Articles
How can a historical Event be celebrated in times of distress? How can we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the world historical victory against fascism in 1945 without reducing it into a formal routine anniversary, or, even worse, into a diversion from the urgent needs of humanity? Only if the great Event, in all its dazzling brightness sheds light on history, revealing a path through the darkness of the present into a liberating future.
This May Day finds the proletariat fighting two wars: against the Covid-19 pandemic and against capitalism. The two fights are inseparably bound, for it is capitalism that set the conditions for the virus outbreak to turn rapidly into a global pandemic. It is the four decade-long capitalist assault on the healthcare system that deprived humanity of medical supplies when they are most needed. It is capitalist world trade that led capitalist states and politicians all around the world to deny, underestimate, or cover up the pandemic to keep “the economy running” rather than protecting people’s lives. And last, but definitely not least, it is the imminent unfolding of the Third Great Depression that haunts the hearts and minds of capitalists that turn them into panicked dictators forcing the workers to non-sanitized workplaces with little or no hygienic provisions.
For a Red Mayday with red carnations and red ribbons!
Homage to the frontline workers against the Coronavirus,
Long live health workers!
Those who cannot stay home of all countries, unite! You have nothing to lose but death!
We are proud to present to our readers Issue No. 2 for 2020 of Sovetskoe Vozrozhdenie. Бюллетень Ассоциации «Советский Союз» or in English Soviet Renaissance. Bulletin of the Association “Soviet Union”. This is the third issue of the journal. The very first issue of the journal was published in December 2019 and Issue No. (2020 (1)) were also posted on RedMed.
Russia, like other countries, is at the beginning of a new global economic and political crisis which is being intensified many times by the coronavirus pandemic and has already got tens of thousands of lives. Despite the growing spread of the epidemic in the country the ruling top is going to redraw the Constitution at any price.
This is an article written by a Cuban comrade before the Covid 19 crisis gripped the world. Since then Cuba has constantly been in the limelight as its actions of solidarity sending doctors and nurses and also material to countries around the world have gained great sympathy. Here we read about a more worrisome aspect of life in Cuba, the debate on the future of socialism on the island. The author of the article takes the side of Che Guevara on questions of the market and planning and calls for a systematic defense of the gains of the revolution. This is the original Spanish version of the article. We hope to have it translated into English presently and post that on RedMed as well.
Contribution in the correspondence round table of the journals “Alternativiy” [Alternatives] and “Voprosy politicheskoy ekonomii” [Political Economy Issues] dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the antifascist Victory in 1945, Moscow May 2020
Gavin Newsom, the governor of the state of California, delivered an important speech on the morning of April 9th, 2020. Criticizing the indifference of the Trump administration towards the crisis that the Coronavirus pandemic inflicted upon the entire country, the governor used some phrases that might sound strange to some ears. Newsom said that as a “nation-state”, California would supply all the necessary masks and medical equipment for itself and could even “export” these items to other countries. Thus, he uttered words that go beyond an ordinary high-level official’s criticism of the federal government for failing healthcare policies – words that blow separatist winds and hint at deeper fractures!
A state governor declaring the territory he rules a nation and going against the central government on that basis would be considered a rebellion by the ruling classes of such country. If the commanding heights of the US government were to react harshly to Newsom, such a well-known picture would have been complete. On the contrary, of they were to meet the speech with indifference, we could have considered it as unnecessary harshness going beyond its purpose.
Lenin, chief architect of history’s first successful workers’ revolution, would have been 150 on 22nd April this year if he were alive. He was not only a Russian revolutionary, but also one that belonged to the whole world. Lenin does not belong to Russians only. He belongs to us all.
Lenin for reconnecting with the proletariat. Lenin for ending the rule of the bosses and establishing proletarian power. Lenin for world revolution and fraternity of the peoples!
Happy 150, comrade Lenin! For you still live on in our struggle!
We are publishing here issue No.2 for the year 2020 (Issue No. 134) of Communist of Leningrad, the bi-monthly publication of the Russian Party of Communists in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). We had earlier published the previous issue on our website. (RedMed)
Η Πρωτομαγιά του 2020 είναι μοναδική στην ιστορία της εργατικής τάξης.
