For democratic rights, public freedoms, self-determination and a democratic transitional government in Haiti
July 12, 2021
The International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (ICMLPO) deplores the assassination that killed former President Juvenal Moise a few days ago in Haiti.
This type of action is not a solution to political and social problems, and it has not been carried out in the interest of opening the way to democratic rights, to the freedom of the Haitian people; nor to the national sovereignty of that sister country, for which the masses of people have been fighting in the streets on an ongoing basis since 2018.
It is a fact of the first order that, since 2018, the workers and other popular sectors in Haiti have been carrying out important protests in the streets and squares of the main cities; demonstrations that began making social demands, but then included political claims that were synthesized in the call of Down with the government of Juvenal Moise!
This government had concluded its term in office; but, in addition, it maintained a policy of police repression and terror to remain in power de facto, and to impose neoliberal economic measures, and to favour specific economic groups.
The continuous protests in waves in the main cities were the response of the workers and the people in general, in which undoubtedly also participated political and economic sectors linked to a sector of the oligarchy.
The legislature had been put into recess, as the period for which it was elected had finished. The country had no Legislative Power.
The judiciary had been decapitated by the death of the chief justice of the Supreme Court due to Covid and five judges were removed. The country had no judicial power.
The prime minister, the same one who now holds the de facto reins of the Council of Ministers, had been removed days before the assassination. The country now has a de facto Executive Power.
President Juvenal Moise had called for elections in two months, but it was clear that the ruling sectors had not reached an understanding among themselves that would guarantee a stable government that corresponded to their competing political and economic interests.
There has been, and is, a political crisis in Haiti. The institutions established in the constitution have collapsed. The ruling classes are at odds with each other, and they have failed to achieve a government that unites them and gives political stability to the country. The workers and other popular sectors, including the peasants, have been on the streets continuously.
These are the factors which, according to Marxism-Leninism, constitute a political crisis. "Those at the top cannot continue to govern as before, and those at the bottom do not want to continue to be governed as before."
It is in this context that the assassination took place.
Such an assassination is a political event, for political reasons, that is to say, referring to power, and which can only be supported by sectors of political and economic power, with the complicity of a hegemonic foreign power, in this case the United States of America.
At the moment, it seems unclear which are the specific sectors behind what has every prospect of being a coup d'état.
One should not confuse the question of power that is behind this event. Nor should one confuse the interest of the oligarchic sectors in stopping the popular mobilizations in the crisis and seeking a solution with the help of those at the top.
A state of siege has been declared; the essential purpose of this measure is to prevent popular demonstrations.
And so, we communists must show solidarity, and accompany the democratic, progressive and revolutionary sectors, which in Haiti are demanding peace and the right to self-determination of the Haitian people. They are calling for a transitional democratic government that will enable that country, , to develop in the medium and long run in social, economic and political terms.
A transitional government in which the popular forces that have been demanding rights and freedoms for the last three years will have an important part.
We reject any military intervention by the United States or any other foreign power, no matter what mechanism that intervention seeks to use. This would contravene the right to self-determination of the people of Haiti, and would be a threat to the sovereignty of the neighboring peoples.
We consider it crucial, a matter of principle to insist on the need for the working class of Haiti to develop its communist party, as a combative and revolutionary vanguard, to lead it in circumstances such as the current one and others that may arise. Because at the beginning and end, that vanguard is what is lacking at this moment, when there are objective conditions for the advance of the popular revolution, but that lacks the political organization and leadership that will lead the workers and the masses of people in search of a revolutionary solution to the crisis.
The ICMLPO, which has made efforts to support the workers and people of Haiti in all their struggles, will continue in this militant position.
Respect the democratic rights and public freedoms of the brotherly Haitian people; respect for its right to self-determination; a democratic transitional government, and absolute rejection of any foreign intervention.
