INDIA: OPPOSE THE FASCIST DESIGNS OF THE STATE IN SNATCHING THE RIGHTS ALREADY IN THE HANDS OF THE OPPRESSED DALIT COMMUNITY SAYS HARSH THAKOR.

OPPOSE THE FASCIST DESIGNS OF THE STATE IN SNATCHING THE RIGHTS ALREADY IN THE HANDS OF THE OPPRESSED DALIT COMMUNITY.

IT PROVES THAT THE CURRENT MODI GOVT.IS BANGING EVERY NAIL AND COFFIN TO TOTALLY ISOLATE THE DALIT COMMUNITY AND STRENGTHEN EVERY PART OF THE MACHINERY TO WEAKEN ANY DEMOCRATIC RESISTANCE OF THEM.

WE MUST SALUTE ALL THE FORCES WHO WITHSTOOD THE POLICE BARRICADES TO IMPLEMENT PROTEST.IT IS PART AND PARCEL OF THE FASCIST AGENDA OF THE MODI GOVT. 

ON A WHOLE.A MOST ENCOURAGING AND POSITIVE ROLE PLAYED BY PUNJAB STUDENTS UNION AND ZAMEEN PRAPTI SANGHARSH COMMITTEE IN PLACES LIKE SANGRUR, LUDHIANA, NAKODAR, FARIDKOT, PATIALA AND MUKTSAR IN SANGRUR 

OVER 7000 PEOPLE CONGREGATED.WITH GREAT DEDICATION THE PUNJAB STUDENTS UNION INTEGRATED WITH THE LANDLESS DALIT COMMUNITY TO SHIMMER THE TORCH OF LIBERATION.SALUTE VANGUARD ROLE PLAYED BY PSU AND ZPSC IN WORKING TO EXTINGUISH THE FASCIST HINDU SAFFRON FORCES. 

A protracted movement was launched in several regions of the state by Punjab Students Union and Zameen Prapti Sangharsh commitee to protest against the fascist court ruling against the dalit comunity.

I received a report from Pardeeo Kasba,secretary of PSU who told me about the efforts of the student activists and the repression faced in Sangrur where they faced a major attack.Protests took place in Sangrur,Faridkot,Ludhiana,Nakodar,Amritsar and Muktasr.

The grassroots work of the ZPSC and the PSU played a major role in the rallies making an impact because of the perseverance of ideological grounding.Killing of protesters by police during Bharat Bandh strongly condemned

ZPSC strongly condemns the firing by police on the people, killing a number of them, protesting against Supreme Court order virtually doing away with The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Supreme Court issued this order despite rise in the number of murders, rapes, assaults and other atrocities being perpetrated against these sections and despite high pendency and very low conviction rate of the cases under the Act.

There have been countrywide protests against this Supreme Court order. People from different walks of life came out in protests. Rail and road traffic was blocked at a number of places and large rallies were organized by the people.

To crush these protests, Govt. took recourse to prohibitory orders, lathi-charged the people and fired live bullets on the protesters in which a number of them have been killed.

Today’s protests are against the growing atrocities against Dalits and other oppressed sections. Today’s protests are against the ruling class forces which are conspiring to finish off reservation from oppressed sections. Today’s protests are also against the conspiracy to impose upper caste chauvinist rule in the name of Hindutva by the ruling dispensation.

ZPSC calls upon the people to continue the protests against the Supreme Court order as well as the attempts by the Govt. to suppress the protests. We pay our homage to those who have laid down their lives against the chauvinist fascist rulers. 

We call upon all forces against caste oppression and suppression of the rights of the oppressed sections to join hands against the attempts by the Govt. and other wings of the state to deny them their rights.

Ali Örnek Interview: Turkey and Islamist Rebels Carve Up Northern Syria

Wake Up Europe and Help Catalonia. Protests in Germany to Free Puigdemont

COMRADES READ TEXT OF LENIN IN  1916  ON IMPORTANCE OF SELF DETERMINATION OF SMALL NATIONS AFTER REFLECTING ON THE EASTER RISING OF 1916

The Discussion On Self-Determination Summed Up: The Irish Rebellion of 1916 by V.I.Lenin

The dialectics of history are such that small nations, powerless as an independent factor in the struggle against imperialism, play a part as one of the ferments, one of the bacilli, which help the real anti-imperialist force, the socialist proletariat, to make its appearance on the scene.