Η ανθρωπότητα ως σύνολο βρίσκεται αντιμέτωπη με μια πρωτοφανή καταστροφή εξαιρετικά απειλητικών διαστάσεων. Ταυτόχρονα, η πανδημία του κορωνοϊού πυροδότησε την έκρηξη όλων των άλυτων αντιφάσεων της παγκόσμιας καπιταλιστικής κρίσης. Ουσιαστικά, η πανδημία δείχνει ότι ο καπιταλισμός έχει πλέον αποδειχθεί ασύμβατος με τις πιο επείγουσες ανάγκες της ενεργού διαδικασίας της ζωής, κι έχει γίνει ιστορικό εμπόδιο, που μόνο η παγκόσμια σοσιαλιστική επανάσταση μπορεί και πρέπει να ξεπεράσει.
2020 1 Mayıs’ının dünya işçi sınıfı tarihinde bir benzeri yok.
İnsanlık bir bütün olarak, son derece tehlikeli boyutlara ulaşan benzeri görülmemiş bir felaketle karşı karşıya. Buna ek olarak, Koronavirüs salgını, küresel kapitalist krizin çözülmemiş tüm çelişkilerinin patlayışını tetikledi. Bu salgın özünde kapitalizmin yaşamı sürdürmek için gerekli en acil ihtiyaçlarla uyumsuz, sadece dünya sosyalist devriminin üstesinden gelebileceği ve üstesinden gelmesi gereken tarihsel bir engel olduğunun apaçık ortaya çıktığını gösterdi.
Давайте организовывать забастовки на тех предприятиях и рабочих местах, которые грубо игнорируют все гигиенические меры, необходимые для защиты своих работников! Давайте организуем забастовки, чтобы заставить текстильные и швейные фабрики производить маски и защитное снаряжение, предприятия автомобильной и другой металлообрабатывающей промышленности - производить вентиляторы (не получив удовлетворения требований установить в цехах вентиляторы, недавно в США уволилась группа рабочих GeneralElectric), застройщиков - построить больницы вместо роскошных многоквартирных домов, транспортные компании - предоставить необходимое количество автобусов, чтобы обеспечить безопасные условия передвижения работников на работу и с работы!
War against the Coronavirus, war against capitalism’s brutal assault!
Let us organise strikes in those enterprises and workplaces that callously disregard all hygienic measures necessary to protect their workers! Let us organise strikes to force textile and garments factories to produce masks and protective gear, automotive and other mechanical industry factories to produce ventilators (a demand for which General Electric workers walked off their job recently in the US), developers to build hospitals in place of luxury apartment buildings, transport companies to provide their idly lying fleets of buses and smaller vehicles in order to get workers in the essential sectors to work safely!
Nobody lives a miserable existence, remaining jobless or even homeless and uncertain of their future. Hence the overall public health picture is incomparably better under socialism than under the richest capitalist country. Even in the case of the experience of socialist construction in the 20th century, bearing the burden of so many distortions and deformations and defects, this was an indubitable achievement. Capitalism, on the contrary, is class struggle. Capital does take a step back or two when circumstances impose that (the so-called “welfare state”). But when its interests dictate another course, it will step up class struggle and cut down on all social services in cold-blooded ruthlessness. Thus the neoliberal assault on all gains of the working class! The bourgeoisie, in a frenetic course to take back what it had conceded over the three decades from the end of the second war all the way up to Thatcher and Reagan, decimated the health care system around the world. That is why the patients are lying on the floors of hospital wards in Italy and Spain! That is why the richest city of the world, New York, home to Wall Street, is the epicentre of the pandemic!
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Sosyalizmde kimse işsiz, aç açıkta, sefil yaşamaz. Dolayısıyla halk sağlığı koşulları çok daha iyidir. Bu 20. yüzyıl sosyalist inşa deneyimleri için bile tartışılmazdır. Oysa kapitalizm sınıf mücadelesidir. Sermaye işçi sınıfından ürktüğünde bütün bu alanlarda taviz verir vermesine. Ama çıkarı gerektirdiğinde de sınıf mücadelesini en acımasız tarzda yükselterek bütün bu hizmetleri tırpanlar. İşte neoliberal taarruz! Sermaye bütün dünyada son kırk yıldır sağlık sistemini delik deşik etmiştir. Bunun için bugün İtalya’da, İspanya’da hastalar yerlerde yatıyor. Bunun için dünyanın en zengin kenti, Wall Street’in vatanı New York dünyanın salgın başkenti haline geliyor!
Hayatımızı kurtarmak istiyorsak ille sosyalizm!
