We want to publish the update of the signature of AGEB (Association of Working Migrants in Europe) and Partizan Europe in the "Antiimperialist declaration on the corona-pandemic" which we published. Due to tecnical problems this signatures could receive us just recently. The German and the Serbo-Croatian translation you can find here.
Proletarians of all countries and oppressed peoples, unite!
Down with Imperialism: Robber of Work, Health and Wage! “Make trouble, fail, make trouble again, fail again… till their doom – that is the logic of the imperialists and all reactionaries the world over in dealing with the people’s cause, and they will never go against this logic. […] Fight, fail, fight again, fail again, fight again… till their victory; that is the logic of the people, and they too will never go against this logic.” (Mao Zedong) The so-called "Corona-Crisis" is exacerbating the economic and political crisis of capital at a rapid speed: state of emergency, curfews, assembly bans, thousands of deaths and mass unemployed at unrivalled level, are currently determining the lives of millions. Imperialism exposes itself more with each additional day of the "Corona-Crisis" as "everywhere reaction", as a robber of health, as a destroyer of thousands of labour-forces and lives, as the main enemy of the working class and people’s masses. While at the beginning of the so-called "Corona-Crisis" attempts were made to cover up and downplay the danger of the virus (Covid-19), in order to secure profits and not harm the capital, the devastating effects of this policy on the health and lives of hundreds of thousands of people are now becoming apparent: There are currently almost two million infected people worldwide, nearly 110.000 people have died within a short period of time and around 100.000 new cases are added every day. Here it is clearly shown that the measures to “combat the crisis” bear the stamp of the ruling class, because those who suffer, those who die as a result of Covid-19, are mainly people of the working class and from the lowest parts of society. The bourgeoisie of the majority of countries in Europe, especially the big imperialists, has now adopted the campaign of outrageous scaremongering to legitimize every restriction of democratic and political rights, every attack on the economic situation of the working class and the people’s masses. The pipe dream of an allegedly "stable, peaceful and solidary" European Union turns to dust in the current situation and the true character of the EU remains: an alliance of imperialists to intensify the plunder of entire countries, to deepen the enslavement of the working class and the people’s masses. The disastrous consequences of the policy of austerity are now becoming obvious. Countries like Italy and Spain, which are particularly strong affected by the corona pandemic in Europe, are those who have enforced harsh austerity programs in the recent years, based on "EU-requirements". While the Italian population has grown by almost 3 million in the past two decades, 258 hospitals were closed (20%) and 75,000 hospital beds were cut (28%) in the same period. A similar picture emerges in Spain, where after decades of austerity programs, for example in Madrid, 50 private hospitals exist alongside 33 public ones. Seven of the private clinics have already closed during the corona pandemic. The situation in Europe is most drastic in the oppressed countries. In Greece, the EU, with the help of its Greek puppets like Syriza, cut health expenditure by almost 50% between 2009 and 2016, over a third of all hospitals were closed and almost half of all medical personnel were fired. But the policy of the imperialists in the EU, especially German imperialism, go beyond the austerity framework: The "free movement of commodity labour-force" has led to a gigantic robbery of (skilled) labour-forces, to forced mass migration of the oppressed to the imperialist countries, which was supported by the "liberal" ideologies of the "open borders". In the past 10 years, 25.000 doctors have left Romania to work abroad, in addition 28.000 nurses. Countries like Romania were already before the corona pandemic in a situation, where the average age of doctors is 60 years, or in Bulgaria, where 80% of the medical staff is actually retired, but still working to survive. And this while the corrupt puppet governments of the oppressed countries are now putting together millions and billions of “aid packages”, only to put this money back in the throat of foreign monopolies, who bear the main responsibility for this miserable situation. These examples can be found in whole Central- and Eastern Europe and clearly show at whose expense the "Corona Pandemic" is now to be shifted. The imperialist countries that benefited from this and have been able to enormously expand their dominance in these regions with the help of the EU over the past decades, cannot fill their throats enough and, like Austria for example, are now flying nurses from Bulgaria. At the same time, an enormous process of impoverishment of the working class and people’s masses is being prepared in the imperialist countries, since the Second World War there has been no such rapid increase in unemployment and the attacks on the working class continue with short-time work, wage loss and price increases. Obviously it is not the virus alone that is causing thousands of people to die in some countries. It is the result of the policy of the imperialists, especially the big imperialists of the EU, which led to the corona pandemic becoming a deadly threat to the health of workers and peoples. Above all, the assistants of imperialism, in right as well as in "left" clothes, have to be unmasked. They were the ones who caused confusion in the past few years, with lies like the “EU as an union of peace and solidarity” or also with “strong, white Europe” and now share responsibility for the deaths of thousands of people, the misery of entire countries, for enormous attacks on the