By George Hetling
United States
Thousands of demonstrators in New York City gathered to demand a ceasefire in Gaza for May 1. This came the day after NYPD had arrested hundreds of students on the CUNY and Columbia University campuses. On CUNY’s campus, 250 faculty members went on strike despite New York laws which ban public servants from striking. They did this in solidarity with students’ demands for the university to “divest from all companies complicit in the imperialist-zionist genocide.”
Turkey
Demonstrators in Istanbul successfully took Taksim Square, which the fascist Turkish regime has permanently banned for demonstrations. This was done despite the 42,000 police officers mobilized to oppose them. 35 people were detained, including 17 readers of Partizan charged with “making propaganda for a terrorist organization,” due to their celebration of TKP/ML founder İbrahim Kaypakkaya, a charge without precedent. Six of these readers are still incarcerated.
Partizan Europe released a statement in support of the political prisoners, defining three fears of the Old, Fascist Turkish State: “First, the masses showed their will for Taksim despite the ban. Secondly, carrying Partisan flags with the silhouette of İbrahim Kaypakkaya. Third, revealing that the State is on the side of Zionist Israel, not Palestine.”
Mexico
In Mexico, flags of the ICL were seen among the popular organizations putting forward the slogans, “Stop the war against the people!” and “Don’t vote, organize and struggle!” in reference to the ongoing Mexican voting boycott, with elections on June 2. A large and rebellious contingent of the masses marched in Oaxaca, led by a large banner with the two slogans above.
Brazil
On May 1, hundreds of workers, students, indigenous peoples and democratic organizations gathered in the center of Manaus to demonstrate and call for an International Workers’ Day based in class struggle. Indigenous groups proclaimed their solidarity for the ongoing strikes in the country, as well as for the right of all workers to strike. Several unions representing professors, staff and faculty for universities who are currently on strike in the country were also present.
The masses of Brazil are increasingly mobilizing every day in protest of the general conditions of the country. The newspaper A Nova Democracia reports regularly on the fights in the countryside of peasants against the oppressive landlord class and the fights in the city against the Old State, headed by the sellout Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of the opportunist so-called “Workers’ Party.”
Colombia
A class-conscious and international block took part in the big demonstration in Medellín. They opposed the most reactionary elements on the march: union bureaucrats with the support of the opportunistic Petro government.
Ecuador
The Front for the Defense of the People’s Struggles (FDLP-EC) published the following photo from a march in Ecuador.
Great Britain
Following a call from Red Flag News, revolutionaries and progressives mobilized in May 1 in London. Partizan banners were seen, displaying portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao with the slogans, “Long live proletarian internationalism!” and “Long Live May Day!”
Workers across Britain also mobilized to blockade various Israeli arms factories to prevent them from operating, showing the internationalist spirit of the British proletariat and the rejection of the British Imperialists’ support for Palestine.
Denmark
In Aalborg, a front of revolutionary and anti-imperialist organizations, including Anti-imperialist Collective, Palestine North Jutland, 3F Youth, and others marched under the joint slogans “Combat, resist, raise the red flag!”, “Workers of all countries, unite!” and “Strengthen the international solidarity!” According to the Danish news website Socialist Revolution, the participants were able to overpower the social democratic forces and lead the march under these revolutionary, anti-imperialist slogans.
Comrades in Denmark also announced the formation of a new Communist organization: Committee Red Star
Spain
A class-conscious and combative demonstration was held in Madrid, in which a contingent of Maoists took part. The contingent was exposed to provocations from the police and the presence of elements of the revisionist and capitulationist 2nd Right Opportunist Line (ROL), which were thwarted or denounced and pushed back.
Germany
The Red League took part in demonstrations in Hamburg, Bremen, Cologne, Bochum, Leipzig and Freiburg. Additionally, its own demonstration was organized in Bremerhaven. The red flag, bearing the hammer and sickle of the International Communist League, appeared in 17 cities. Literature was also distributed and sold across the country, including the distribution of over 40,000 copies of Red League’s call for May 1.
France
In Paris, an anti-imperialist contingent featured the youth organizations Jeunes Révolutionnaires (JR) and Ligue de la Jeunesse révolutionnaire (LJR) together with the Student’s Union Federation (FSE), the High School Students Union (SELA-CGT), and comrades from Partizan France.
In Lille, la Cause du Peuple together with FSE, the Undocumented People Committee (CSP59) and Emmaüs strikers marched together. The main chants were in solidarity with the peoples of Palestine and Yemen and also to demand the legalization of the undocumented people.
Revolutionary and progressive contingents and demonstrations also took place in Caen, Rennes, Strasbourg, St-Etienne, and Limoges.
Austria
The Action for the Democratic Rights of the People (ADRV) participated in marches in Vienna and Linz under the slogan “Unite against warmongers! Defend neutrality, social and democratic rights!”
Revolutionary participants raised the slogan, “May 1 2024: Down with opportunism and revisionism: For the reconstitution of the KPÖ [Communist Party of Austria]!”
In both cities, police tried to attack demonstrators, but both attacks were successfully repelled, and the marches continued and ended as planned.
Norway
The Combat Committee, together with other organizations, took part in anti-imperialist demonstrations in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Kristiansand.
Finland
Comrades took part in demonstrations in Helsinki and Tampere. Afterward, they visited monuments to the heroes of the 1918 revolution in both cities. In Tampere, the fascist “blue-black” movement organized a provocative counter-demonstration, but due to the resistance of the revolutionaries at the demonstration and the hatred of the masses, they had to hide behind heavily armed police units.
Sweden
Comrades organized a commemorative march and demonstration for the Swedish communist Set Persson in a workers’ quarter in northern Stockholm.