Sosializmdə heç kim işsiz, ac-yalavac, səfil yaşamır. Dolayısı ilə xalq səhiyyəsinin şəraiti daha yaxşı olur. Bu, XX əsr sosialist quruculuğu təcrübələri üçün belə inkaredilməzdir. Halbuki kapitalizm siniflər mübarizəsidir. Kapital fəhlə sinfindən ürkəndə bütün bu sahələrdə, əlbəttə, güzəştə gedir. Amma maraqları tələb edəndə də sinfi mübarizəni ən qəddar formada kəskinləşdirərək bütün bu xidmətləri dağıdır. Budur neoliberal hücum! Kapital bütün dünyada son qırx ildir səhiyyə sistemini deşik-deşik etmişdir. Odur ki, bu gün İtaliyada, İspaniyada xəstələr yerdə yatırlar. Odur ki, dünyanın ən zəngin şəhəri, Uoll-Stritin vətəni olan Nyu-York dünyanın epidemiya paytaxtına çevrilir!
Həyatımızı xilas etmək istəyiriksə, hökmən sosializm!
En noviembre pasado, los iraníes salieron a las calles para protestar contra el aumento del costo de la vida y luego fueron duramente reprimidos por la República Islámica. Cientos de ellos fueron asesinados y miles detenidos. Ellos enfrentaron condenas de prisión de décadas y muchos de ellos se suicidaron por desesperación. Abrumadoramente jóvenes, los detenidos se vieron obligados a confesar bajo tortura crímenes que no habían cometido. La República Islámica supone que los levantamientos fueron organizados y coordinados por la oposición en el extranjero y los obligaron a confesarse a tal efecto. La mayoría de los detenidos ni siquiera pueden pagar un abogado y sus familias están demasiado asustadas para impugnar los procedimientos. Fuentes oficiales afirman que alrededor de 400 jóvenes entre las edades de 19-25 están encarcelados en la prisión de Teherán.
A few days ago, French president Emmanuel Macron started off his address to the nation on the Coronavirus pandemic with the following words: “We are at war”. Since then, the metaphor of humanity at war against an invisible enemy has become commonplace everywhere. However, the notorious “president of the rich” Macron, the restless warrior of the French bourgeoisie, might be possibly meaning something else when he says “war”: the war the bosses have declared on the working class and the laborers to protect their profits! Yes, in France as well as in Turkey and the entire capitalist world, there are two different wars.
Le coronavirus est devenu une pandémie et un fléau principalement parce que le capitalisme pille et détruit sans pitié le système de santé public partout dans le monde, de la Chine à l'Europe et aux États-Unis (où le système de santé était très faible déjà au départ) et depuis des décennies entravé son développement dans des pays plus arriérés et aussi en raison de l'appétit vorace pour le profit qui guide chaque choix fait par l'industrie pharmaceutique internationale.
The Coronavirus has become a pandemic and a scourge primarily because capitalism has been callously pillaging and destroying the public health care system all around the world, from China to Europe and the United States (where it was very weak to begin with) and has for decades impeded its development in more backward countries and also because of the voracious appetite for profit which guides every choice made by the international pharmaceutical industry.
Wall Street got shut down for the second time within four days on Thursday, March 12th. If the largest based index among the major three, S&P 500, falls by 7%, an automatic mechanism called the “circuit breaker” shuts down the stock market for 15 minutes to cool nerves. When this happened last Monday (March 9th), some claimed that it would be recorded in history as “Red Monday”. This label obviously entails a reference to the “Black Tuesday” of the notorious stock market crash of 1929. Yet, this time, as the same thing has occurred twice within a week, the inventors of the name might have additional tasks: “Red Monday”, then maybe “Orange Thursday”, then…
در آبان ماه گذشته در بسياري از شهرهاي ايران مردم در اعتراض به گرانيها به خيابان آمدند و ديري نپاييد كه دولت جمهوري اسلامي با شديدترين عكس العمل ها اعتراضات را سركوب كرد. صدها نفر كشته، هزاران نفر زنداني شدند. برخي از زندانيان به دهها سال زندان محكوم شدند و برخي از آنها اين احكام را برنتافته و دست به خودكشي زدند. تعدادي از زندانيان تحت شكنجه به جرمهاي نكرده اعتراف كردند. جمهوري اسلامي كه سعي دارد رهبري اين اعتراضات را به مخالفين برون مرزي اش ربط بدهد بر اساس اين فرضيه از محكومين به زور اعتراف مي گيرد. اكثر دست گير شدگان به وكيل دسترسي ندارند و خانواده هايشان از ترس سكوت كرده اند. بر اساس داده ها، چهارصد جوان بين سنين نوزده تا بيست و پنج سال در زندان بزرگ تهران زنداني شده اند.
