Successful Anti-imperialist Event in Pernambuco, Brazil
On March 12, an anti-imperialist event took place at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), organized in collaboration with student collectives such as the National Executive of Pedagogy Students (ExNEPe) and the Mangue Vermelho Collective, as reported by A Nova Democracia (AND).
The meeting gathered over 120 activists who united in their opposition to US imperialism, highlighting especially the struggles in Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and Palestine. Participants emphasized the need for a strong movement to combat the impact of imperialism, also among the Brazilian masses, culminating in the burning of flags of Yankee imperialism and Israel.
At the beginning of the event, around 6:00 PM, the Military Police of Pernambuco was monitoring the meeting place, attempting to intimidate the participants. However, the activists took the opportunity to denounce the role of the police as executors of the interests of the old Brazilian State, a lackey of Yankee imperialism.
Among the attendees there were representatives from the Coordinating Committee of the Anti-Imperialist League (AIL), the League of the Poor Peasants (LCP), the Association of Political Amnistied of Pernambuco (APAP), and the Urban Movement of Homeless Workers (MUST).
The AIL representative greeted everyone by acknowledging global struggles and stated that the Pentagon is plagued by paranoia due to the advancement of popular struggles that tend towards the World Revolution. He also announced the release of a political prisoner arrested during a previous protest, student Mateus, emphasizing the resistance of anti-imperialist activists in the face of state repression.
A member of the Mangue Vermelho Collective spoke about the collapse of US imperialism, calling for a “great push” against the US, which “perpetrates terrorist attacks at will, bombing our continent and countries that fight for their sovereignty”. He finally called on all youth to “stay firm and remember that it is right to rebel”.
A correspondent from the newspaper A Nova Democracia recounted his experience during a protest on January 28, where he faced police violence after being shot with a .40 caliber bullet, but showed determination to move forward. He emphasized that police repression would only fuel the people’s anger and resistance, not decrease it. A pedagogy student and representative of ExNEPe linked education problems to US interference, stating that funding cuts and educational reforms are dictated from Washington. She spoke about her injuries from the five police shots during the January 28 protest, but still asserted that she only left the demonstration when it had dispersed.
An activist from the Ventania Movement highlighted that students are determined to fight for their rights and draw inspiration from the struggles of young people in Palestine and Iran, who have faced imperialist aggression. She also condemned the illegal detention of a 16-year-old student during a previous protest, stating that such actions only strengthen the determination of her comrade.
A peasant from the League of the Poor Peasants (LCP) greeted the event and condemned the US imperialist attack against the Brazilian people under the pretext of “narcoterrorism”, highlighting that peasant movements – such as the LCP or MST – have already been labeled as terrorists. He spoke about the need to unite against imperialism as the main enemy of the people in oppressed nations. “Thus, the masses rise up to defend what belongs to them, to defend their territory, even with so many problems and contradictions, but what really matters is the struggle against imperialism, the struggle against those who come to tell you how you must act within your own territory”. He also highlighted the connection between the peasant struggle and the anti-imperialist struggle, speaking about the corporate land appropriations in Pernambuco by Chinese imperialism and Agropecuária Mata Sul S.A.
The professor from UFPE, Socorro Abreu, urged the youth to learn from historical struggles against imperialism, warning about opportunism within movements, characterizing it as “imperialist infiltrations in popular movements to pulverize our struggle”. A representative from the organization Brazilian Revolution (RB) and Association of Political Amnestied of Pernambuco (APAP) denounced the local police violence against protesters during the January 28 demonstration, highlighting the role of the governor of Pernambuco, as the leader in repression, and also the government of Luiz Inácio. He finally called on everyone to condemn, in April, the coup d’état that established the fascist military regime in 1964.
The event concluded with a representative from MUST reaffirming the need for unity against US imperialism, particularly in the context of recent anti-terrorism laws that criminalize popular organizations.
The participants supported the call from the Forum Against Corporativization and Militarization (FACAM) to participate in internationalist actions in defense of the Indian Revolution and in solidarity with the Communist Party of India (Maoist). On March 28, there will be a demonstration “in support of the revolutionary process in India”.
Finally, the participants unanimously decided to hold another demonstration in front of the educational center, where they again burned the flags of the United States and Israel, reaffirming their commitment to anti-imperialist resistance, while chanting slogans such as “Yankees, go home!” and “Out of Gaza, fascist Israel! Out of Latin America, Yankees!”.
The source of all images is A Nova Democracia.