working class! In light of the deepening of the economic crisis of capitalism on an enormous scale, the ruling classes in Europe are increasingly trying to make militarization, surveillance and repression the main element of capitalist "combating the crisis". In Austria, the militia is mobilized for the first time in the Second Republic for deployment inside. In Romania or Albania, the hospitals are under military command. Punishments to an unprecedented extent, which can force workers' families into poverty overnight, are imposed for small “offenses” and a system of mutual spying is enforced. Militarization of society as a whole, particularly civilian institutions, is being pushed forward in large steps, which means nothing other than preparation for intensified class struggles and new raids. In most of the EU countries, 1st of May, the international day of struggle of the working class, is also threatened by repression. Let us be aware that the proletariat must be at the forefront of the mass struggles, let us defend the 1st of May: Let us struggle despite repression, militarization and surveillance for numerous activities to take place on 1st of May and to be actively supported by all anti-imperialist and progressive forces! The "Corona-Crisis" also aggravates the contradiction between the imperialist powers in the EU. German imperialism, which is currently clearly asserting itself as the leading power of the EU, is temporarily prevailing against its rival France, which is facing huge people’s struggles and has now slipped into its greatest recession since 1945. We know from history that the struggle for supremacy of Germany has always been associated with the suffering of the peoples and extinction of whole countries, and even today, German imperialism is trying to dominate other countries with increasing aggressiveness. While the borders were closed to prevent the export of protective equipment from Germany, the EU-accession-negotiations with Albania and North-Macedonia continued at a rapid speed. A rapid “Eastward-enlargement of the EU” should now be implemented, at the expense of the working class and oppressed peoples of these countries. This increase of aggressiveness and arrogance of the imperialists further exacerbates the hostility of the peoples of Europe towards him. The EU is largely rejected not only in the oppressed countries, but also among the working class and the peoples masses in the imperialist counties, it is becoming more and more a symbol of their suffering and impending poverty. In Italy, in dozens of cities and villages, the EU-flags are teared down from public buildings, and public-burning of the EU-flags speak from the hearts of the majority of workers and masses. Hundreds of strikes, most of them carried out self-reliantly and independently from the official trade unions, show that the “crisis-measures” do not blur the class contradictions, but on the contrary make them even clearer. The call of the oppressed and exploited is becoming more and more clear: "We do not die and pay for their crisis!". The imperialists and their servants are currently on thin ice and are increasingly losing control over the working class and people’s masses in single areas and regions. The political and economic crisis, which is now being exacerbated by the "corona-measures", is increasingly eroding the relative stability in which capital has been since the 1990s, gradually and unevenly, but it is a development that requires special attention from the antiimperialist and revolutionary forces. “The bourgeoisie are behaving like barefaced plunderers who have lost their heads; they are committing folly after folly, thus aggravating the situation and hastening their doom...The revolutionary parties must now “prove” in practice that they have sufficient understanding and organization, contact with the exploited masses, and determination and skill to utilize the crisis for a successful, a victorious revolution.” (Lenin) Lenin thus says that the revolutionaries should not 'hope' in times of crisis that imperialism will 'collapse on its own'. This crisis must be used to develop the struggles of the oppressed and exploited and to advance them as much as possible, to smash imperialism. Imperialism exposes itself as enemy of the health of the working class and the people’s masses: Let us strike back the deteriorations in the health care system! Let us intensify the struggle for a health care system in the service of the people! Imperialism exposes itself as enemy of democratic rights: Let us strike back all attempts of further militarization, surveillance and control of the people’s masses! Imperialism exposes itself as parasite on the back of the oppressed peoples: Let us intensify our struggle based on internationalism, for the self-determination of the oppressed peoples and nations, for smashing the chains of imperialism! Imperialism exposes itself as exploiter and parasite on the body of the working class: Let us increase the struggle against mass unemployment, short-time work and wage robbery! Now our determined and brave action is needed! Every day, the stability of capital in the "Corona-Crisis" begins to crumble more and more. Let us stand shoulder to shoulder with the oppressed and exploited. Let us struggle for the implementation of our just demands and unite in internationalism to a torrent against imperialism!
No shifting of the burden of the “Corona-Crisis” onto the working class and the people’s masses! For a health care system in the service of the people! Down with militarization, surveillance and repression against the people! Down with imperialism! Down with the EU! No to the EU-Eastward-enlargement! Long live internationalism! Defend and uphold the 1st of May - the international day of struggle of the working class! April 2020 Signatures: Partija Rada, Ex-Yugoslavia Communist Party of Romania Movement 23rd of September, Bulgaria Red Front Collective, Austria
AGEB (Association of Working Migrants in Europe)
Partizan Europe
