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January 16-31, 2011
Volume 19 - Number 2
$1
Prolétaires
de tous les pays, unissez-vous!
Otatoskewak ota kitaskinahk mamawestotan!
Workers of all lands, unite
CONTENTS
1) ALL OUT JAN. 29 IN
HAMILTON - PEOPLE VS. US STEEL
2) BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN
GROWING IN MONTREAL
3) MY BEEF WITH
STEPHEN AND DON
4) CHILD
POVERTY REMAINS HIGH IN B.C.
5) VOISEY'S BAY
TALKS COLLAPSE
6) ROB FORD SHOWS
ANTI-ENVIRONMENT STRIPES
7) THE
CONSEQUENCES OF HATE - Editorial
8) WHERE'S ROBIN
HOOD WHEN WE NEED HIM? - Editorial
9) "KEEP YOUR FEET
ON THE GROUND AND YOUR EYES ON THE STARS"
10) "WE SHALL BUILD
A FUTURE OF JUSTICE, EQUALITY, PEACE, HOPE AND JOY"
11) WESTERN SAHARA
HIGHLIGHTED AT YOUTH FESTIVAL
12) GLOBAL MIGRANT
NUMBERS TO HIT 400 MILLION
13) BEHIND
IMPERIALISM'S GANG-UP ON THE IVORY COAST
14) LIFE IMPRISONMENT
FOR ARGENTINA'S EXECUTIONER
15) RAPA NUI PEOPLE
ATTACKED BY CHILEAN POLICE
16) WHAT’S LEFT
17) CLARTÉ (en français)
18) THE SPARK! (Theoretical
and Discussion Bulletin of the Communist Party of
19) INTRODUCING MARX
21) PV MOBILE
PEOPLE'S
VOICE JANUARY 16-31, 2011 (pdf)
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The Spark!
The Spark! The latest issue of The Spark! theoretical
journal, is now on sale for $5 at Communist Party offices (see p. 8) or People’s
Co-op Books, Articles include
plus reviews, editorials, and more.
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Theoretical
and Discussion Bulletin of the Communist Party of |
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People's Voice deadlines: February 1-15 February 16-28 Send submissions to PV Editorial Office,
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REDS
ON THE WEB |
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People's Voice finds many "Global Class Struggle" reports at the "Labour Start" website, http://www.labourstart.org/. We urge our readers to check it out! |
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(The following articles are from the Jan. 16-31, 2011,
issue of People's
1) ALL OUT JAN. 29 IN
By Liz Rowley
Across Ontario, Labour Councils and local unions are mobilizing for the
"People vs US Steel Rally" being organized on January 29 by Local
1005 USW, whose 900 members and 9,000 Hamilton pensioners have been locked out
since November 7.
Local 1005 President Rolf Gerstenberger says the union, the whole community and
the country are under attack by this giant
The Local is calling on supporters across
As he did for striking miners and smelterworkers in
The immediate issue in the lock‑out is the Local's refusal to accept the
de‑indexing of pensions affecting the living standards and purchasing
power of 9,000 retirees. US Steel also wants to replace the defined benefit
(DB) pension plan with a defined contribution plan - a jumped up RRSP-type
savings plan that guarantees no income security to workers in their retirement
years. But it does offer big savings ‑ and increased profits ‑ to
companies which use pension funds to gamble on the stock markets. The winnings
go to the coupon clippers, while the losses are always collected by pensioners,
as Nortel Networks retirees know only too well.
The other big issue is Canadian sovereignty and control over the key sectors of
the economy, and primary and secondary industry, and manufacturing in the first
place. Two decades after the first Canada‑US free trade deal was signed,
and since the foreign takeovers began in mining and steel, there is very little
left in these industries that is not already foreign-owned or controlled.
Further, these multi‑nationals are operating in
In less than 10 years,
The union thinks US "Steal" has no intention of re‑starting the
blast furnaces or any other part of basic steel production in
It's become obvious that the real reason for the purchase of Stelco was to
mothball the operations, turning Canada from a basic steel producer to a
marketplace for US Steel products.
But the union is challenging that "future", demanding that
governments take action to protect the city and community, its workers and
retirees, and its industrial base.
