There have been many speeches at this conference. In the General Discussion, there were ~2 hours of 7 minute speeches. I took notes on the interesting ones (and ones I understood). There might be mistakes; please let me know if you spot something that is definitely wrong. These were from Day 1. There was also a two hour speech at the start that I took hand written notes for that I still need to transcribe.
General Discussion
Italy
- Many workers, even unconsciously, empathize with what the youth are feeling in regard to Hamas. There is support for Palestine, and workers are combining their own struggles with solidarity for Palestinians.
- In Italy, we have a right-wing government that is affecting pensions and health. However, at the same time, the so-called left has the same policies that the extreme right wing is implementing today. They suggest we should negotiate with respect to Palestine. They are repeating the same policies from the right (same thing from right to left).
- Now, regarding Podemos and populist currents - it appears they are implementing the same policies with respect to imperialism. In this context, it seems their role is to contain the movement of the masses. If we look at what happened in France with the mobilization of pensions, or the demonstration in Rome by trade unions, the slogans were general and confused, but 200k workers fought against the government, against the dislocation of a country, and also against a new constitution that would give more power to regents.
- Things started to evolve from September to October. Things are more confused. People are scared and leadership is worried this movement could get out of control. They have convened a kind of general strike against the government, with two different days, one for the north and one for the south.
- The leadership wants to maintain control of the movement.
- In this context, the government and their position are geared towards implementing regional plans that would destroy the whole framework of the republic and dismantle health service and all public services (talking about austerity).
- Our role, as members of the 4th International and in collaboration with other organizations, is to organize an initial conference. We are committed to continuing the struggle, specifically rebuilding the labor movement and the workers’ party through direct intervention.
Palestine
- Discussing politics is challenging for me, as our people are subjected to massacres in Gaza, and I struggle to articulate a proper political speech. Through Dominique, I learned that a friend witnessed his family being completely killed by bombing. This is a collective punishment. It’s as if they’re saying, “You don’t have the right to resist, and if you do, you’ll likely be massacred.” At the same time, I’m well aware that his country is often presented as a conflict between Jews and Palestinians. It’s important to note that prior to the creation of Israel, Gaza had a prosperous Jewish community. There was a peaceful coexistence for centuries. The creation of Israel disrupted this peace and introduced a colonial project under the guise of defending a religious community. Gaza, known for its cohabitation of all religions, is a testament to the fact that a state based on religion is an exclusive state. The Gazan people believe that only secularism, democracy, and a secular state can restore peace among all communities. The peace we once knew. With Danielle, we discussed personal issues related to Jewish tradition and I shared stories about my mother. I was born in a refugee camp in Lebanon and only later managed to visit Palestine with my parents.
- Cohabitation existed. There was no segregation between the communities. This is what we aim to realize with our Jewish Israeli comrades. Our common enemy is Zionism, which has destroyed the foundation of cohabitation. I am part of a group that advocates for a democratic state initiative. We have sent out messages and appeals to anti-Zionist Jews on behalf of Palestinians and to the entire Jewish American community. We have received responses from Palestinians who have signed our letter addressed to the Jewish people. Since this morning, over 10,000 Palestinians have endorsed this letter. This idea of cohabitation is a deep desire of the Palestinian people. It is also a humanist idea and the only viable option for these communities.
- There is an effort to keep us out of the Western media.
- Not all Palestinians are part of Hamas. It is a small group that does not represent everyone. We are planning to organize a protest in front of the European Commission. We will stage a sit-in. If you have the means to join us in this march in Brussels, we would greatly appreciate it.
Sri Lanka
- We must question why capitalism persists.
- The issue lies with the left. We remain significantly weak. Due to our weakness, capitalism continues to exist. We are divided, even though most leftist movements are small.
- The left isn’t always present to lead these movements, such as when the farmers’ workers in India went on strike.
- Last year in Sri Lanka, millions took to the streets. However, the left in Sri Lanka was unsuccessful in leading that struggle.
- We should focus on the actions we need to take, not just our names or the organizations we are part of.
South Korea
- Due to the intense pressure of US imperialism, the South Korean government decided to join Japan in conducting military exercises.
- Throughout this year, the Korean government has suppressed many unions, particularly those in the construction sector.
- They have attempted to imprison activists under the guise of the national security law.
- Polarization is intensifying between organized and unorganized workers.
- The younger generation lacks the ability to secure jobs or get married.
- The younger generation is becoming more conservative because the government is turning them against organized workers, who do earn more money.
