Thousands March on MayDay
From Morning Star Online
by BOB GLANVILLE
THOUSANDS of trade unionists marched through the streets of London yesterday in a show of solidarity with workers across the world.
Crowds of people celebrated May Day with a huge march through the capital, holding aloft banners and demanding social justice for all. Before the procession, activists massed in Clerkenwell Square — home of the Marx Memorial Library and Lenin’s 1902 office — to celebrate the annual day of workers’ rights demonstrations.
Events were dominated by various Turkish communist parties, which brought the square alive with music, dancing and chanting. Three London choirs, the Strawberry Thieves, the Workers Music Association and the Red and Green choir, also came together to entertain onlookers with socialist songs.
And Monty Goldman, the Communist Party candidate for east London’s Hackney South, made use of the occasion to canvass voters before Thursday’s general election.
As the marchers moved off toward central London and the scene of a mass rally, the Big Red brass band struck up, rousing activists and putting a spring in their step.
At the head of the march were campaigners carrying the banners of the T&G, GMB, AUT, RMT and NATFHE unions, as well as the flags of many local trades councils, Iranian and Iraqi communist parties, pensioners’ groups, anarchists, students and peace-campaigning organisations.
The demonstrators brought the bank holiday weekend traffic to a halt as they marched to Trafalgar Square to listen to a broad range of speakers, who stressed May Day’s continuing importance to the labour movement.
Although workers’ May Day events have taken place since 1890, yesterday’s march was “no heritage festival,” the TUC said.
May 1 is the day when workers recommit to the fight for economic and social justice and remember our trade union brothers and sisters in other countries, such as Colombia and Palestine, who are “struggling for even the most basic rights,” it added.
South-east region TUC president Martin Gould told the crowd that 2005 is the year to get serious in the fight against poverty.
Globalisation and free-trade agreements which benefit the richer countries mean that the gap between the world’s richest and poorest has never been wider, he warned.
Campaigners in the West have an “ethical responsibility” to act and, as part of the Make Poverty History campaign, British trade unionists will press the world’s governments to commit to fair trade and drop crippling Third World debt, he said.
This year’s event was well timed to send a strong message to candidates about workers’ rights and it also gave campaigners the chance to restate their opposition to racism and racist politics in Britain, the TUC added.
SERTUC regional secretary Mick Connolly warned that London’s global reputation for multiculturalism and tolerance is under threat from fascist BNP candidates standing in the election.
He urged activists to do all they can to prevent the racist party making gains on Thursday.
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MAY DAY GREETINGS TO THE LABOR MOVEMENT AND WORKING PEOPLE OF IRAQ: FROM U.S. LABOR AGAINST THE WAR AND ITS 110 AFFILIATED LABOR ORGANIZATIONS
From IFTU
In the name of peace, freedom and social justice, US Labor Against the War sends our greetings to the labor movement and workers of Iraq on May Day. With great courage, you have begun to reorganize your country's unions, and reclaim the historic traditions of Iraq's labor movement.
You are organizing in the face of very difficult economic conditions, including massive unemployment and extremely low wages, which have been imposed on you by the US/British occupation. In spite of these difficulties, workers throughout Iraq have organized strikes and demonstrations, and have successfully begun to raise the living standards of working families.
You have opposed the Bush administration plan for the privatization of Iraq's workplaces and resources. You have called for an end to the US occupation, and for a democratic political process to ensure that Iraq has a government that represents the needs and aspirations of Iraqi workers. We share these goals.
You have faced extreme violence, and the assassination of your leaders, without succumbing to fear, terror and intimidation. In the face of all these challenges you have remained courageously resolute in your commitment to a peaceful, democratic and just multi-ethnic, multi-cultural Iraq. You deserve the congratulations and support of unions and workers throughout the world for your efforts.
We are very proud that May Day, the international workers' holiday, was born in the United States in struggle for the 8-hour day. Our own country contributed martyrs like Albert Parsons and the murdered labor heroes of Chicago, who died for the same ideals for which you fight today. We are your brothers and sisters in this struggle We will redouble our efforts to end the occupation of your country, to achieve full respect for the sovereignty and independence of Iraq, and to support you in your struggle to establish a democratic state with full respect for workers' rights. We will march beside you, and support your movement, in any way we can.
Long live May Day! Long live the solidarity between the workers of Iraq and the United States!
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