Foreign ownership and monopoly control is the elephant in the room, and the
union is demanding that federal and provincial governments act immediately to
prosecute US Steel for price‑fixing and for reneging on its obligations
under the purchase agreement.
The union also wants to maintain the previous collective agreement for another
three years. That means the workers go back to work under the existing
contract, and the company drops its pension demands.
But
Local 1005 is right: this fight won't be won at the bargaining table. It will
take a whole community, and the whole labour movement to defeat US Steel, and
all the other corporations waiting to see what happens in
The Communist Party fully supports the union's demands, and further, calls for
the nationalization under public democratic control, of US Steel operations in
The CPC is also calling on the provincial government to compel US Steel to
return to the bargaining table to negotiate an early and just settlement with
Local 1005.
2) BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN GROWING IN
PV Montreal Bureau
"Pseudo‑intellectuals, fanatics, radical‑leftists, extremists,
and a poor excuse for a public servant who should resign."
These are just some of the cheap insults aimed at local Montreal residents
organizing with Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU), who have been braving the
cold for the past several months, pushing back against products from the
Israeli‑apartheid regime being retailed in local stores.
Their campaign aims to make
"Just because a business is in my riding, I am not going to abandon my
principles," Khadr told the Montreal Gazette recently. Le Marcheur
retails a brand of Israeli shoes made by Rishon Lizon. It is located in Mercier
(which was also the riding of Fred Rose, federal Labour Progressive Party MP
many years before). Both PAJU and later Khadr made written appeals in advance
to the owners to drop the product.
News stories have been particularly sharp, with coverage also in the pages of
Israeli and
What they can't stand is that polls show the MNA from the left-wing party has a
45% approval rating, making him the most popular politician in
The picket line is not PAJU's first participation in the growing international
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Last fall, the group also helped
host a major cross-Canada conference on BDS in
For that reason the spirit on the picket line is up‑beat and firm,
despite frosty temperatures and misinformation by aggressive Zionist bloggers.
"My mother went to the store," wrote one blogger and "was
greeted by about a hundred threatening Arabs with Hezbollah flags shouting anti‑Semitic
slogans and blocking the street completely."
People's Voice supporters have joined the picket repeatedly since it began in
October. We have seen an orderly event of twenty to fifty people, from all
walks of life, including trade unionists, students, Jews and Palestinians.
They've chosen to respect the law, marshalling on the sidewalk, but not
blocking traffic. Despite police efforts to remove them, they hold banners
high, fly a few Palestinian flags, and distribute a graphic leaflet on BDS.
"Help the owner make the right decision!" the leaflet says. "If
the owner decides to remove the shoes made in Apartheid
It's a just call.
3) MY BEEF WITH STEPHEN AND DON
By Kimball Cariou
It's been an interesting week since Hockey Fans For Peace hit the media radar.
As co-founder, I've watched the small membership of our Facebook group suddenly
triple, and I've done some major radio sports talk show interviews.
Overall, the response has been great. Hockey fans across North America have
contacted us, delighted that a group of fans has formed to speak out against
the war in
This whole thing was largely sparked by Cherry's ugly rant at the inauguration
of the
But many hockey fans across
It's difficult these days to find a major sports event which does not
incorporate reference to "our brave troops in
The psychological aim of this strategy is to sow divisions among Canadians,
particularly among the solid majority who want an early return home for the
troops in
Anyone who questions this reasoning is immediately under suspicion. Such
individuals are somehow not considered true fans or "patriotic"
Canadians. Supposedly we "spit in the faces" of the troops. We are
even accused of being "Taliban recruiters." (A
For fans like me on the Left, such outrageous lies are easy to dismiss. My
credentials as a lifetime "true fan" of sports at every level are
impeccable. I bleed Roughrider green when I cut my finger, or else the "bleu, blanc et rouge" of les Canadiens. I have a letter signed
by
But for many Canadians who consider themselves sports fans, this campaign of
intimidation can be stifling. That's why launching Hockey Fans For Peace was so
important. We are showing the world that people can love hockey and speak out
against the war. We won't let right-wing bullies dictate our beliefs and
actions. We will keep cheering for our favourite teams, and we will continue to
demand the immediate removal of Canadian troops from
So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Don and Stephen!
(Readers can find Hockey Fans For Peace
on Facebook.)
