Peace?
The Red
The member organisations of the International Trade Union Network for Solidarity and Struggle reaffirm their determination to fight for peace. Everywhere. Always. But the people cannot entrust peace to those who start, organise and support wars – first and foremost the colonialist states.
What has been happening for years in Palestine and Ukraine demonstrates this once again.
The ‘peace’ sought by Israel and the United States of America in Palestine amounts to the complete annexation of the Palestinian territories and beyond (Lebanon, etc.). The ‘peace’ sought by Russia and the United States of America in Ukraine amounts to the annexation of Ukrainian territories and the imposition of the totalitarian regime currently in place in Russia.
Their ‘peace’ is genocide, colonisation and repression. Their ‘peace’ is war!
For global capitalism, war is a market and a tool for geopolitical reconfiguration.
Conscientious objection, refusal to serve in the armed forces, and respect for soldiers’ democratic rights are inalienable rights. ‘National defence’ means preparing for and organising confrontation between states, armed forces and militias; genuine collective defence of the people encompasses social, political and economic issues – everything that truly unites a community. Who decides and who controls are fundamental questions. Starting from reality rather than abstract principles, the trade union movement and social movements must reclaim the debates surrounding processes aimed at working towards the abolition of armies, disarmament and the elimination of structures of domination.
The member organisations of the International Trade Union Network for Solidarity and Struggles do not compartmentalise their international solidarity. We stand in solidarity with peoples under attack, everywhere in the world. We support those who resist regimes that stifle freedom, colonialism and oppression. We do so based on what social movements on the ground tell us, where these have not been completely wiped out by repression; sometimes alongside democratic and progressive forces in exile. First and foremost, with the trade unions and grassroots organisations that are organising solidarity, resistance and the defence of our social class’s interests… the real struggle for peace! Our response is neither militarisation nor fuelling the imperialist war machine, but active class solidarity.
That is why we will continue to send delegations to Palestine and Ukraine, but also wherever possible, to meet with independent trade unions, workers and communities engaged in resistance, to discuss with them the real conditions and possibilities for peace.
Support for independent trade unions and workers’ organisations in Palestine, Ukraine, Iran, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sahara, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, and so on!
In the Middle East, Europe, the Near East, Africa, the Americas, and all over the world, let us take concrete situations as our starting point to implement concrete responses! Peace must not be an empty slogan, nor must it condone imperialist aggression, whether direct or indirect. Peace does not mean increasing unchecked military budgets at the expense of public services. Peace does not mean the increased militarisation of states or the intensification of oppression, but the struggle for social emancipation and an end to discrimination.