Morocoo
- As an activist, I will discuss Morocco, specifically why we have not been able to make significant progress there. Firstly, there is a tyrannical regime in place. This regime is manipulated by capitalists. In this country, where the regime is controlled by capitalists, there are many individuals who claim to be reformists or democrats, but very few socialists.
- These are the people who are seeking democracy in a country that is not democratic. We should not solely defend democracy; our ultimate goal is socialism. Regardless of the regime, if they only offer a few concessions, they are not truly offering democracy. It is socialism that will provide us with democracy, and this is what we must fight for. For instance, in Morocco, there is widespread poverty. Many people are aware of the statistics regarding homelessness and poverty. However, what’s most important is political awareness. We must engage in politics and work towards political solutions. It’s not merely a matter of emotions. The issue of Palestine, for example, stems from a lack of political knowledge. People are not politically aware.
- We must move towards class struggle, and people will begin to demand their rights. They will challenge the regime. A comrade mentioned that we, the revolutionaries, are not united. We need to foster solidarity worldwide. If one revolutionary is harmed by the regime, all revolutionaries must band together in response. We must have a world for the people. This is the same in Algeria, Mexico, and so on. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we all express solidarity worldwide.
Niger
- We must take the initiative instead of always responding to the imperialists.
- In Africa, the borders are a result of colonialism, established for the purpose of exploiting the continent. There is a project underway to set up a university to educate African youth.
- The energy transition requires resources, but they are being taken away because of colonialism.
Portugal
- I wanted to intervene on the question of the Palestinian population in Turkey.
- I support Danielle’s report. The counter-revolution era that began in 1945 divided Germany, resulting in the crushing of the German working class that had already been crushed by Nazism. This division extended to Europe and Eastern Europe. It was an arm preventing proletarian revolution from rising up, crushing the Greek movement.
- We see that the division of Palestine occurred at the same time. The Oslo agreements were just the logical consequence of the UN 1947 agreement. Without a revolutionary Europe, the end of a counter-revolutionary era can only result in a more reactionary movement. This perspective is increasingly true today. In conclusion, I don’t usually engage in polemics with historical working-class leaders. However, I make an exception with the following statement by Trotsky: The slave owners who chained their slaves with violence, and the slaves who rose up and used violence to break their chains, are not equivalent and should not be treated the same way.
Brazil
- I’d like to discuss a tragic event in Gaza. The number of bombs dropped in Gaza up until now corresponds to the destructive power of the atomic bomb that dropped in Hiroshima. The Palestinian people remind me of the fact that there are demonstrations across the world around the same issue and positions. I recently read an article that said this war is directly connected to trade union issues. The consequences of this war, the cost of this war, and the war in Ukraine, are going to create misery for workers across the world. We have to integrate the reality of the workers and trade unions and link it to the antiwar movement. The Palestinian revolution would bring out the reality and clarity of the class struggle in all questions.
- In Brazil, the Lula government, during a recent visit when Lula went to the U.S., passed an agreement with Biden in support of trade union rights around the world. Biden is now claiming to be a leader on trade union rights around the world. This is the same Biden that crushed the rail workers. They’re joining together in what is called the global green turn. This has consequences for the working class in the U.S. and in Brazil in relation to trade union independence. The Lula government last week, this Biden-Lula agreement has consequences. Lula is Biden’s candidate. They created an agreement for American troops to organize and train together with the Brazilian army in the Amazon. The Brazilian army is linked to Bolsonaro. The American army would be linked to them to understand how to work in the Amazon.
India
- Danielle talked about the contradiction between production capitalists and the ability of capitalist production to take place. It’s necessary to oppress the working class. The first expression of this is the economic crisis. This economic crisis is not serious enough to solve the permanent contradiction for the need of capitalism to crush workers and destroy jobs at the same time. We see the result together. The struggle for the standard of living for workers of the proletariat is the main element of building the working class for itself as such and becoming an organized class. The crisis of the political parties of the proletariat and their decay also results in distortion of language. We talk about movement instead of class struggle. We don’t talk about demands, but societal issues. As an old militant, these problems are not new. There are some examples that some of you will remember, the report by Ernest Mandel, leader of the USEC, with the new vanguards. He thought the proletariat was not revolutionary enough for him, but not to worry, there are women and students.
- A debate took place and it resulted in a split of the LCR and some of us remember that. Finally, a question, the transitional program is 85 years old but is still relevant. I want to ask a question, should it be updated in some ways? Danielle talked about Trotsky and said he prefers a good democrat to a rotten trot. The bourgeois governments could in exceptional circumstances go further in breaking with the bourgeoisie than they intended to. Is that expression still relevant today?