4) CHILD POVERTY REMAINS HIGH IN B.C.
BC Campaign 2000 has released its latest annual report on child poverty. The
child poverty rate in
The 2010 Child Poverty Report Card was prepared by First Call: BC Child and
Youth Advocacy Coalition and the Social Planning and Research Council of BC.
"Child and family poverty simply won't disappear on its own," said
Adrienne Montani, provincial coordinator of First Call. Montani said 2008 could
have the lowest poverty figures of the decade. The recession that started in
late 2008 is almost certain to produce higher poverty figures in 2009 and 2010.
Indicators such as increases in 2009 and 2010 in food bank use and families on
income assistance signal this anticipated rise.
Other key findings include:
*
The risk of poverty for female lone‑parent families is 31%, two and a
half times greater than for children in 2‑parent families, but the
majority of poor children (67%) live in two‑parent families.
*
The vast majority of BC's poor children live in families with some income from
paid work, with over one third having at least one adult working full‑time,
full‑year.
*
The gap between the incomes of the richest 10% and poorest 10% of families with
children grew from a ratio of 11 to 1 in 2007 to 14 to 1 in 2008. Families in
the three lowest income groups (deciles) saw an actual decline in their incomes
between 1989 and 2008.
The provincial Liberal government has regularly denied the severity of the
problem, and promised for over a year that a "cross-ministry
initiative" will be coming soon. Poverty has yet to become an issue in the
BC Liberal leadership race. The NDP has called for the government to introduce
a poverty reduction plan with targets and timelines, but has yet to put forward
the details of their own plan.
The Report Card calls for commitment to reduce the before‑tax child
poverty rate in BC to seven percent or less by 2020, and outlines a range of
policy changes and investments to reach this target, including increases in the
minimum wage, welfare rates and child tax benefits; enhanced employment
insurance benefits and eligibility; universal access to high‑quality,
affordable child care; and improved access to post‑secondary education
for low-income students.
BC Campaign 2000 is part of a cross-Canada network that marks the anniversary
every November 24 of the 1989 pledge by the House of Commons to work to end
child poverty by the year 2000.
For details, visit the website at http://www.firstcallbc.org/.
5) VOISEY'S BAY TALKS COLLAPSE
Special to PV
Negotiations to resolve the strike at the Voisey's Bay nickel mine collapsed on
Jan. 6 after Brazilian-based mining giant Vale walked away from talks. The 130
workers at the
"We are incredibly frustrated and disappointed at this turn of
events," said Boyd Bussey, a United Steelworkers staff representative
involved in the negotiations. "After more than 17 months, we came to these
talks hoping to finally see a mutual commitment from Vale to reach a fair
settlement and bring an end to this dispute."
Steelworkers Local 9508 and Brazil‑based Vale last met at the bargaining
table in October. Talks resumed on Jan. 5 with the assistance of a mediator
appointed by the
The length of the new contract has been a stumbling block. The union wants a
five‑year deal. Vale originally offered a three‑year deal. The commission
recommends four years, and suggested compromises on other issues, such as
bonuses. Both sides had already agreed on a wage increase of 65 cents an hour
over three years.
The transnational has accused the Steelworkers of being manipulative, by
insisting on a five‑year contract that would expire at a time that would
"align with a potential strike in
"Already they are planning for the next strike, rather than our future
shared success," a company news release said.
But the company has done everything possible to break the resolve of its
Canadian workers over the past two years, from employing scabs to hurling wild
accusations about the "greed" of the workers. Meanwhile, Vale
reported profits of a staggering $6 billion for the third‑quarter of 2010
alone, or more than $2 billion per month.
6) ROB FORD SHOWS ANTI-ENVIRONMENT STRIPES
By Michael Oosting
Toronto's new mayor, Rob Ford, is keeping true to his right‑wing
inclinations with his recent announcement to the National Post that he intends to do away with the so‑called
"bag tax". The tax drew international headlines when it made
Ford claimed his motivations were due to a "large amount" of e‑mails
and phone calls from outraged Torontonians. His spokesperson Adrienne Batra
claims that the day the story broke, Ford's office received several calls and e‑mails,
the majority of which were allegedly in support of Ford's decision.
