The refugees issue is becoming more important each time. Globalization of economy, economic crisis and the polarization of class struggle are leading to new waves of refugees and significant political crises.
International Workers League Statement
According to the UN, there are 244 million refugees, a 41% increase in the past 15 years, more than 10% of the population in Europe and USA. Globalization of economy enables the broad and free transit of capitals in the planet. However, there is no such freedom for workers, only for capital.
Despite this, the massive presence of refugees in the hardest and worse paid tasks is a reality in many countries. In some, there are sectors where refugees are majority. Latinos are very important in the worse services in the USA. The Turkish are a majority in the unqualified industrial proletariat in Germany. The Nicaraguan are most of the civil construction proletariat in Costa Rica.
68.5 million of the refugees are political refugees, for example those fleeing the civil war in Syria or, lately, repression in Nicaragua.
Imperialist and bourgeois governments in general attack refugees with xenophobic policies and attitudes. Trump makes systematic and brutal persecution on the refugees. The racist and xenophobic government of the Italian right stops the refugies from reaching the coasts of the country. Almost 35 thousand refugees have died crossing the Mediterranean. In general, the bourgeoisie applies a monstrous policy: it incorporates immigrants in the worst tasks and, at the same time, it attacks them as if they were responsible for the situation of the native workers. With this, it divides the workers and stops them from joining to fight.
Often, union leaderships are accomplices of these xenophobic policies, acting directly in this sense or maintaining a shameful passivity.
Recently, there was a grotesque episode by Trump, who divided parents and children refugees in the USA, which generated a world scandal. Now, xenophobic persecution has many expressions in Latin America. In Brazil, armed groups assaulted and expelled Venezuelan refugees in Roraima. In Costa Rica, a two thousand people demonstration led by extreme-right groups assaulted and expelled Nicaraguans from the Mercedes Plaza. These extreme right xenophobic armed groups violently attack disarmed refugees.
The media, in service of governments or local bourgeois moobs, seize any incident of police violence to blame the refugees and facilitate a hate climate, which is used to justify the attacks. Sadly, this type of actions by governments, bourgeoisies and media have echo in the rank and file of the workers, dividing the proletariat.
A strong, unitary action of the organizations, unions and parties linked to the worker, student and social movements is necessary to oppose this. The unity of native and refugee workers against the goverments and the bourgeoisie is necessary! Enough xenophobic attacks! Let us fight together against our true enemies. It is time to show that no frontiers divide us workers!
Governments have the Obligation to receive Refugees
The great multi-national and national enterprises and the bourgeois governments are responsible for economic and political crises. They are also responsible for solving social and humanitarian problems caused by the crises.
To take advantage of cheap labor power of the refugees and difficult the regularization of the workers and their families is criminal cinism. It is despicable for governments that support the Assad, Ortega and Maduro dictatorships to complain about the legion of refugees that is formed.
We must demand from governments public works plans to provide jobs for native and refugee workers. To demand to reception the refugees in decent conditions. To provide access to the health and education services for refugees in equal conditions.
Union Leaderships and Parties should take on this Fight
No one should ignore this situation. The union leaderships and the parties linked to the labor and social movement should take on the task to defend refugees against any xenophobic attitude. It is necessary to defend the unity of the native and refugee workers against the bourgeoisie and its governments.
It is essential that union press, social networks and alternative press make a great political campaign against xenophobia, in defense of the refugees and for the unity of the workers!
Initiatives, like the CSP Conlutas and its caravan in support of the Venezuelan refugees are necessary. Or the Civil Contruction union of Boavista, which took on a camp for the refugees. Or even Sitrasep and the PT (Costa Rica), which are helping organize a big solidarity movement in support of the Venezuelan people. Or the Coordinarion of Refugees pushed by Corriente Obrera in Los Angeles.
The organizations of mass movement must act strongly in this sense. For this, it is necessary that the reformist leaderships break with the dictatorial governments that are generating the refugee crises. The CUT (Brazil) does not even accept the characterization of Venezuelan refugees as refugees due to their support on Maduro. Governments like Assad, Maduro and Ortega generated brutal political, economic and humanitarian crises with the complicity of the political and labor leaderships that support these genocide bourgeois governments.
Self-defense is necessary before the Xenophobic Attacks
The armed attacks by xenophobic groups may not remain unanswered. If these attacks are imposed without an answer, the defense of the refugees will be demoralized.
The same extreme-right groups that attack the refugees today will attack the native worker strikes tomorrow. Only the unity of the workers in direct struggle may stop these groups!
It is necessary to help organize the self-defense of the refugees against these attacks. It is necessary for the labor and social movement to help the refugees setting up this self-defense.
It is time to say stop xenophobia! Long live the fight of the refugees! Long live the unity of the workers against the bourgeoisie and its governments!
Down with Xenophobia! In Defense of the Refugees! Long Live the Unity of the Workers!