Coordination Committee of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (ICMLPO)
ICMLPO: No to the European military alliance "Takuba"
Since 2013, French imperialism has deployed up to 5,200 troops in Mali and the vast Sahel region, under the pretext of the "war on terror." Known as Barkhane, this military coalition, created in 2014 under the leadership of the French army, has involved armies from Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania (the group called the Sahel G-5).
The result of this war has been terrible for the people of these countries: economic and social chaos has increased; civilians have been killed by bombs and other military operations of the imperialist countries, as "collateral damage". Not a single political or military official has been indicted and tried for it: they benefit from total neocolonial impunity.
The peasants are unable to produce the minimum food necessary for the subsistence of poor families, and the attacks and killings of the civilian population have not ceased; on the contrary: in the region of the "three borders" (Mali, Burkina and Niger), 132 civilians have recently been killed by reactionary armed groups.
This war is forcing millions of people to flee: the UNHCR [UN Human Rights Commission] has recorded two million displaced people in the Sahel in January of 2021. Those who try to escape misery and war, trying to cross the Mediterranean, are harassed by the European Frontex police and many of them die in that giant graveyard.
The imperialist military "solution" is an objective threat to the development of the popular movements of the workers, peasants, students, women, etc. for their right to live, to decide their own future, for true independence, to put an end to neocolonial domination.
The imperialist powers support reactionary governments, provided that they facilitate the plundering of the wealth of the countries, especially the minerals, important ones such as uranium, gold, etc. Or water resources and land for industrial agricultural crops, controlled by the monopolies of France and the United States and their allies and rivals.
Despite all this, the mobilization of the people against the French military presence, against Barkhane, is increasing in Mali and other countries.
This opposition, together with the impossibility for the armed forces to "control" this vast region, has forced Macron and the military leaders to announce Barkhane's cancellation.
This is an admission of the "failure" of such a military operation, but it does not mean a withdrawal of the military forces. First, because some 2,000 French troops are supposed to stay, but also because another military organization, under the name of Takuba, will be put into operation.
No to Takuba, a European military force linked to NATO and U.S. imperialism
Takuba will be based on "special forces" of the European imperialist and capitalist states, in order to develop a "European military operation". NATO will participate directly in this international coalition, through the logistics agency, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which has been very active in NATO's involvement in the war in Afghanistan and in the Balkans. This is a clear illustration of the deep ties between the project of 'European defense policy' and NATO, as has always been emphasized in the European treaties.
Several governments of the EU countries are participating (Estonia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Italy; and others have announced their participation: Denmark, Hungary, Greece, Belgium, Portugal, etc. Or they have at least announced their "support": Germany, UK, Norway.
There are three main reasons for the military involvement of European imperialist countries and U.S. imperialism:
First, to try to destroy the development of resistance of the peoples of Africa, who are fighting for their national and social liberation from the domination of imperialism;
Second, to oppose the presence and competition of the other imperialist powers, specifically Russia, which is extending its military influence in countries such as Libya, Mali, Central Africa, etc. and China, which seeks to control the raw materials, the land to produce food, etc. and that wants to capture new markets for its products, in direct competition with the former colonial powers (France, Germany, Italy, etc.) and with US imperialism.
Third, to try to ensure the domination of their own monopolies over these countries, regarded as 'their' backyard.
This means that Africa, and especially the countries of the Sahel area, are at the center of the inter-imperialist and inter-monopoly contradictions, as well as of the contradiction between the handful of ruling powers and the hundreds of millions of people from the semi-colonial and dependent countries of the world.
This means that the devastating imperialist wars will continue, under the cover of the 'war on terror', as we have seen in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iraq, etc. with the same disastrous consequences for the people. The imperialist states are the real terrorists; their reactionary wars and aggression feed the reactionary armed groups, whether they are religious groups or criminal gangs. The people are the first and foremost victims of these wars.
We therefore continue to say: no to the imperialist wars against terrorism.