Yet when Global
Ford, of course, has a reason behind his decision. It was not to reflect the
opinions of the people that elected him, but to appease the sole vocal critic
of the bag tax - and Ford's true constituent - the Canadian Federation of
Independent Business. CFIB president Catherine Swift, recently released a
statement saying that "retailers are getting the short end of the stick
when it comes to the bag tax".
Swift went on to say, "[retailers] are being criticized for taking it in
and making money even though it was forced on them in the first place".
So, it isn't shoppers who are becoming fed up, but the retailers who claim to
be getting a bad reputation. And it's only the retailers that Ford is listening
to.
The bag tax has been responsible for a 71% drop in plastic bag waste in
This is just another knot in the string of Ford's right‑wing
"reforms" since he took office, coupled with his recent actions
against
People's Voice Editorial
The
Jan. 8 massacre at a "meet the voters" event held by U.S. Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords has ripped the mask from the face of ultra‑right
demagogy. It is clear that the bullets fired by Jared Loughner were aimed at
several targets: women who dare to challenge the misogynist ideology of male
supremacy, immigrants and racialized people, and anyone who disputes the rabid
"Tea Party" line. Perhaps the most critical target is the concept of
democracy itself.
This is not to argue that the
The smug idea that "it could never happen here" is disproven by
Canadian history. But the drift towards the destruction of democracy is not
inevitable. What's needed is a powerful mass movement, led by the working class
and its allies, to win a program of truly progressive and democratic social
reforms. This, not despair or cynicism, must be our response to the murders in
8) WHERE'S ROBIN HOOD WHEN WE NEED HIM?
People's Voice Editorial
The news that bank bosses in
The story is basically the same in
Even more appalling, these CEOs have another $1.3 billion of stock options to
cash in. Canadian taxpayers - that would be you, dear reader - will heavily
subsidize this particular ripoff. Since stock options are treated as capital
gains and taxed at a lower rate, this will mean $360 million in foregone
federal taxes.
With the help of the corporate media, Stephen Harper and other Tory cabinet
ministers keep posing as the best stewards of the Canadian economy. Too bad we
don't have Robin Hood and his merry band around to return this massive pile of
loot stolen from Canadian working people. Looks like that will have to be the
job of the working class and progressive movements.
9) "KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND AND YOUR EYES ON
THE STARS"
As the Communist Party of
Speaking to thousands of public meetings over the course of five decades, Tim
Buck was a powerful "public tribune" for the Canadian working class
during the critical struggles of the Depression and the post-war era.
Born in 1891 in
Those were years of tumultuous activity by radical organizations, such as the
Socialist Party of Canada, Socialist Labour Party, Social Democratic
Federation, Industrial Workers of the World, and others. Tim joined the
Socialist Party, which was home to many revolutionary-minded trade unionists.
He was among those who saw the need for a broad, united struggle for social
change, and the necessity for a solid Marxist analysis of capitalism. When
World War One broke out, Tim and other left-wing Socialists knew that
"this was just a predatory war in which the great states were fighting for
immediate material advantage.... all this talk about it being a war for
democracy was deception."
The 1917 revolution in
In 1921, Tim Buck was among the delegates at the famous meeting in Guelph, Ontario,
which formed the Communist Party of Canada, operating in public as the
"Workers' Party", before emerging openly as the CPC in 1924. During
the "Roaring Twenties," Tim Buck was leader of the Trade Union
Educational League, which campaigned for policies of militant class struggle,
industrial unionism, and mass action.
As the upsurge of 1917 temporarily waned, illusions emerged in the working
class movement and the Communist Party. Some claimed that the expanding
capitalist economy made the
Tim Buck argued forcefully against the reformist "North American
exceptionalism" concept, and supported the historic efforts of the Soviet
working class to build socialism in their country. A complex series of events
resulted in Buck being elected General Secretary in June 1929, followed by more
sharp internal party struggles. The stock market crash in October 1929 proved
that Buck and his supporters had been correct.
As the Depression deepened, the Conservative government of R.B. Bennett feared
the potential for a major fightback. On August 11, 1931, the Communist Party
offices were raided, and Tim Buck and other party leaders were charged with
"sedition." They were imprisoned in
The 1930s saw a wide range of important struggles led by the Communist Party:
industrial organizing, the On to Ottawa Trek, solidarity with the Spanish
Republic against fascist aggression, and the struggle to block fascism and war.
