May Day: Solidarity with the masses in Iran!

international | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis Thursday May 01, 2008 18:25 by pat c - Hands Off the People of Iran c/o Barracka Books, 61 Barrack Street, Cork

No to war, no to sanctions! No to the theocracy!

The political climate inside Iran is now horrifically tense. Women, gay men and lesbians, students, workers; all are caught in the middle of the stand-off between the regime and imperialism. Arrests have increased and intimidation is rife. Any slight ‘disobedience’ of the theocratic regime is portrayed as a threat to state security.

That is why principled solidarity is so necessary. We in HOPI are determined to show the reality behind the threat of war and to give practical and political suppor t. We are campaigning for trade union support and have a resolution which we would urge all activists to use.

Recent accusations against Iran by the US commander in Iraq, General Davis Petraeus, signal an intensification of the threat of war by the US. Petraeus rebuked Iran for playing a “destructive” role in suppor ting and financing militia groups like the Mahdi army. Iran is now being blamed for prolonging the war and destruction in Iraq.

The fact that the Tehran actually supports the US occupation government in Iraq does not matter. There is no doubt that US is using the opportunity to build suppor t for military attack. Truth cannot stand in the way of the imperialist war machine.

Meanwhile the pressure mounts on the working class within Iran. Ahmadinejad is using the false claims of the US to pose as an anti-imperialist force. But nothing could be further from the truth. In reality the Iranian theocracy just wants to increase its dominance in the middle-east. And as its suppor t for the Iraqi occupation government shows, they are more than willing to co-operate with the US to achieve that dominance

May Day has always been a time when the masses come onto the streets of Iran. And it has also been a time of state repression to stop those protests. This year that repression began in April with the arrest of a number of working class activists. Unofficial May Day celebrations in parks in Tehran have been banned. Events due to take place on 25th April were clamped down on by hundreds of military and security personnel.

Despite this protest and May Day celebrations continue throughout Iran. Feelings are running high against the crackdown and economic hardship. Unprecedented levels of inflation and poverty are a direct result of sanctions and government corruption and mismanagement. In response Ahmadinejad called for the creation of a “culture of martyrdom”.

The political climate inside Iran is now horrifically tense. Women, gay men and lesbians, students, workers; all are caught in the middle of the stand-off between the regime and imperialism. Arrests have increased and intimidation is rife. Any slight ‘disobedience’ of the theocratic regime is portrayed as a threat to state security.

That is why principled solidarity is so necessary. We in HOPI are determined to show the reality behind the threat of war and to give practical and political suppor t. We are campaigning for trade union support and have a resolution which we would urge all activists to use.

This May Day we stand in solidarity with the people of Iran against this repressive regime and against any imperialist interference, sanctions or war.

This May Day ours is a clear message of support to those in struggle in Tehran and right across Iran. Your fight is our fight!

Contact:
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HOPI
c/o Barracka Books,
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Cork