Geçen Kasım ayında İran’ın birçok şehrinde yaşam pahalığına itiraz eden ve sokaklara dökülen İran halkı, çok uzun sürmeden İslam Cumhuriyeti’nin sert tepkisiyle sokaklardan püskürtüldüler. İslam cumhuriyeti bu ayaklanmaların yurt dışından belli muhalifler tarafından yürütüldüğünü söyleyip bu varsayıma göre itiraflar alyor. Bu tutukluların çoğunluğu avukat bile tutamıyor, bir çoğunun ailesi korkudan itiraz bile edemiyor. Açıklamalara göre 19-25 yaş arası 400 genç Tahran hapishanesinde tutuklu. Hükümlerin en ağırı geçen hafta açıklandı. Üç genç, 25 yaşındaki Amir Hüseyin Muradi ve Muhammed Recebi ile 27 yaşındaki Said Temcidi, İslam İnkılap Mahkemesi tarafından idam cezasına çarptırıldılar.
The Islamic Republic assumes that the uprisings were organized and coordinated by the opposition abroad and forced confessions to this effect. Most of the detainees cannot even afford a lawyer and their families are too scared to challenge the procedures. Official sources state that around 400 young people between the ages of 19-25 are imprisoned in Tehran prison. The harshest judgments were given last week and three young people (Amir Hosein Moradi and Mohammad Rajabi of ages 25 and Said Tamjidi of age 27) were given the death sentence by the Islamic Revolutionary Court.
The Workers Revolutionary Party in these times of crisis and threatening spread of the corona virus pandemic calls the working class and the people, against any complacency, to active mobilization.
Turkey has once again started to use the refugees and migrants as a political weapon, opening its borders to pressure Europe. In recent days, tens of thousands of refugees and migrants have been trying to enter Greece and Bulgaria from Turkey.
We are proud to present to our readers Issue No. 1 for 2020 of Sovetskoe Vozrozhdenie. Бюллетень Ассоциации «Советский Союз» or inEnglish Soviet Renaissance. Bulletin of the Association “Soviet Union”. This is the second issue to appear on RedMed. The very first issue of the journal was published in December 2019 and also posted on RedMed .
The text below is the English translation of DIP’s statement in Turkish on the Idlib war. The statement in Turkish was posted on the web site of DIP (www.gercekgazetesi.net) on the 29th February, one day after the air bombardment in Syria’s Idlib province on the night between 27th and 28th February. Only a few additions were made to the text of the Turkish statement in order to provide background information to the international reader on some issues. The photograph above shows the homes of some of the dead soldiers, displaying the fact that these are humble cottages not even painted properly because the families in question cannot afford it. It is always the sons of the workers and the poor that die on the military front.
El Centro Socialista Internacional “Christian Rakovsky” llama a todos los partidos de izquierda y a las organizaciones obreras, a todos los auténticos combatientes de la liberación nacional, a los movimientos sociales y antiguerra a movilizarse sin demora contra el Plan de Trump de anexión, traslado y apartheid que liquida los derechos del pueblo palestino, sobre todo su derecho a la autodeterminación nacional y el derecho al retorno de los refugiados.
Борясь за эту историко-политическую перспективу, международный социалистический центр им. Христиана Раковского призывает все левые партии и рабочие организации, всех подлинных борцов за национальное освобождение, антивоенные и общественные движения безотлагательно мобилизоваться против плана Трампа по аннексии, апартеиду и ликвидации прав палестинского народа, прежде всего его права на национальное самоопределение и права на возвращение беженцев.
Παλεύοντας γι’ αυτήν την ιστορική-πολιτική προοπτική, το Διεθνές Σοσιαλιστικό Κέντρο «Κριστιάν Ρακόφσκι» καλεί όλα τα αριστερά κόμματα και τις εργατικές οργανώσεις, όλους τους γνήσιους μαχητές της εθνικής απελευθέρωσης, τα αντιπολεμικά και τα κοινωνικά κινήματα να κινητοποιηθούν χωρίς καθυστέρηση ενάντια στο Σχέδιο προσάρτησης, μεταβίβασης πληθυσμών και απαρτχάιντ του Τραμπ που καταργεί τα δικαιώματα του παλαιστινιακού λαού, κυρίως το δικαίωμά του στονεθνικό αυτοπροσδιορισμό και το δικαίωμα της επιστροφής των προσφύγων.
