Following we want to document an Reportort of an antifascist Newspaper in Austria, on the 8th of March in Austria.
In Austria the International Womens Day of Struggle 2020 was held powerful with many different activities! A highlight was the first national Conference of the Red Womens Committees, which gave on the 7th of March an powerful impulse to build up a combative organization of the women and introduced the 8th of March with strength and initiative. The Red Womens Committees mobilized for the 8th of March Demonstrations under the slogan “Let us built an Organization to struggle successfully”. With thousands of leaflets, posters and huge banners it was called for the 8th of March. Also a new edition of “the struggling women” was published and an important ideological leaflet of the “Red Front Collective” emphasized the pioneers of the class-conscious womens movement, who give the struggling women until today orientation and perspective. Especially the huge banners, which show the faces of these pioneers left an powerful impact. In Vienna this action gained that much attention, that even the widely published newspaper „Heute“ reported on the very successful action.
On the day before the 8th of March the „Red Womens Committees“ in Austria hold their first national Conference. It had a special meaning that the conference was organized on this day, because it was the 110th anniversary of the decision to the “International Womens Day”. Representatives of different federal states of the country brought forward an program of struggle, which should serve as fundament of an combative organization of the women. Workgroups on different thematic fields were formed and an organizing committee was elected which will finalize in the next two months the program of struggle of the new organization and will present decisions concerning public outreach and press work. Also an correspondent of the “Antifascist Action – Newspaper” was invited to participate in this important conference and spoke with different activists of the “Red Womens Committees”. A Red Women from Vienna said to us: “The fragmentation of the womens movement paralyzes the oppressed in their struggle. The first national Conference of the Red Womens Committees therefore was an important signal for the struggle for unity of the womens movement, under the leadership of the working class.” An important expression of Internationalism was the participation of a representative of the revolutionary women of Bulgaria, who gave an report on the activities of the revolutionary women in the protests of the nurses in Bulgaria. Also a representative of an womens initiative from Vienna addressed their greetings to the conference and highlighted the importance of a strong alliance between the struggling womens organizations to “unleash the force of the women for the revolution”.
On the occasion of the currant strikes in the health care- and social sector an common action of progressive women of different initiatives and organizations was organized in front of one of the biggest hospitals in the country in Vienna. In this action workers of this sector and representatives of the striking women held speeches and showed with that, that the strikes have to be continued until the important demands of the workers, for the 35-hour week without loss of earnings and workers, are fulfilled.
On the 8th of March in different cities blocks of revolutionary women were built at the demonstrations. Important demands, like against the 12-hours working day or for free and comprehensive child care, attracted the attention of many people. An activist reported that the slogans „Its not difficult to bear a child, but where should I give afterwards?!“ and „12-hours working day, what should should that be? - Child care during working time!“ were very positively received. The slogans which could be heard the loudest and widest were: „The street free for the Red Women!“ and „Proletarian Feminism for Communism!“. „With our presence and slogans we clearly reached our goal, that our contingent and all people who associated, carried an proletarian position into the womens movement, which have to stand strongly against patriarchy and capital!“, said a „Red Women“ after the demonstration in Linz.
This 8th of March was not only an significant positive achievement for the class conscious womens movement, but also showed that the important tasks of the upcoming period can only be mastered by conquering deficits and difficulties.
In this sense the conference of the Red Women summarized excellently the 8th of March 2020: „The last months were a very important time for all Red Women. We not just won new activists, but we paved the way for an combative organization of the women countrywide. We evaluate this 8th of March as important step. In the upcoming months it will be essential that the Red Women march forward with fixed steps and build up the new Organization in midst of the broad masses. Thereby we want to make an contribution to the proletarian revolution in Austria as well as internationally!“. Long live the International Womens Day of Struggle on the 8th of March! Down with Patriarchy and Capital! Unleash the force of the women for the Revolution!
