IRSCNA: Solidarity with Michigan Protesters

international | worker & community struggles and protests | press release Friday March 18, 2011 21:20 by IRSCNA irscna at irsm dot org

The IRSM stands in solidarity with Michigan workers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

18 March 2011
Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America

Solidarity with Michigan Protesters

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
irscna@irsm.org
http://www.irscna.org/
http://www.irsp.ie/irscna.html