As parties and organizations in the European countries, we say no to the European military coalition against the peoples of Africa; European Union, hands off of Africa's natural resources. And we demand: foreign troops out of the Sahel. EU and NATO out of Africa.
We denounce and combat the policies that seek to conceal the imperialist character of the European Union, and create illusions about the possibility of changing its nature, especially the social democratic forces that promote the ΕU as a “solution” for peace and progress.
We are developing solidarity with peoples and their organizations fighting against imperialist domination.
In each country and at the European level, we call on the revolutionary and progressive forces, trade unions, workers, young people, women, etc. to develop opposition to participation in Takuba and all imperialist military alliances.
All support to the proletarian movement, to the liberation movement of the oppressed and dependent peoples against the common enemy, imperialism, and for the right of the peoples to decide their own future.
We strongly support the fraternal Marxist-Leninist parties in Africa, which are engaged in their revolutionary struggle against imperialism and neo-colonialism.
We join you in the struggle for the revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist imperialist system, and for socialism.
July 2021
Communist Party of Spain (Marxist-Leninist) [PCE (m-l)]
Organization for the Construction of the Communist Workers' Party of Germany (Labor Future)
Communist Workers' Party of Denmark (APK)
Communist Workers' Party of France (PCOF)
Communist Platform of Italy, for the Communist Party of the Proletariat of Italy
Marxist-Leninist Organization Revolution (Norway)
Revolutionary Alliance of Labor (Savezrada, Serbia)
Labor Party (EMEP, Turkey)
Members of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations
On the events in Cuba | Defend the gains of the Cuban Revolution, for the victory of the Proletarian Revolution!
Communist Party of Mexico (ML) [PCMML, the original article is posted here.]
July 12, 2021
The demonstrations against the Cuban government have been part of the strategy of U.S. and European imperialism, which they imposed after the victory of the Cuban Revolution, the economic blockade to destabilize it from within. The economic blockade is added to the global economic crises of recent decades, which have affected the Cuban economy, especially the one of 2020 to which was added the SarsCov2 pandemic, which have undoubtedly affected the material achievements of the revolution for the Cuban people.
However, the economic changes of the Cuban regime have deepened a state capitalism on the island, which is abandoning the revolutionary positions that gave rise to it and have been material elements that feed the counterrevolutionary conceptions, which seek to cause confusion in the face of the just demands of the Cuban workers to advance in the changes achieved in the revolution towards socialism and that in turn reject the imperialist intervention by any power.
We demand an end to the Cuban blockade by the United States.
We reject the counterrevolutionary demonstrations that have been sown on the island.
We salute the revolutionary mobilization of the Cuban people for defending their achievements, which reject imperialism and the counterrevolutionary maneuvers against the definitive emancipation of the Cuban working class.
Fraternally:
Proletarians of all countries, unite!
Unity of all the people, for proletarian emancipation!
PC of Mexico (m-l) and FPR [Revolutionary Popular Front]
United National Antiwar Coalition:
Hands off Cuba! End the Blockade! Statement by the United National Antiwar Coalition
(7/14, posted here)
The United National Antiwar Coalition stands firmly with the Cuban people and their revolutionary government against any US intervention in Cuba’s affairs. We continue our calls to lift the punitive US blockade of Cuba that has caused humanitarian shortages [and been tightened] during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The recent disruptions inside Cuba have all the hallmarks of a coordinated campaign to lay groundwork for US intervention, following the [regime change] playbook used by the United States in nearby Venezuela and Nicaragua, as well as in countries like Libya and Syria to disastrous effect. They coincide with a massive social media offensive featuring hundreds of anonymous accounts that attack public figures who defend Cuba, and spread provocative disinformation like recycled footage from protests in other countries. The United States State Department has spent millions of dollars attempting to turn the masses of Cuban people against the revolution for years. Anti-government organizations such as the Cuban Human Rights Observatory and Cuban Institute for the Freedom of Expression and the Press have received millions from known CIA front groups, such as the National Endowment for Democracy and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Much of this campaign is dedicated to muddying the ideological waters by portraying pro-US protesters as somehow progressive. But the true character of these events becomes clear a hundred miles to Cuba’s north, in Florida, where Trump-supporting Cuban-Americans and Republican Party officials are mobilizing to demand US intervention: even calling for arming Cuban dissidents and US airstrikes. These groups follow a legacy of US-based violence against independent Cuba that spans from the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 to the terrorist attacks committed against Cuba in the 1990s.
