Brazil – Minas Gerais: Large Anti-imperialist May Day Mobilization Carried Out by the MARRETA Union
We hereby share an unofficial translation of a May Day report published by A Nova Democracia (AND) on 9th of May.
On the latest day of Proletarian Internationalism, the holiday on Friday, 1st of May, dozens of activists held a militant anti-imperialist political rally at the headquarters of the Union of Construction Workers of Belo Horizonte and Region (MARRETA). Speeches by representatives of the Workers’ League (LO), the International Anti-Imperialist League (AIL), and the MEPR —the Revolutionary Popular Student Movement—celebrated the occasion by extolling the example of Iran’s triumphant national liberation struggle and the indomitable Palestinian Resistance, and by denouncing growing US interventionism in Latin America, both through its military provocations and through the theft and destruction of our natural resources.
Other movements and organizations joined the event, including the Minas Gerais Association of Education Students (ExMEPe), the “Where’s the Bus?” Movement from Santa Luzia in the capital’s metropolitan area, and the Movement of Popular Communities (MCP), which advocates for housing and the rights of people in the suburbs and metropolitan area.
The protesters denounced the attacks by Yankee and other foreign monopolies on national sovereignty—particularly regarding natural resources—and the subservience of the government and the National Congress in allowing rare earth minerals to be handed over to the Yankees. The privatization of public services such as health care and education was also among the issues addressed.
All the speeches highlighted the strategic importance of the struggle of peasants, Quilombolas, and indigenous peoples to dismantle large estates through the worker-peasant alliance and the path of the Agrarian Revolution in defense of national sovereignty.
Event ends with a large demonstration
Workers, students, teachers, and workers from other sectors marched from MARRETA’s headquarters to Praça 7, the heart of the capital, carrying a large banner depicting the prominent American labor leaders Albert Parsons, Louis Lingg, Adolph Fischer, and George Engel, who were murdered by Yankee repression. The date of their assassination is precisely the milestone for Proletarian Internationalism Day, as stipulated by the Second International at that time.
Dozens of young people handed out leaflets to participants in a protest taking place at the same time in the capital’s downtown area, organized by labor federations and unions and drawing hundreds of people. The leaflets were very well received by the protesters, who showed interest and discussed topics such as the reduction of the workweek, the struggle for land, the National Resistance in Iran and Palestine, and People’s Wars around the world.
