, Socialist Workers’ Party, member of the International Socialist Tendency.

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Police Attack Occupy Melbourne

This is the first footage I took on my phone at the Occupy Melbourne Protest. The police are starting to push the protest from the intersection of Swanston and Burke Streets. They would keep pushing until we reached Trades Hall. I will be putting some more footage up from the day soon.

Earlier in the day police had violently attacked the camp in city square a making large number of arrests. The eviction has been justified on the basis of the legality, or lack, of camping in public spaces.

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ETA Announces Ceasfire

[The following statement from Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA - Basque Homeland and Freedom) was made on October 20, 2011, it outlines it reasons for making a definitive ceasefire. Hopefully this action along with the political dynamics that has lead to it will result in a significant growth in the struggle for socilaism, democracy and independence in Euskal Herria].

ETA, socialist revolutionary Basque organisation of national liberation,
desires through this declaration to announce its decision:

ETA considers that the international conference held recently in the
Euskal Herria [Basque Country] is an initiative of great political
transcendence. The agreed resolution brings together the ingredients for
an integrated solution to the conflict and has the support of large
sectors of Basque society and of the international community.

In Euskal Herria, a new political age is opening. We face a historic
opportunity to obtain a just and democratic solution to the age-old
political conflict.

Faced with violence and repression, dialogue and agreement must
characterise the new age. The recognition of Euskal Herria and respect
for popular will must prevail over any imposition. This is the will of
the majority of Basque citizens.

The struggle of many years has created this opportunity. It has not been
an easy road. The rawness of the struggle has claimed many companions
forever. Others are suffering jail or exile. To these our recognition
and heartfelt homage. From here on, the road will not be easy either.
Facing the imposition which still remains, every step, every
achievement, will be fruit of the effort and struggle of Basque
citizens. Throughout the years Euskal Herria has accumulated the
experience and strength necessary to tackle this road and it also has
the determination to do it.

It is time to look to the future with hope, it is also time to act with
responsibility and valour.

Because of all this, Eta has decided on the definitive cessation of its
armed activity. Eta makes a call to the governments of Spain and France
to open a process of direct dialogue which has as its aim the resolution
of the consequences of the conflict and thus the conclusion of the armed
conflict. With this historic declaration, Eta demonstrates its clear,
firm and definitive purpose.

Eta finally calls on Basque society to get involved in this process
until peace and liberty are achieved.

Long live the free Euskal Herria, Long live Basque socialism, no rest
until independence and socialism.

In Euskal Herria, 20 October 2011

Euskadi Ta Askatasuna

ETA
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Community Action Against Auctioning People's Property

This video was posted on Kathleen Hanna's Blog.

Community action against the foreclosure and auctioning of people's property in Brooklyn. Nine activists were arrested as part of the protest

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Solidarity from International Council of Car Workers

Originally Pulbished at International Viewpoint
October 2011

This is a message of solidarity sent by participants in the International Council of Car Workers (CITA) to the European Conference of Workers in the Car Industry, held at the International Institute for Research and Education in Amsterdam on May 28-29, 2011. We have also published Declaration of the European Car Workers’ Conference an overview at Creating cross-border links between militants and Ford Blanquefort, an example from the same event.


Dear colleagues,

As participants in the International Council of Car Workers (CITA), we give greetings and wish you much success for your European meeting of car workers. Thank you for your invitation. Unfortunately, for reasons of timing, we cannot be with you.


At the 6th international Council of Car Workers, in late 2009 in Germany, with 450 participants from 17 countries, we adopted an international program of struggle for car workers. It took into account a comprehensive restructuring of the global industry and the consequences of the battle of mutual destruction of the carmakers for car workers and their families.

In fact, tens of thousands of jobs have been destroyed, wages have been reduced, in particular in the United States, Russia, Spain and Italy, not to mention the closure of the Opel plant in Antwerp. In Europe, Opel has reduced its workforce by 10,000, or 20%. Opel workers in Bochum (Germany) have been informed of massive layoffs of about 1,200 jobs.

The initial impact of the world economic and financial crisis was attenuated by partial unemployment and, often, an increase in compensation. With scrappage schemes and significant discounts an even deeper collapse of production was avoided in many countries. But now, the increase in exploitation, the concentration of car companies and considerable job destruction has become more apparent.

In many companies, daily struggles are on-going against increased exploitation, for higher wages and so on. The huge expansion of production capacities, particularly in the BRICs, is based on each group’s hope of outdoing its competitors. We must therefore expect new restructurings related to closures of factories, massive layoffs and so on.

Against the various attempts at division by management, it is necessary to forge the unity of workers around the whole world!

In the factories, political debate is lively and not only on the immediate issues of work. Because the capitalist system is showing its overall decay, like its inhuman energy policy, indifferent to deaths, like the nuclear disaster in Japan, its economic and financial crises and its wars in Afghanistan, Libya, Ivory Coast and so on.

