The Revolutionary Communist Party mobilized for this years’ International Women’s Day (IWD) around the slogan “Down with Genocide Justin! Down with Imperialism!”
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For years, the leaders of the unions which organize the IWD demonstration, have allowed its politics to be watered down. This year, The Revolutionary Communist Party sought to mobilize workers and youth into a radical bloc—against the Trudeau government and its complicity in genocide.
The slogan connected to the militant mood of Palestinian supporters at Women’s Day and was chanted throughout the march. As one attendee told us:
I’ve been going to every Palestine demo since the start. I’m angry and we desperately need to do something, I came to IWD because I’ve been seeing your Instagram posts about “Down with Genocide Justin” and bringing down Canadian imperialism. I think that’s what’s needed.
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Another popular chant was “useless UN resolutions, what we need is revolution!” reflecting how many people have lost faith in capitalist institutions like the United Nations to end the war and genuinely liberate Palestine.
As another attendee correctly put it, “the entire UN is enslaved by the right of veto of six countries who control the entire world.”
Rather than appealing to the useless UN or Genocide Justin, communists raised the demand “from Toronto to Gaza, we need an intifada”. This demand was picked up by hundreds at the IWD march and shows that people have a burning desire to take matters into their own hands. We need to connect this mood with the fight for a revolutionary overthrow of the Canadian imperialist ruling class to help free Palestine.
This contrasts sharply with the official slogan set by the unions who organize the IWD march:“no one is free until we are all free”. In the face of a mass slaughter, why wasn’t Palestine at the forefront? Last year’s IWD slogan was “Women, Life, Freedom”—referencing the movement provoked by the killing of Mahsa Amini by the Iranian regime. The contrast between this years’ slogan and last year is glaring. Could it have anything to do with the fact that Iran is an enemy of the western imperialists while Israel is their ally?
As comrade Emily explained in her speech, the reformist labour leadership is tail-ending the Liberals and ultimately, allowing the Canadian ruling class to support genocide. The NDP, supported by the leadership of Canada’s unions, has kept the Liberals in power through the supply and confidence deal. In exchange for pathetically weak “dental care” and “pharmacare,” the Trudeau government has been given a free hand to arm and support Israel before and throughout its siege on Gaza. We have to ask, are these things worth genocide? Labour is in a deal with the devil and everyone knows it. We saw this sentiment in the popularity of our chants: “NDP: Shame on you, Palestine is our fight too!” and “Break with the Liberals, they’re war criminals!”
No, we won’t let you commit genocide in peace.
At the end of IWD, an emergency mobilization was called by the Palestinian Youth Movement. Genocide Justin was scheduled to meet with viciously anti-union, anti-Palestine, Mussolini-praising Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Peaceful protestors faced several hundred police officers mounted on horses and armed to the teeth. Video footage shows protesters getting shoved and thrown to the ground. However, the protestors held their ground and succeeded in forcing the event to be canceled.
This success has upset some bourgeois politicians. Liberal MP Marco Mendicino complained after the successful protest: “these thugs think they scored a victory last night, but all they did was lose public support and embarrass themselves”. Unfortunately for Mendicino and similar warmongers, the majority of Canadians are horrified at the genocide in Palestine and disgusted with the Canadian state. A recent poll by Angus Reid showed that more Canadians believe Israel is committing a genocide than not, and 49 per cent want a complete ceasefire immediately. The percentage is far higher for 18 to 34 year olds. This explains why hundreds of people would show up within a matter of hours to shut down Genocide Justin, risking arrest and harassment from police thugs.
Michael Wernick, a lifelong bureaucrat who helped cover up the SNC-Lavalin bribery scandal, complained that politicians are uncomfortable with the “work environment” created by the protests. Good. We will not let the ruling class peacefully commit genocide.
Workers unite against imperialism
RCP member Maral pointed out that International Women’s Day was originally started by communists in 1910 to advance the struggle against oppression as part of a general struggle against capitalism. Just over 100 years ago, working women in Russia went out on IWD and sparked a revolution that brought down the bloody tsar and ultimately brought an end to the First World War.
We need to follow in their footsteps. As Maral said: “It is necessary to put International Women’s Day, originally International Working Women’s Day, back into the hands of the working women and bring back the ideas and traditions of revolutionary communism”.
Down with Genocide Justin!
Workers unite against imperialism!
Intifada until victory!