Early in the Second World War, the Communist Party was banned again, this time
by the Liberal government of Mackenzie King. Many communist leaders were interned,
and Tim Buck was among those forced underground or into exile in the
The post-war period saw new anti-communist attacks, from blacklisting to the
drive to expel left-led unions from the major labour federations. This campaign
was a key element of the strategy by the ruling class to profit from closer
integration of the Canadian economy with
Tim Buck was a vocal opponent of this sellout of Canada, a process which was
later accelerated by the "free trade" deals. As he wrote in Thirty Years: 1922‑1952, The Story of
the Communist Movement in
Tim Buck retired as General Secretary in 1962, but remained active in the
party's leadership until his death in March 1973, at the age of 82. His legacy
is highly relevant to this day, particularly his contributions to struggles for
militant trade unionism, for working class and democratic rights, and for
defence of Canadian sovereignty.
Tim's focus on achieving theoretical clarity on the basis of Marxism-Leninism
is his other historic contribution. As he said, "the Communist Party must
be a revolutionary party or it will cease to be a Communist Party." This
concept was critical to defeat attempts in 1929 and 1956 to liquidate the
Communist Party. A similar struggle broke out again in the early 1990s, when
much of the CPC's leadership succumbed to pressures to move in a reformist
direction. The fact that the Communist Party is now celebrating its 90th
anniversary is a tribute to Tim Buck, and to the party's membership which
remembers his famous advice: "Keep your feet on the ground and your eyes
on the stars."
10) "WE SHALL BUILD A FUTURE OF JUSTICE, EQUALITY,
PEACE, HOPE AND JOY"
Excerpts from the Final Declaration of the 17th World Festival
of Youth and Students, held in December 2010 in
We the delegates to the 17th Festival of Student and Youth, BUILDgathered from
126 countries, more than 15,000 in numbers, have met under the theme "Lets
Defeat Imperialism for a world of Peace, Solidarity and Social
Transformation" on the shore of the majestic, dynamic and vibrant South
Africa. Here we have fought for decades, side by side, from all walks of life
to bring down the tyranny of the Apartheid system, fostered to increase the
hold of Imperialism on our people. We fought with the people of
We meet in
63 years after the WFYS Movement was initiated in
As the anti‑imperialist movement of the youth and of the people developed
its struggle, the imperialists also seek to consolidate their forces and to
fortify their structures. They use all mechanisms in their hands such as NATO,
AFRICOM, EU, IMF, WB, WTO and all ways of intervention such as blockades,
sanctions, embargos, conflicts, military intervention, wars and occupations
against sovereign states and progressive movements. The new strategic concept
"NATO 2020", decided in Lisbon earlier this year incorporates all the
changes made in its structure of the previous years (12 new member‑states,
utilization of the "Partnership for Peace" in its plans)...
The crisis of the capitalist system is inherent to the deepening of its inner
contradictions, unveiling its historical incapacity to achieve progress for
mankind. This crisis provides the ground for emerging imperialist forces that
in the past have either clashed with the USA or EU, or have been their allies,
to use the different timing in the manifestation of the crisis to increase
their influence in the imperialist pyramid, to hold a bigger piece in the
capitalist struggle for markets and exploitation. It is not a result of the
administration models of the economy or the corruption of the system; it is now
expressed all around the capitalist world in both neoliberal and
social-democrat led countries. We are in a phase of deepening of the crisis;
the recuperation in the following years will be minuscule: the rights of the
youth will continue to be attacked at social, economical and cultural level
every day. It demonstrates the historical limits and the failure of the
capitalist system to answer to the peoples' needs and aspirations; it
highlights the need for the creation of a society and a mode of development
that will strive to fulfill the youth's and the peoples' needs and rights.
The youth generations' human rights and liberties are violated categorically in
every corner of the planet. The "capitalist globalization", the
system of exploitation and control of the people and resources is pushing
masses of young people into the margins of society. They are the first victims
of the social inequalities at all levels. The 212 million people unemployed, in
a world where precarious, temporary occupation is the rule, are proof of
this... Due to the economic crisis, even more jobs were lost, condemning more
people to misery and poverty. We struggle against the elimination of the
majority of labor rights, especially those of young workers who suffer more the
effects of unemployment. An entire generation of young people is being
transformed into a generation without rights.