The Fukushima nuclear disaster brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets in Germany. The international working class should get even more involved in the fight for the preservation of the natural environment. Among other things, this question is very important in our activities because the crisis of the environment and the exploitation of workers have the same cause: the pursuit without end of the maximum profit. The fight to save the bases of life for humanity, the struggle for a better future, without exploitation and oppression, requires class awareness and organization. Our Council has always said: we will think beyond the system of capitalist profit and we will discuss a social alternative.

We hope that your meeting will be a success and we want to take this opportunity to invite you also to our 7th Council of Car Workers from May 7-20, 2012 in Munich, Germany (more information can be read on our site: www.automobilarbeiterratschlag ))

Militant greetings and solidarity,

Fritz Hoffman, Ulrich Ittermann, Birgit Schumann

(participants in the International Council of Auto Workers)

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Italian unions mobilize against austerity plan

International Metalworkers' Federation
August 31 2011

The Italian metalworkers’ unions, FIOM, FIM and UILM mobilize against the government’s plans for cuts and retrenchments, that disproportionally hit workers and pensioners, while protecting the wealthy, overpaid politicians and high-ranking state officials. Sit-ins, rallies and a 8 hour general strike are planned for September 1-6.


ITALY: FIM and UILM, and their national centres CISL and UIL, demand the immediate withdrawal of the austerity measures concerning pensions, and will demonstrate in front of the Senate on September 1 against "inadequate measures that hit the usual victims instead of those who created the national debt." They urge the government to withdraw the pension measures, and to concentrate on combating tax evasion, on big fortunes and on the costs of the political system in order to remedy the lack of resources.

FIOM prepares a series of initiatives on September 5 and 6 against the government's plans, the attack on workers and on workers' rights. The national centre CGIL calls for an 8 hour national general strike on September 6 in all sectors to demand changes in the government's austerity plan of August 12. Rallies and demonstrations will be organized in all Italian counties.

The government's austerity plan is considered unequal and ineffective to counter the social, economic and financial crisis affecting Italy.

"The government's measures puts burdens only on workers' and pensioners' shoulders, cutting public sector wages, jobs and services, reducing public funds for municipalities and local authorities and imposing solidarity taxes only on incomes and revenues, preserving private property and wealth."

The government also interferes in industrial relations and divides the social partners, CGIL says, distorting the contents of the agreement on the representativeness recently reached between the main social partners. Without any economic and financial justification, it introduces rules to reduce individuals' protection against indiscriminate firings.

No provision to support growth and employment, particularly for young people, is included in the government package, says CGIL.

Instead of the government's austerity plan, the CGIL proposes several measures designed to boost growth and revenues, such as:

• a structural plan to fight tax evasion, amounting to 130 billion euro per year
• an extraordinary tax on large real estates, generating 12 billion euro
• an ordinary tax on wealth over 800,000 euro, generating income of 15 billion euro
• a reduction of the costs of the political system, politicians and public administrators, a wage ceiling for high-ranking state officials and reductions at public local companies that do not produce services - generating cost savings of up to 8.5 billion euro
• a "Growth and innovation fund" to invest in the insertion of young people in the labour market
• support for incomes, by reducing taxation for workers and pensioners.

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Gaddafi falls, let the people decide

Statement by the NPA, 21 August 2011
Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste (NPA)
From International Viewpoint


On February 15 and 16, 2011 after the fall of Ben Ali and Mubarak, it was the turn of Libya to see a popular movement develop against a 42 year old dictatorship. The arrest of a human rights activist in Benghazi led to riots to demand his release, which Gaddafi met with violent repression. This was the opposite effect which happened: resistance, the liberation of Benghazi from the yoke of Gaddafi’s representatives and the extension of the revolt to the neighbouring towns and regions.

The revolutionary processes underway in Tunisia and in Egypt gave courage to resist repression. Over the last six months, the revolt has spread while, one month later, under cover of a resolution from the UN, the member countries of NATO attempted to hijack the process underway by an aerial military intervention. The NPA condemned this intervention. Its objectives were clear: to cover up for their support until the end, past and present, of the dictatorships in place, while getting their hands on a country rich in oil and gas resources.

The fall of the dictator Gaddafi is good news for the peoples. The NPA is entirely in solidarity with the revolutionary process which continues in the Arab region. To finish this process the peoples will need to vanquish the two faces of the counter revolution: that of the dictatorships, starting with that of Bashar al Assad in Syria, and that of the confiscation of their destiny by the imperialist powers.

A new life opens for the Libyan people. Freedom, democratic rights, the use of the wealth originating from natural resources for the satisfaction of the fundamental needs of the people are now on the agenda.

August 21, 2011.

-The Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste was founded in February 2009, on the proposal of the LCR, French section of the Fourth International. As a broad anti-capitalist party it is not itself linked to any international current. The members in France of the Fourth International are in the NPA.

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