USA: The Death of LaVena Johnson The death of another female US soldier fighting in Iraq has aroused serious suspicions as to the circumstances that led to her death. The war in Iraq is causing far more casualties than the official figures indicate. The case of LaVena Johnson is yet another tragic example of why we demand the troops be brought home now! For more information, please visit www.lavenajohnson.com.
U.S. Workers Face Long, Hot Summer The U.S. is in the worst housing slump since the Great Depression as home prices fell by a record 15.3 percent from a year ago in the first few months of the year. Mortgage defaults and home repossessions have skyrocketed as working people are unable to make ends meet.
USA: High Gas Prices Fuel Discontent The rising cost of oil, and gasoline in particular, is having an effect on everything, further stretching the limits of the already strained wallets of US workers. The oil and energy barons are making big profits at the expense of US workers. It is time to call for the expropriation of these parasites.
Update on student leader assassinated in El Salvador As we have already informed our readers Ángel Humberto Martínez Cerón of the BERS-24 was assassinated on June 26. We invite our supporters to send protest letters to the El Salvador authorities, the addresses of which we provide here together with a photograph of Ángel.
Peru: national strike against the Alan Garcia government On July 9th tens of thousands of workers and peasants took to the streets in Peru as part a national strike. The strike had been called to protest against the right wing economic policies of the government of Alan García.
El Salvador: student leader assassinated – solidarity with the BERS-24 On June 26, at around 10.40pm, comrade Ángel Humberto Martínez Cerón was assassinated just a few metres from his home. He was the General Coordinator of the "January 24" Revolutionary Socialist Students Block (known as BERS-24). The political activity this revolutionary young militant was involved in was the reason why the ruling class decided to silence him.
Big interest in the ideas of the International Marxist Tendency in Honduras The influence of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) continues to spread across Latin America. A few days ago a meeting of 60 people from different left groups gathered to hear speakers from the IMT explain the ideas of Marxism and several requested a follow up to this with a programme of political education for trade union members and youth.
Canada: GM’s betrayal of Oshawa workers - The law means nothing when profit is at stake Two weeks after a new contract in which GM bosses promised no more layoffs and no more plant closures until 2011, in exchange for a wage freeze and other concessions, they have now announced closure! The profit motive is stronger than any rotten deal the union tops can broker with the bosses and they are prepared to break the law to do so. Workers will be drawing some bitter lessons from this experience.
Sidor: “a socialist company can only be built under workers’ control” There was a very successful presentation of Alan Woods' book in the Sidor plant, which has been nationalized by Chávez, with 550 Sidor workers attending the launch of Reformism or Revolution and many workers showing a keen interest in the ideas of Marxism and the Marxist Tendency.
After the death of “Tirofijo”: perspectives for the FARC and the class struggle in Colombia The death of Manuel Marulanda, the legendary leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), reopens a debate over the perspectives for the FARC and for the class struggle in Colombia. In recent months the FARC has received hard blows with the assassination of two of its principal leaders, Raul Reyes and Ivan Rios, numbers 2 and 4 respectively in the leadership of the organisation. Nevertheless, the FARC still control a good part of Colombian territory (mainly in the jungles) and maintain an active presence with more than 15,000 combatants.
Canada: 5000 Rally at Oshawa GM Truck Plant to save jobs - Blockade in its 10th day Yesterday, the Canadian Auto Workers local 222 held a solidarity rally outside the gates of the Oshawa GM truck plant. There was a real sense of anger amongst the workers present, most of whom were from union families, but this was not the normal crowd that attends demonstrations. These are people who either directly or indirectly will be hit hard by the lay offs.
Canada: 'Fightback' Visit to GM Blockade, June 4th 2008 The mood of the workers was very militant and it is quite clear that they are willing to remain on the picket lines for as long as it takes to win. Terry McDonald, a member of the Oshawa Local's bargaining committee, told Fightback, "We're right. We're going to stay as long as it takes for them to realise that."
Canada: Save the Oshawa Plant - Nationalize the Auto Industry! The closure of the GM's Oshawa plant announced on June 3rd, with the loss of 2600 jobs, is a slap in the face to auto workers everywhere. The reaction of the workers has been a militant one. Canadian Auto Workers activists blockaded GM headquarters in Oshawa, refusing to let managers in until they sit down and talk with union leaders. At the time of writing, the blockade is still up.
Montreal discusses Trotsky, permanent revolution and the Latin American revolution On May 29th approximately 45 people attended a round-table discussion at the Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre in Montreal, Canada, with Celia Hart and Jorge Martin, organized by the International Marxist Tendency on "Permanent Revolution and Trotsky's ideas in Venezuela and Cuba."
Celia Hart and Jorge Martin speak to a packed meeting in Montreal On May 28th, close to 200 people attended a very successful conference on Cuba and Venezuela, entitled "Cuba after Fidel, Venezuela at the Crossroads." Hands off Venezuela Montreal and the Bolivarian Society of Quebec, in collaboration with the International Marxist Tendency and Gauche Socialiste, organized the event.