We highlight the role of young women in the struggle for their emancipation as
part of the general struggle against imperialism. Women, who are even more
strongly attacked by the imperialist policies, deserve our appreciation and
full support to end all abuses and discriminations existing in our world as
part of our combat to defeat imperialism.
The "external debts and deficits" that have become a reality for many
countries are results of the policies followed by the capitalist forces in all
countries independently of their position in the correlation of forces. They
reflect the unequal development and the division of work in the capitalist
system. They are utilized so that the dominant class in both loaner and loaning
countries becomes more potent while the people suffer from the load of the
crisis on their backs. In the international imperialist system there is no
place for equal and respectful relationships between the states and the
peoples, it is another proof of the need for revolutionary social
transformation of the system that bears inequality and misery.
The imperialist profit drive and unbridled exploitation of planet's natural
resources follows the logic of destruction and is the main threat to the
environment and to the future of the planet. The environmental issue is taking
on an alarming dimension due to the production of genetically modified (GM)
organisms, which are jeopardizing humankind's future. Water all around the
globe is being more and more a target to the exploitative nature of capitalism
and is being used as a strategic and political weapon by imperialism.
Imperialism's strategy is to pass the responsibilities for the environmental
problems onto the people, individualizing what are presented as solutions in
order to increase even further the big companies' profits through the so called
"green" products.
Imperialist warmongering policies produce such crises as refugees, millions of
people who are compelled to leave their homes, lands, jobs and families. We
strongly condemn the imperialist economic policies, interventions and
occupations that have produced millions of immigrants, we uptake the struggle
in the defense of the rights of the immigrants in work, education, social
services. No human being can be illegal.
Imperialist policies attack the full development of education and of the young
people, preventing them from accessing a free and quality education that is a
school of freedom and commitment with peace. We defend and struggle for
education as a public and social good, a universal human right, which gratuity
must be ensured by the state. We reject the intentions of privatization that
several public institutions of different levels are being victims of. We demand
the withdrawal of education from the agreements of the WTO ‑ education is
not commodity!
The increase in use of drugs in young people is a dangerous phenomenon that
proves the decay of the capitalist system. Millions of young people live with
AIDS, mostly in Africa and
Despite this offense the progressive and peace loving forces have been
resisting, conquering important victories and growing stronger. The struggle
for peace has been very important along the years and with these recent actions
we try to raise the consciousness of the youth masses and focus the struggle
against the enemy of peace, imperialism. The fight at national level plays a
central role in the fight against the specific measures affecting the youth. We
highlight the importance of the victories achieved by the struggles of the
students, workers, peasants, indigenous and women's movements in times as
these. We underline the importance of several electoral victories and other
positive results of progressive parties and coalitions...
We, the youth and students of the world gathered in this historical festival,
raised our voices against all the ills generated by imperialism, which is
undergoing its greatest global crisis. The imperialist world order is driving
humanity to the verge of a global confrontation, with the ever‑present danger
of a nuclear war, through its hegemonic policy that will determine the present
and future of the mankind.
It is time to continue the struggle for youth development and our economic,
social and cultural values and not those of a decadent system they are trying
to impose on us. We shall build a future of justice, equality, peace, hope and
joy for humanity. The future of a new stage of history is in our hands and it
depends on the peoples, working masses and world youth and their power of transformation,
to build a world of peace and solidarity, where the power and the produced
wealth will belong to the peoples and the youth of the world.
We thank the people of
11)
By Stephen Von Sychowski
The 17th World Festival of Youth and Students, hosted last month in
The origins of the Polisario Front go back to 1971, when Sahrawi university
students in
In 1975, the fascist Spanish government of Francisco Franco began negotiations
with
The Polisario Front continued its guerilla war against the new occupiers,
refusing to accept the notion that one set of occupiers is better than another.