Of course, even in Florida, these aging right-wing hardliners from the Bay of Pigs generation are now the minority, as over half of all Cubans in the U.S. support ending the embargo and lifting travel restrictions to and from the island. People from the U.S. as a whole have consistently opposed U.S economic warfare against the Cuban people and political interventions in Cuba.
For sixty years, ever since the Cuban people (led by Fidel Castro) overthrew US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban people have shown steadfast resilience and have defied countless attempts by the United States to destroy their government and their economy. Socialized healthcare, free for all, has boosted Cubans’ life expectancy higher than that of the United States, and produced innovations that threaten US pharmaceutical corporations’ monopoly on medicine. Cuba’s medical internationalism is unmatched by any country on Earth, with Cuban doctors leading the fight against Ebola in West Africa in 2014 and treating COVID-19 patients in nearly 40 countries during the pandemic. While COVID-19 cases have spiked recently in Cuba, the country’s overall response has been far more effective than in the United States, with vastly fewer cases and deaths per capita. The country’s indigenous biotech sector has even begun to produce its own COVID-19 vaccines despite the economic constraints imposed by the blockade.
Since 1960, official US policy has been to try and disrupt the Cuban economy and suffocate the island to the point that the people would blame their government and rise up to overthrow it. What the US has failed to realize for more than 60 years is that the Cuban revolution and the government that upholds it are strongly supported by the masses of Cuban people, and no amount of illegal sanctions will change that. It is clear to the Cuban people and to those with any shred of historical knowledge that the shortages and economic hardships being faced by the Cuban people have everything to do with decades of US intervention and economic warfare against Cuba, and not the supposed failures of the revolution, the Cuban government, or socialism as a whole.
UNAC stands in solidarity with Cuba and its people, and we stand in staunch opposition to any form of US intervention on the island: economic, military or political. We call on the anti-war movement to reject attempts by the U.S. State Department, CIA and their mouthpieces in the corporate media to spread disinformation about the current situation in Cuba. And we encourage supporters of Cuba in the United States and throughout the world to show their solidarity with the Cuban people by resisting any form of illegal, outside intervention on the island.
Solidarity with Cuba!
End the Sanctions!
End the Embargo!
End the Blockade!
US Hands Off Cuba!
For the second time in the short period since the Biden administration has taken office, the United States has bombed Syria. This time Biden also bombed Iraq. Both attacks are illegal and violations of international laws guaranteeing the sovereignty and autonomy of all countries. If anyone thought the election of Joe Biden would bring peace in the Middle East, this is yet another reminder that U.S. imperialism is a totally bipartisan venture. According to Syrian media, the US bombs hit residential buildings near the border. The governments of Syria and Iraq have condemned the bombings as violation of their countries’ sovereignty.
A U.S. military spokesperson claimed the U.S. bombing raids were “defensive” and meant to deter attacks on US troops. However, the entire recent escalation of fighting in the area began after the US conducted a drone attack within Iraq that killed the Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani along with Iraqi military leader Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and others in January 2020. Furthermore, the United States retains troops on the ground, and naval and air bases throughout the entire region. If the U.S. is concerned about protecting its troops, it needs to remove them from Syria and Iraq, and stop the military encroachment and threats towards Iran. As long as U.S. troops are on foreign soil, they will be a target for those who want control of their country to be in their own hands, not beholden to the dictates of Washington and Wall Street.
