By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
10 May 2012
On behalf of the entire International League of Peoples’ Struggle, we the International Coordinating Committee express our militant solidarity and support for the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda. We congratulate the coalition for the success of all the events it has undertaken in opposition to the G8 and NATO in connection with their summit meetings on May 19-21, 2012.
We are deeply pleased that member-organizations of the ILPS are cooperating with the coalition in realizing the International Days of Action against the NATO war system from May 14 to 20, the People’s Summit at Occupy Chicago Headquarters on May, 12-13, the holding of educational and cultural events, conferences, workshops and protest actions in succeeding days, a counter-NATO Summit on May 18 and the climactic family-friendly rally and march on May 20. We are confident that all the aforesaid events will be successful.
We fully agree that the march and rally shall deliver the following message: Jobs, Housing, Healthcare, Education, Our Pensions, the Environment: Not War! No to NATO/G8 Warmakers! No to War and Austerity!
The expected tens of thousands of marchers are determined to move forward peacefully and cry so loud as to reach Camp David and the whole world.
We must fight for a bright future of greater freedom, equality, social justice and peace and we must speak out against the wars and the cutbacks that are designed to benefit the 1% at the expense of the 99% of the world. The G8 summitteers, the masterminds of the catastrophic neoliberal policy of imperialist globalization and the wars of aggression, have beaten a retreat to the seclusion of Camp David.
But we see clearly the interlocking relations of the G8 and NATO as instruments of the imperialist powers for the exploitation and oppression of the people of the world. The crisis of the world capitalism system is whipping up the rapacity, repressiveness and aggressiveness of the imperialist powers. It is our urgent duty to unite and fight back in order to uphold, defend and promote our rights, dignity and welfare.
We are delighted that a broad spectrum of US and international organizations is committed to participate in the International Days of Action. We anticipate in the People’s Summit and in the big march and rally on May 20 the participation of community groups, labor unions, anti-racist organizers, Occupy activists, environmentalists, faith leaders, immigrant rights activists and others committed to the struggle for social, economic and environmental justice.
We welcome the adoption and application of the Chicago Principles. These uphold solidarity on the basis of respect for a political diversity within the struggle for social, economic and environmental justice, allow both cooperation and the diversity of action plans and tactics, oppose any state repression of dissent and avoid anything that disrupts the solidarity and cooperation of participants.
We are confident that the events of May under the auspices of the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda can bring about about a higher level of solidarity and militancy among the diverse participants and bring forward the anti-imperialist and democratic struggle of the people for justice and peace and for a fundamentally new and better world.###