They also guarded fleeing refugees escaping occupied cities. The Polisario's
strength grew immensely during this period, despite
Meanwhile,
The coup leaders moved to sign a cease fire with the Polisario Front. By 1979,
a peace treaty led to the departure of Mauritanian forces and recognition of
the rights of the Sahrawi people. King Hassan II of
During the mid‑1980's, desperate to fend off Polisario attacks,
In 1991, a UN sponsored cease‑fire came in to effect with the promise of
a referendum the following year on the question of Western Sahara's independence
from
Meanwhile, the Polisario Front continues to carry out a campaign of peaceful
struggle against the Moroccan occupation. More recently, the Moroccan government
put forward a new proposal in 2007 that "self government" could be
granted through its Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs governing the
area with a degree of autonomy. Naturally this proposal quickly garnered the
support of imperialist powers such as
Since 1979 the Polisario Front has been recognized by the United Nations as the
legitimate representative of the people of
South Africa and over 50 other countries today recognize the legitimacy of the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which exists across the areas of Western
Sahara not behind
Missing from the list is our own country,
Last October, thousands of Sahrawis left the occupied city of
On October 30, Tiago Vieira, President of the World Federation of Democratic
Youth, along with several journalists and elected representatives from Spain,
was detained and expelled from Morocco upon attempting to visit the camp to
witness the situation first hand. No journalists or independent observers have
been allowed by Moroccan authorities to visit the camp. This is probably due to
the fact that it has been subject to attacks by Moroccan forces which killed at
least one and wounded hundreds. Eyewitnesses state that Moroccan security
forces targeted women, children, and the elderly in particular. But despite
violence and repression, the struggle continues.
Western Sahara has been relatively unknown to most people in
12) GLOBAL MIGRANT NUMBERS TO HIT 400 MILLION
By Sanjay Suri, InterPress Service
The population of migrants worldwide could rise above 400 million by 2050 if
present rates of growth continue, says a report by the International
Organisation for Migration released in late November. The report says that
"if the number of international migrants, estimated at 214 million in
2010, continues to grow at the same pace as during the last 20 years, it could
reach 405 million by 2050."
"The world itself is becoming a hotspot for migration," Peter
Schatzer, chief of staff of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM),
told IPS. "It's no longer the traditional migration routes to Europe and
the
"Most governments do not have a systemic and systematic approach, they do
not have even a single ministry dealing with migration," he said. "It
may be the labour, health, interior ministry and so on. What we suggest is the
need to coordinate and have a dialogue between countries that send migrants,
transit countries, and destination countries in order to get a handle on
this." The report warns that without such action the world "will be
taken by surprise by the relentless pace of migration."
The report, "The Future of Migration: Building Capacities for Change",
says demographics, economic needs and environmental change are driving the
growing numbers of international migrants. One reason for this steep rise will
be significant growth in the labour force in developing countries from 2.4
billion in 2005 to 3.6 billion in 2040, the report says. This could accentuate
the global mismatch between labour supply and demand. The economic crisis has
hit migrants hard. Remittances to developing countries declined by 6.0 percent
in 2009 due to the economic crisis, the report says, "although some
countries such as
"In the developing world, between 2005 and 2014, 1.2 billion people will
newly move into the labour market," Schatzer told IPS. "At the same
time in the developed world populations are aging. This requires new types of
work that cannot be filled by jobs by the indigenous population, but clearly
the developed world cannot offer more than a billion jobs to the developing
world; most jobs have to be resolved in the countries of origin."
The mismatch is becoming ever more serious, Schatzer said. "This is a
tremendous challenge for countries of the South because young people today have
a lot of information. The globalisation of information has also let a lot of
people in the South know how one could live, what conditions exist in
destination countries. Dealing with these expectations will be a major
challenge for the governments in the South."
"It is easy to say people should go away," he added. "But people
don't necessarily follow that if they don't see a future for themselves. We
must give people a future in their own countries." Recent moves against
migrants in several European countries could be excessive, Schatzer said.
"Such actions are a reaction to a perceived or real malaise; they are also
part of the response to an economic crisis where migrants are blamed, not
necessarily justifiably, for competing for jobs with the local population."
In the EU, Frontex has become the controversial strong arm of immigration
control. Such organisations have a limited role to play, Schatzer said.
"Frontex is the European agency trying to help European governments
control their borders better. It is an effort to coordinate these approaches,
but border guards or walls cannot solve such problems because when one area is
controlled, smugglers and traffickers move somewhere else."
