Solidarity with Michigan Protesters
Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America
18 March 2011
On behalf of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement, the Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America would like to once again state its support for workers fighting the undemocratic attacks on living standards and the sovereignty of the people.
On Wednesday, March 16, 2011, over 5,000 Michigan citizens demonstrated in the state capitol against the GOP's dictatorial agenda. Their proposed reactionary legislation would attack basic workers' rights to organize, tax pensions, eliminate funding to schools, void local elections, ordinances and contracts, privatize services, eliminate project labor agreements, and pass the savings on to Wall Street. This salvo from the bosses is not only open class warfare but an assault on democracy.
The demonstrators were desperate working class people being disenfranchised by this bill, most of whom were not politically active prior to this struggle. These ordinary working people embraced civil disobedience as the last hope. According to IRSCNA comrade John S., who participated in the demonstration, and the Detroit News, there
were at least fourteen arrests and the police used unnecessary force. The people involved in the occupation and protest at the end numbered at least a few hundred.
John S. had this to say in summary: "Whatever we just did these past three days was pretty intense and it radicalized a lot of otherwise moderate liberal workers. We also learned not to count on UAW leadership for anything, fair play to the UAW rank and file that participated with us despite their leadership leaving us out to dry."
As the bosses and their political allies demand more sacrifices and destroy the lives of working people, it becomes clearer to working people that the exploitative profit system is in decline, and a better society led by working people must be built.
The IRSCNA call on our fellow workers to join the demonstrations and stand up to the bosses' attacks on our survival and democratic rights.
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Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America
PO Box 5174
Champaign IL 61825
USA
