Following we publish an leaflet from the "Red Front Collektiv" from Austria, on occasion of the protests against the EU-Africa summit in Vienna on the 17.th and 18.th of december.
Imperialists get out of Africa! For the New Democratic Revolution!
In the course of Austria‘s Presidency of the EU council, the last summit, the „EU-Africa summit“, takes place in Vienna. And though many „African representatives“ can take part in it, it‘s still obvious that (in participation of 1000 corporations) it is a meeting for the further exploitation and oppression of the African continent by the imperialists of the EU, if nothing else because of the position of the old continent of colonial rulers. That this is a special summit for the Austrian bourgeoisie is also shown by many international meetings and the recently occurred Eastern Africa Trip of federal chancellor Kurz, where only in Ethiopia 1,5 Million in addition to the fixated 7,5 Million were affirmed. What‘s being presented as „new“ and „innovative“ under the name of „development collaboration“, is the old reactionary combat term for the further subjugation and plundering of the African people under an imperialist prefix. With the difference, that Africa was in it‘s absolute biggest part divisioned amongst the European colonial rulers then, and now this position primarily needs to be defended and stretched against US, Chinese and Russian imperialism.
The justified pressing question here is why the EU-Africa summit is held exactly under the Austrian Presidency of the EU council. Even though the German imperialism was able to take the leadership in single important questions inside of the imperialist EU alliance, it is true that the enslaving of Africa is still mainly propelled by French imperialism, shows how rotten and brittled this German leadership still is in big parts. That German imperialism has little interest for this summit, but the Austrian bourgeoisie still has autonomous participation and shows high activity in this question, underlines the tendency of the rulers in Austria trying to gain more autonomy in the alliance with German imperialism. Just this is evidence for it, that the summit is being held under Austrian Presidency of the EU council, and that it‘s being attempted primarily to enlarge the own imperialist operating field and with this to work together stronger with the French capital. As a autonomous but small imperialist the Austrian bourgeoisie still orient themselves in some questions on German imperialism, yet this confirms the growing autonomy to independently and more aggressively defend your interests as an imperialist. A crucial instrument in the intensified exploitation of the oppressed peoples and nations in Africa by the imperialists of the EU are the EPA (Economical Partnership Agreements). The struggle for the retraction of these imperialist agreements is necessary and justified. But it would be wrong to concentrate so much on the retraction of EPA, that the focus is lost on the fact that the imperialist ruling over Africa goes much deeper and consists of way more than EPA. Imperialism is more than an agreement and has already existed before the introduction of EPA.
That this isn‘t a summit just about increasing the economic exploitation, but it also has the purpose of political and cultural oppression, can be seen on the one hand in the effort for the participation of „African representatives“. Also the Propaganda about „development of democracy“, „human rights“ and „safety“ and that federal chancellor Kurz whose Austria, where state-run racism is getting more and more aggressive, is highlighting his „accomplishments“ in the „peace process“ with Eritrea and the „calming“ of big waves of protest in Ethiopia in his meeting with Ethiopian Premier Abiy Ahmed. This means a lot for the imperialists, they‘ve seen the massive protests and struggle against imperialist oppression in Africa with their own eyes. The big revolutionary wave of the „Arabic spring“ 2010, the „massacre of Marikana“ (2012), which was the starting point for rebellion and struggle of hundreds of thousands of mine workers in South Africa against imperialist exploitation, or the massive youth revolts and struggles in Burkina Faso in 2011 and 2014 just to name a few examples from recent history, show that imperialism is a „hulk on clay feet“.
Not even 50 years ago the revolutionary liberation movements in Africa, like in Algeria, Angola, Guinea-Bissao/Cap Verde or Mozambique staggered many European imperialists with hard blows, bound and determined in their struggle for the instant and and complete national autonomy. What do these recent struggles in Africa show? That increasingly broader parts of the African population have understood, that any autonomous development is impossible under the saddle of imperialism, and that the elimination of the heteronomy and enslavement trough imperialism needs to be put in the first place. The New Democratic Revolution, that is the only method capable of solving this more and more aggravating contradiction between imperialism and oppressed peoples and nations, by this is becoming a more and more pressing necessity for the struggling masses of Africa. The New Democratic Revolution smashes the imperialist ruling, opposite to petty-bourgeois theories about a „peaceful“ ending of „dependency“, or the alleged „technological progressiveness“ of imperialism (the so-called „dependency theories“). Only the New Democratic Revolution is the guarantee for the peoples of Africa to solve the long overdue democratic tasks, tasks that have been forcefully oppressed by imperialism and colonialism for a long time. Here, the struggles of all anti-imperialist, democratic and revolutionary forces in Europe meets with the struggle of the peoples of Africa and gives concrete reason to take up the struggle against the imperialist EU alliance with even greater determination and energy.
The massive struggles in Africa, as well as the enforced fleeing from the results of imperialism to Europe put the chauvinism of some „Left forces“ in Europe in helplessness and liberal identity- and „gooders”-politics, like also the chauvinist regressive demands for the complete closing of borders from the „left“ side, carries in itself the capitulation before a debate with the questions brought up by the imperialist made migration. Only in the firm unity in the joint struggle of the proletariat and the oppressed peoples can be plans of the imperialists be interrupted and can victories be obtained in the struggle against exploitation and oppression by the imperialist of the EU. Those who completely stand against the demand of unconditional right to stay and right of employment, show that they‘ve understood nothing about the proletariat, but having been taken by imperialism and openly preaching chauvinism. The unconditional right to stay as part of the democratic program in the question of migration is focused against the interests of the bourgeoisie of gaining maximum profit and obtaining control, so they can hold migrants as a reserve against the outdated imperialist society.
The EU is not a „Alliance between equal“, like it is called often by the imperialists, but an alliance in favor of the interests of Imperialists, to squeeze out even more profit of the suppressed peoples and nations. It is an imperialist EU, which will not fall with an „Exit“, or lots of „Brexits“, but has to be smashed. An „Exit“, like Brexit shows, can also be in the interest of one part of the bourgeoisie in certain cases. This confusion in understanding of the character of the EU has to be cleaned up, as well as every imagination, that the EU could be smashed only out of one country. Smashing the EU goes today necessarily hand in hand with smashing the bourgeois state-apparatus and by that follows the interests of the proletariat and the suppressed peoples and nations. This understanding is expressed in the slogan „Down with EU and capital!“.
The increasing aggressiveness of Austrian imperialism, the „forerunner role“ which it shows in some questions during the presidency of the EU council, will not be over with the end of this presidency. Because of that it gets even more necessary to firmly take this struggles and successes which were accomplished in the protests against the Austrian presidency of the EU council as starting point for the following struggle against the imperialist EU-alliance. As well as the unity of the forces, which was strengthened through these struggles, especially against the EU-Africa Summit, should be strengthened more and more to serve as an important part in the struggle, shoulder against shoulder with the progressive forces of the suppressed peoples and nations, for smashing the imperialist EU-Alliance.
Imperialists get out of Africa!
Struggle against state-racism!
Down with EU and capital!
Long live proletarian internationalism!
For the New Democratic and Socialist Revolution!
December 2018, Red Front Collective (Austria)