Beyond the headline‑grabbing migration moves into
13) BEHIND IMPERIALISM'S GANG-UP ON THE
By Asad Ali
According to the capitalist press,
14) LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR
From L'Humanité, Dec. 25, 2010
Jorge Videla, ex‑dictator of Argentina, has been sentenced to life in
prison for the murder of 11 "disappeared persons". Impunity has
suffered a setback. But the ideology of state terrorism continues to legitimate
its horrors.
For a few seconds, and finally now, forever, the bodies of 31 persons who
"disappeared" during the Argentine dictatorship (1976-1983) have
reappeared. By pronouncing the sentence against Videla, aged 85, ex‑general
of the first military junta, the federal tribunal of
In the box for the accused sat 29 other officials of the regime charged with
murder, torture, and kidnapping. Ex‑general Luciano Menendez also
received a life sentence for crimes against humanity.
Until now, Videla had bragged about the political generosity he had enjoyed. In
1985, he had already been condemned to life imprisonment, during the well‑publicized
trial of nine members of the junta, launched during the presidency of Raul Alfonsin,
who was anxious to bring an end to the leaden years in which more than 30,000
persons "disappeared", were tortured, or thrown to their deaths from
airplanes on "death flights".
The penalty was quickly buried by two laws, "duty to obey" and
"final period" promulgated in 1986 and 1987 under pressure from
senior officers of the military. To these symbols of denial of truth and
justice in the case of crimes of the dictatorship, the ex‑head of state
Carlos Menem declared, in 1990, a presidential pardon. It was only in 2007 that
this pardon was declared unconstitutional by the supreme court, following the
abrogation, two years earlier, of the law of amnesty.
15)
Chilean police recently attacked Rapa Nui activists on Easter Island, wounding
24 people in an effort to dislodge indigenous families from a disputed area.
According to Indian Country Today,
police shot at protestors and beat some with batons on Dec. 3.
The attack follows a long history of disputes over indigenous rights and land
issues between the Chilean government and the
After
Spokespeople for the Rapa Nui, Susana Hito and Santi Hitorangi, reported after
the attack that "Leviante Araki, the president of the Rapa Nui Parliament
was shot twice about his hip and rib cage and is being air lifted to
Documentary filmmaker Hitorangi was shot in his right leg and in his back as he
attempted to film the situation. The following day Hitorangi stated that
"What happened yesterday is their way of trying to stop any attempt of the
This assault follows a distinct pattern of violence against the indigenous
people of the island which was "annexed" by
In October, a Request for Precautionary Measures was filed before the Inter‑American
Commission on Human Rights on behalf of 28
"There is nothing on this island that can say or tell us the rights of the
Vancouver,
“Seeing Red,” public forum on past and present state repression in Canada, with author
Daniel Francis and Micheal Vonn of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association., intro
by PV Editor Kimball Cariou,
Thurs., Jan. 20, 7:30 pm, Room 1800,
for more info.
Left Film Night, “The Cradle Will Rock,” Tim Robbins film on 1930s cultural upheavals in
20th Annual Women’s Memorial
March, honour missing and murdered women,
Monday, Feb. 14, 12 noon at Carnegie Centre. For info, visit
http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com or call Marlene, 604-665-3005.
Winnipeg,
Marxism course, classes begin early 2011. Pre-register with the Communist Party,
586-7824 or cpc-mb@mts.net.
Toronto,
Annual Jose Marti Dinner and Dance, Jan. 29, 2011, 7 pm,
Get on the Bus to the “People vs.
Never Again for Anyone, hear
Norman Bethune Day Dinner, Sat., Feb. 26, 7 pm, 290 Danforth Ave., tickets $5. Media sponsor People’s
Voice. Door prize; one-week all-inclusive trip for two to
Hamilton,
The People vs.
Get on the Bus, Sat., Jan. 29, join Niagara Labour Council on a free bus to the
“People vs. US Steel” rally at
Montreal,
Whose Security? Countering the
National Security Agenda, February 4-6,
Palestinians And Jews United, vigil against the occupation, every Friday at noon, Sainte-Catherine and
(The
above article is from the Jan. 16-31, 2011, issue of People's