The U.S. military spokesperson also claimed that the air strikes were against “Iranian backed militia groups,” as if this somehow justifies these military attacks. Iran, Syria and other countries and groups within the Middle East that comprise the "arc of resistance” to US imperialism and Israeli Zionism have the right to resist entities that seek to dominate and exploit their peoples and resources. It is precisely because of their objection to U.S. and Israeli domination that they remain targets of both.
Furthermore, these attacks happened while negotiations are in progress between the United States and Iran to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, from which the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew. Although the Iran Nuclear Deal was touted as one of the high points of the former Obama/Biden administration, when Biden took office he did not reinstate the agreement, instead imposing additional harsh sanctions on Iran and demanding new concessions. In recent days, the U.S. Department of Justice has also hacked and closed Iranian news websites including PressTV. The attacks on Iran and “Iranian-backed groups” clearly complicate and may doom hopes of returning to the Iran Nuclear Deal. Iran had hoped that the Nuclear Deal would end the harsh U.S. sanctions that have greatly hurt the Iranian people.
We urge groups and individuals to protest the recent bombings and demand:
Stop the bombing!
U.S. Out the Middle East!
Hands off Syria and Iran!
End the Sanctions!
Bring all U.S. Troops Home Now!
The PCMLE's 25th International Seminar "Problems of the Revolution in Latin America" (SIPRAL):
Ecuador, June 30, 2021
Dear comrades:
With affectionate revolutionary greetings and the most fervent wishes for your political and personal success, we address you on behalf of the PCMLE [Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador] and the JRE [Revolutionary Youth of Ecuador], organizations of the revolutionary left in Ecuador.
We want to share with you that, this year, we Ecuadorian revolutionaries especially are celebrating 25 years of the International Seminar "Problems of the Revolution in Latin America", SIPRAL, which has been developed in a sustained and uninterrupted manner thanks to the efforts and valuable contribution of the political and social organizations of the left in Latin America and the world.
In this unique framework, we aspire to fulfill the twenty-fifth International Seminar, which, as on previous occasions, in a framework of fraternity, we address a serious and in-depth debate on the theme that we propose on this occasion: "The Social Struggle and the role of the left in Latin America”.
On behalf of the PCMLE and the JRE, we extend the warmest INVITATION to your political or social organization to participate in our event, to be held in Quito starting on Thursday, July 29, in the afternoon; on Friday July 30 also in the afternoon and on Saturday July 31 with a morning and afternoon session, virtually and the Closing Session in person and virtually for the Ecuadorian delegations and virtually for the international delegations. Participants can deliver a LECTURE that ADDRESSES THE CENTRAL THEME, with a length of 10 minutes for an intervention read on the virtual platform. Presentations must arrive no later than July 20, a question that we ask to be rigorously addressed, in order to organize their presentation on the platform and also send them to all participants of the International Seminar.
To confirm your participation, the sending of your PAPERS, and other related information, send an email to opalacios711[a t]gmail[ ]
We fraternally invite members of political and social organizations to register at no cost at our Seminar, which will accredit them to participate in the event, receive by mail the corresponding papers and the Certificate of attendance. To register, fill out the registration form at the following link: https://forms.gle/gE6X3jPkxesid87J9
We will hold virtual sessions, for the reading of the papers starting at 5:00 p.m. Ecuador time on Thursday, July 29, and Round Tables to discuss aspects of the central theme, at 8:00 p.m. Ecuador time, prior programming will be delivered to you. Finally, the Closing Session of the International Seminar and the Act of the 57th Anniversary of the Party will be held on Saturday, July 31, from 4:00 p.m. Ecuador time in person and virtually, for the national audience and virtually for international organizations.
Confident of your valuable presence, we sign very cordially,
Oswaldo Palacios J. Ricardo Naranjo
PCMLE National Spokesperson President of the JRE.
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