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No to the capitalists' summit! For an International of resistance and class struggle

Organising C'tee for an Internationalist Contingent, Berlin

All out to Hamburg against the G20 summit – join the International Block!

In July 2017, the world´s most politically powerful people will gather in Hamburg. Let’s counter their summit with an international and class-militant answer, as part of a struggle against capitalist exploitation, oppression, racism, imperialism and war!

At this summit, the self-proclaimed leaders of the world will meet, although they themselves are fighting one another for power and influence. In their own interests they instigate wars, civil wars and revolts, imposing incredible pain, displacement, hunger and misery upon humanity.

With a constant crisis of the capitalist system as a backdrop, the imperialist powers are fighting for the redivision of the world. This leads to growing inequality, more poverty for the masses and more wealth for a tiny minority. The profits of a few corporations are rising, banks are being bailed out with billions of taxpayers’ money while capital is running from one crisis to the next, searching desperately for profitable investment opportunities. Climate change and the destruction of the environment are reaching threatening proportions and are forcing millions to flee their homes.

The ruling elite have fewer and fewer answers to the crisis of their system except war, racism, oppression and destruction of whole regions. However, these are not the result of policy errors, they are the inevitable consequences of the global order and capitalism in its imperialist phase. While the depth of the crisis is becoming more and more obvious, the domestic actions of the ruling elite are becoming more repressive and reactionary. What increasingly authoritarian neoliberalism couldn’t solve, is now supposed to be solved by nationalistic ideology and protectionism. Borders are becoming tighter and deadlier. This brutal border regime is part and parcel of a racist motivated deprivation of the rights of those who are seeking refuge.

The representatives of the G20, whose countries account for 88% of the world economic output, are now gathering, but they do not meet as equals and their goal is not to rectify the harm they have caused, or the greater good of humanity. The only purpose of their meeting is to continue their economic competition and imperialist conflicts by means of summit diplomacy.

Whatever is decided, it will be the poorer countries, and even some of the weaker G20-countries, who will have to pay the cost. In the end, it is the working class, the poor, the refugees and the environment that will pay for their decisions. Women, especially those from the working class and the peasantry, will be particularly affected and rights gained over decades are in danger of falling victim to a worldwide rollback.

For these reasons, we say NO to this summit, to its representatives and its objectives!

We don’t expect anything from a racist and sexist Trump, whose election in the USA is just new evidence of the crisis of the leading imperialist player. His visit alone is reason enough to take to the streets. But the rest of the ensemble as well, from Erdogan to Putin, are in no way better. They are all representatives of the capitalist system in a more or less authoritarian form.

And we also shouldn’t fool ourselves: the Merkel government praises the German style of governance and control as a “better” model for the world in the midst of a row of questionable alternatives. Hypocrisy trumps all. The ritual evoking of “democracy and human rights” is the ideological background music for a more active and hence a stronger German military role in the struggle over the redivision of the world. The German government advocates the implementation of austerity regimes in Europe, supports the deadly strengthening of the EU-borders, an intensification of the class war from above and the abolition of democratic rights while massively increasing the domestic and international military apparatus.

The dishonest, bourgeois democrats are no alternative to, or defence from, reactionary, nationalist and racist movements and parties. The rapid increase of those forces, however, is showing us the urgency of creating an international, class militant perspective against the system.

The reformist strategy declared by social democrats, trade union leaders and members of the left parties, to reform the capitalist system in the interest of everyone through a “different policy”, has proven itself over the last decades to be what it is: an illusion. Their room for manoeuvre is never more than capital is prepared to allow them. Instead of recognizing that and drawing their conclusions from it, they still declare that their politics could prevent crisis and thereby confirm their own role at the deathbed of capitalism.

This does not mean that we are against the struggle for reforms. Quite the contrary. In a situation of global defence against capitalist attack, it is absolutely necessary to unite and to fight together for improvements. But we are also conscious of the fact that even small victories can only be won through the means of class struggle: mass strikes, occupations, mass mobilizations, and the creation of structures for self-organization. The working class and the oppressed have nothing to gain from hoping to live in a “socially balanced” and “politically responsible” capitalism. More importantly, we have to prepare ourselves for an escalation of the class war and for the organized struggle against the system as a whole. Although reactionary movements are on the rise, there are also encouraging struggles all over the globe:

The resistance of the Palestinian and Kurdish peoples demonstrates clearly that the oppressed are not willing to stop their ongoing struggle. In India, mass strikes of 150 million showed the potential the working class there has, despite an extremely oppressive Hindu-chauvinistic government. In Poland, hundreds of thousands of women are fighting against further restrictions of the already very restrictive abortion right. The working classes in Greece, Spain or Portugal are searching for a political solution for the attacks against them by their own bourgeoisie and the EU. The strikes in France during the spring of 2016 showed the outline of a potential alternative to the Front National. In the US, a mass movement is forming against racism, fascism and sexism in which the activists are searching for an alternative not only to Trump, but to the Democratic Party as well.

When we demonstrate in Hamburg, we will be doing it in solidarity with all those who are fighting in their countries against the politics and effects of this system!

Today, capitalism is a worldwide system in which there can be no national solutions. What applies for the bourgeoisie applies even more for the workers and oppressed. However, while the bourgeois classes of the world are in an imperialist conflict and competition amongst themselves, our interests do not differ from those of our sisters and brothers around the world. On the question of self-determination and peace in Palestine or Kurdistan for example, the room for a regional solution is quite slim. Their resistance is colliding with the borders drawn by colonialism and imperialism. We are fighting for an internationalism that respects and guarantees, even in Europe, the right for self-determination of all people. In the same way that our solidarity with those national struggles for self-determination is international, so only an international movement, that questions all borders, states and property relationships, can pose a long-term perspective.

Our resistance is linked to countless struggles around the world. The relation to those struggles is central for us. Solidarity activities are an essential part of this policy. To further strengthen international solidarity, we also need a common exchange and a trusting collaboration on an international level. This should be done in operational and trade union structures as well as in active alliances and forums.

The G20-summit is another important opportunity to organize ourselves and to bring our united protest to the streets. But the crucial factor is the perspective and collaboration after the summit. Therefore, we are calling for everyone to unite our resistance and to form an International Block to fight together, to work and discuss together how to achieve and build a political alternative to capitalism, racism, and chauvinism.

The G20 are holding their international meeting and making political agreements against us and are showing unity in their implementation, despite their competition and their struggle for a redivision of the world. Our struggles are fragmented and uncoordinated. What we need is a new, anti-capitalist International of the working class and the oppressed in order to build bridges from the resistance against the impositions of the system to the struggle against capitalism and for a socialist society.

Solidarity with the struggles of workers and trade unions worldwide!

No to domestic militarism! Against the destruction of democratic rights!

Against the suppression of women, LGBTIQ* and the youth!

No to every imperialist intervention! Immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops!

No to racism – for open borders and equal civil rights for all!

For the right of self-defence and self-determination! Against all criminalization of resistance, left and anti-imperialist groups!

Support the struggle against occupation and colonization! International solidarity with the liberation struggle in Palestine and Kurdistan!

For an international coordination of the class struggle! For a new International!

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