May Day—International Workers’ Day—is commemorated on May 1 by millions of workers around the world as a day of international solidarity against exploitation, war and racism. Members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation participate in and lead numerous struggles against the war in Iraq and against the domestic assault by the banks and big business on workers’ gains. As a gesture of international working class solidarity, PSL members Jack Smith, Gloria La Riva and Ian Thompson attended and participated in several important May Day activities in Vietnam, Cuba and Belgium.
 Photo: Jack Smith |
A delegation of 50 friends of Vietnam from 20 countries attended a number of the ceremonies in Ho Chi Minh City marking the liberation of southern Vietnam from U.S. occupation.
Every street in Vietnam’s largest city was bedecked in red flags and banners commemorating the end of over three decades of armed struggle against colonialism and imperialism. One of the biggest commemorations was a parade, led by units of the People’s Army, of colorful floats and contingents of workers representing scores of trades and professions.
—Jack A. Smith, former editor of the Guardian newspaper
 Photo: Gloria La Riva |
May Day in Havana, Cuba saw more than 1.3 million people gather in Revolution Square. Millions more Cubans rallied throughout the country to celebrate International Workers Day. Besides honoring the gains and achievements of workers, Cubans demanded justice for the victims of the notorious anti-Cuba terrorist Luis Posada Carriles.
Speakers at the event included Giustino Di Celmo, whose son was killed in a hotel bombing orchestrated by Posada, and Bobby Marsh, whose fiancé was killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Marsh pointed out the hypocrisy of the U.S. “war on terror” while supporting terrorists like Posada Carriles.
Cuban President Fidel Castro addressed the main theme of the May Day event, “Humanity has a yearning for justice.”
—Gloria La Riva
 Photo: Workers Party of Belgium |
Representatives of 65 communist and workers’ parties throughout the world participated in the 14th annual International Communist Seminar in Brussels, Belgium, May 2 to 4. The Seminar, hosted by the Workers Party of Belgium (PTB), discussed the experiences and current tasks of the international communist movement. It featured presentations by the Communist Party of Cuba, the Workers Party of Korea and people’s movements from the Philippines, Palestine, Colombia, and the African continent. The Party for Socialism and Liberation shared its experiences organizing in the United States.
The May Day kick-off event was attended by thousands of Belgian workers. A representative of the Communist Party of Vietnam delivered a solidarity message, as did Fadwa Barghouti, wife of jailed Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouti; Baudouin Deckers, General Secretary of the PTB; and Belgian trade union leaders.
—Ian Thompson