Kristiyan Rakovskiy Uluslararası Sosyalist Merkezi, Trump’ın Filistin halkının haklarını, en önemlisi de kendi kaderini tayin hakkını ve mültecilerin geri dönüş hakkını tasfiye eden, ilhakı, nüfusu başka bölgeye aktarmayı ve apartheid’i öngören planına karşı tüm sol partileri ve işçi örgütlerini, tüm gerçek ulusal kurtuluş savaşçılarını, savaş karşıtı toplumsal hareketleri gecikmeksizin harekete geçmeye çağırıyor.
We are publishing here issue No.1 for the year 2020 (Issue No. 133) of Communist of Leningrad, the bi-monthly publication of the Russian Party of Communists in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). We had earlier written, on the occasion of the publication of No. 1 of Sovetskoe Vozrozhdenie. Bulletin of the Association “Soviet Union” the following: "As a new year’s gift to our readers, let us say that we hope this is the beginning of a new level of cooperation between several Marxist entities in Russia and RedMed. We hope to be able to announce some great news in the coming weeks." The publication of Communist of Leningrad on RedMed is a new step in the same direction. (RedMed)
Il Centro socialista internazionale “Christian Rakovsky” fa appello a tutti i partiti di sinistra e le organizzazioni operaie, a tutti gli autentici combattenti per la liberazione nazionale, ai movimenti sociali e contro la guerra di mobilitarsi senza indugio contro il Piano Trump di annessione, trasferimento, e apartheid che liquida i diritti del popolo palestinese, prima di tutto il suo diritto all’autodeterminazione nazionale e il diritto al ritorno dei rifugiati.
International Socialist Center “Christian Rakovsky” calls all left parties and workers’ organizations, all genuine national liberation fighters, anti-war and social movements to mobilize without delay against Trump’s Plan of annexation, transfer, and apartheid liquidating the rights of the Palestinian people, above all its right of national self -determination and the right of return of the refugees.
طبق اطلاعاتی که به دست ما رسیده است، شما قصد دارید از تاریخ ۵ فوریه ۲۰۲۰ اعتصاب کنید. همبستگی و حمایت ما از مبارزات و مطالبات برحقتان را بپذیرید.
دولت ترکیه به عنوان حامی منافع سرمایهداران ترکیه همواره تلاش نموده است، مبارزات و اعتصابات کارگری در ترکیه را بطور قانونی ممنوع کند، بهویژه در صنعت فلز که از اهمیت خاصی برای اقتصاد ترکیه برخوردار است. این سیاست هنگامی به مرحله اجرا گذاشته میشود، که به دلیل بحران اقتصادی حاکم بر ترکیه و رشد روزافزون تورم شرایط معیشتی میلیونها کارگر و زحمتکش ترکیه هر روز وخیمتر میشود.
wir haben von euerm geplanten Streik beginnend am 05.02.2020 erfahren. Wir möchten hiermit unsere Solidarität mit euerm Kampf und unsere Unterstützung für eure gerechten Forderungen zum Ausdruck bringen.
Die türkische Regierung, die die Interessen der türkischen Kapitalisten vertritt, hat stets versucht, die drohenden Arbeiterstreikes gesetzlich zu verbieten, vor allem in der für die türkische Wirtschaft bedeutsame Metallindustrie. Das geschieht zu einer Zeit, während durch die in der Türkei herrschenden Wirtschaftskrise und die steigende Inflation das Leben von Millionen Arbeiter*Innen und Werktätigen immer schwieriger wird. Die türkische Regierungspolitik wird nur immer mehr Menschen in Armut und Elend stürzen, während sich eine kleine Minderheit ungehindert bereichern kann.
We found out about your planned strike starting on February 5th, 2020. We would like to express our solidarity with your struggle and our support for your just demands.
The Turkish government, representing the interests of Turkish capitalists, has always tried to legally prohibit the threat of worker strikes, especially in the metal industry, which is important for the Turkish economy. This is happening at a time when the economic crisis in Turkey and rising inflation are making the lives of millions of workers more and more difficult. Turkish government policy will only plunge more and more people into poverty and misery, while a small minority can freely enrich themselves.
DIP had recently issued a call to extend the solidarity with the metal workers of Turkey who were in the collective bargaining process. A possible strike by the metal workers was under the risk of being banned by the despotic regime. So, international solidarity was of utmost importance. Hence, this call has been translated to 6 languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, Persian and Bulgarian) and was widely distributed internationally. As a result of this, more than 200 signatures from 22 countries (Argentina, Greece, Russian Federation, France, Cuba, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Iran, India, Lebanon, Canada, USA, Finland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Brazil, Peru, Italy, Spain, Austria and Sweden) were collected within days for the below declaration of solidarity. Here we publish the declaration and the signs.