China
- I have been working for labor for more than 20 years. As a worker, I can say that under those circumstances workers will accept any kind of war or conflict. I would like to address a few issues.
- First, I would like to tell an old story about 30 years ago, a fire at a toy factory in Guangzhou for GE.
- The fire killed 87 women workers and 42 women workers got hurt.
- One issue that we should address is that the fire also facilitated the birth of labor law in China in 1955.
- The labor law has existed for 28 years but the protections for the workers have not yet been reached in China.
- The first generation of workers, especially those in rural areas, have worked in urban areas for more than 30 years but they still cannot enjoy retirement potential.
- So, I would urge everyone that we should all ensure that all workers can be united together.
- The situation in Hong Kong has become more difficult. The workers’ situation is also getting worse. But the trade unions have either been jailed or moved away to go to other countries so we need to rebuild our labor movement together. We need to get support from all of our friends in the world. So please help us and I hope that the workers’ movement in Hong Kong will be strong someday.
Germany
- Internationalist Socialist Group
- Since the Ukraine war, the government, the press, and the trade union leaders are doing everything possible to put roadblocks in front of the resistance movement. They are blocking any resistance for the Palestinian movement. In Ukraine, they say it is the horrible Russians without talking about the causes that resulted in this situation. The same thing with the Palestinian situation. The German government advances the unconditional support of the Israeli government. They use as a pretext what the Jews submitted under the 3rd Reich but the operation doesn’t work because they can’t keep the cover on the boiling pot. The congress of the service union took place recently. The antiwar movement was signed by 14,000 trade union leaders against German support intervention in the Israeli war.
- We are currently organizing a common meeting with them to organize the antiwar movement against the pro-war positions of our government. The same thing with TUC in Great Britain, particularly in relation to the Palestinian people that reinforces our position.
- The most obvious expression of this holy union is the SPD leaders in the Senate in Berlin. He organized a meeting in solidarity with Israel. All the union leaders in Germany are collaborating in reducing labor costs in Germany. They sign collective bargaining agreements that don’t even defend our demands to meet inflation. It’s a genuine war against the working class, it’s not just pressure against the working class. But there is resistance, that we couldn’t even imagine a year ago. The working class is fighting back. The antiwar movement has to be just as strong. There is not just a military war, but the bourgeoisie is waging a social war against the working class. In this struggle, it is essential to build independent working-class parties.
Russia
- The Gaza war led to two problems for the communists. A new situation in which the workers by thousands and millions in the world were confronted with war. We have seen the true nature of capitalism. And they can learn communism from this experience better than in books. But for capitalism, this is also a problem because it means the capitalists reduce bourgeois democracy, restrict it.
- So, the workers all over the world show the need for a large antifascist front. A front of democratic rights. Elsewhere it raises the issue of finding allies. That’s what happened on the issue when we were talking about the 7th of November demonstration in Paris which was banned. It shows the war against the Palestinian people is a major blow to civil liberties in France. All the nice speeches about the beauty of democracy have collapsed and shown their true nature. We have seen it at the time of demonstrations against pension reform.
- People in Russia are being jailed for fighting for peace and against war. Today the idea of a Russian revolution, these ideas are still alive and relevant. The issue of freedom and peace. NATO out of Europe. Russian troops out of Ukraine are our slogans.
Pakistan
- Pakistan’s political crisis has worsened the economic crisis. There is supposed to be elections next year. The current government was installed by the military and has not provided any relief to the people of Pakistan. So, in reality, it’s unofficial military rule in Pakistan. And the military has positions in all the civil departments and they are serving officials of the military. Pakistan is an agricultural country. Instead of introducing agricultural reforms and increases in production, the ruling leader only depends on ??
- The IMF wants the government to cut welfare but not military budgets. IMF also promises… The present government is serving imperialist power and financial institutions are tools that have enslaved Pakistan and other countries in chains of debt. Pakistan holds important geopolitical importance in the area. Relations with friendly countries like China are at an all-time low during the PTI government because the PTI government did not continue the one road initiative. It was an important part of the Pakistani economy. But it was had challenges like security and environment. The country is also facing economical disasters. Pakistan is responsible for less than 1% of global warming. But it is the 8th most vulnerable to the climate crisis. Pakistan already paid a hefty price.
- We fully support the Palestinian cause and support their people. We did not recognize Israel as a state. Any struggle for self-determination and against…