NYC workers in solidarity with Colombia workers

During meetings of a workers’ committee in a community organization, where some Progressive Labor Party (PLP) comrades do political work, reports are included in the agenda which analyze the world situation, especially everything related to the struggles of workers worldwide.   
During past meetings, we have talked about Ecuador, Chile, and Bolivia. This time, we called to show solidarity with workers in Colombia, who organized themselves together with the peasants and young people in an unprecedented challenge in history. The workers are rebelling against the neoliberal policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that have forced “economic adjustments:” fascist measures that greatly affect the lives of working people already caught in poverty and misery.
For many years, the bosses have murdered hundreds of social and union leaders in Colombia. This time it was the turn of the workers, who lost their fear of all the oppression and fascism and threw themselves into the streets in massive protests in several cities and towns.
The protests became violent, due to the brutal response of the army, police and special riot forces trained by United States advisors. They shot at protesters, and used tear gas and water jets with chemicals, which caused many deaths and wounded, even though the government and the bosses’ press say there were only three.
 One of the workers murdered was a young student from the capital Bogotá, which provoked an even greater anger from the protesters. In their fury the workers destroyed numerous shops, large supermarkets, banks, and government offices. Many of the businesses were “looted” by workers who came down from impoverished and marginalized areas after so many years of abandonment under the bosses’ profit system.
For this, they were called vandals, but the true vandals in the country have been the corrupt, liberal, and repressive capitalist governments.
Workers take the streets over bosses’ cuts
These massive protests were convened mainly by trade union leaders and other sectors of the working class, who are tired of their living situation. They are fighting impending fascist reforms that Ivan Duque, an ally of the U.S government, plans to present to the National Congress. These reforms, among other things, would reduce pensions to retired workers and reduce wages to young workers. But this fascist government did not expect that workers, peasants and young people were going to organize and take to the streets!  
With the working class at the forefront, arm in arm with the peasants and youth, a massive wave of protests  was generated throughout the country and continued for several days.
Imperialist war, and
international communist
revolution through PLP
At the end of the discussion our PLP member summed up that these events were taking place within the framework of the power struggle between the imperialists of the United States, China and Russia for the control of  other countries and their wealth, especially oil and minerals like lithium. Lithium can be considered the “white gold” of these times given its widespread use in profitable products like electric cars. The largest reserves of lithium are in Latin American countries, especially in Bolivia which has recently experienced a racist and fascist coup d’etat. Despite the bosses’ violent repression there, many indigenous workers are maintaining a brave fight against the new fascist liberal government.
In the end, everyone present agreed that we must be supportive of the workers in Colombia and worldwide who are facing fascist neoliberalism that is advancing strongly across the planet.
As members of PLP we must raise the consciousness of the working class and prepare for the only way to overcome this capitalist hell: mass violent communist revolution. We have to take initiative during this wave of popular uprisings of workers and young people around the world, to direct the workers to the goals of seizure of state power from the capitalists and the construction of communism.
To work toward this goal, it is important for us in the Party to stress the importance of internationalism and working-class power, wherever we are. Confidence in the international working class, communist politics, and our Party is our only way forward.