ENGLISH
https://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/the-discussion-on-self-determination.html

SPANISH
https://victoriaoprimidos.wordpress.com/2018/04/03/ayer-y-hoy-las-pequenas-naciones-son-el-fermento-de-la-revolucion-mundial/

Boris Johnson Lies on German TV and says Porton Down Germ Warfare Establishment told him Novichok was from Russia - Porton Down say that cannot confirm Novichok was from Russia

British scientists at the Porton Down defence research laboratory have not established that the nerve agent used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal was made in Russia, it has emerged.

Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), said the poison had been identified as a military-grade novichok nerve agent, which could probably be deployed only by a nation state.

Aitkenhead said the government had reached its conclusion that Russia was responsible for the Salisbury attack by combining the laboratory’s scientific findings with information from other sources.

The UK government moved quickly to make it clear that the prime minister, Theresa May, had always been clear the assessment from Porton Down was “only one part of the intelligence picture”.

SOURCE : Guardian

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed the US reneged on a promise to remove Kurdish YPG forces from Manbij.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed the US reneged on a promise to remove Kurdish YPG forces from Manbij. The mostly-Kurdish People's Protection Units have formed the backbone of the coalition's partnered ground forces.

Turkey considers the YPG to be the Syrian extension of the PKK, a named terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.

France, as part of the coalition, has offered to mediate between the Kurdish group and Ankara.

Turkey rejected the offer.

“Who are you to talk about mediation between Turkey and a terror group?” said Erdogan on Friday.

AFP photojournalist Delil Souleiman, who has embedded with Kurdish and coalition forces through the ISIS conflict, reported on Tuesday that tensions are high between Turkish and coalition-backed forces in northern Syria.

"We're on high alert. There are always skirmishes at night," Kurdish fighter Shiyar Kobane said. "They fire mortar rounds and shell our positions."

Turkey has a presence in nearby Jarabulus and al-Bab.

After Afrin, an iron wall divides Turks and Kurds' - Ahmet Türk

Following Newroz, the traditional Kurdish celebration of both the New Year and the beginning of Spring, Ahval caught up with prominent Kurdish politician and intellectual Ahmet Türk. Türk most recently served as the mayor of Mardin, a city in the southeast of Turkey, before being arrested by the Turkish government and removed from his position.

As one of the founding members of Turkey’s Kurdish political movement, as well as a decades-long peace broker between the Turkish government and the Kurdish opposition, Türk spoke to Ahval about the state of Turkey’s Kurdish movement today, as well as the condition of Kurdish people in the broader Middle East.

How were this year’s Newroz celebrations?

We celebrated Newroz under difficult conditions this year. More people participated in Newroz than we had expected, despite the government’s state of emergency and its assimilation policies that we were up against.

In the past, city busses would transport people from various locations to the city of Diyarbakir, where we gather to celebrate Newroz. Not only did the city busses not run this year, but private bus companies were also prohibited from transporting people to Diyarbakir

 Still, people walked 10, even 15 km to join the Newroz celebrations. We believe it is important that they insisted in taking ownership of Newroz. It is important to recognize the public’s awareness and sensitivity, particularly during these times of forced assimilation and censorship.

What are your thoughts on the decision to cancel Newroz celebrations in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq?

The government claims to have cancelled Newroz in order to hold a day of mourning out of respect for the events in Afrin. But people celebrated Newroz anyway, and channeled their anger and criticism of Turkish government policies into these celebrations. The government of Iraqi Kurdistan tried to cancel Newroz because it was concerned about the political message these celebrations might send.

If these demonstrations had been government sanctioned, the criticisms leveled against Turkey could have put the KRG’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) government in a difficult position. And to be honest, the KDP has utterly failed to fulfill its responsibilities toward the Kurdish people.

European leaders have shared their “concerns” over Turkey’s incursions into Afrin, and the KDP has not taken any action past these passive announcements. There is a serious attack on Afrin, and we have not seen the KDP show any resistance. If they were sincere about suspending Newroz celebrations out of respect for Afrin, they should have taken much more concrete steps for Afrin. Instead, their claims come across as rather disingenuous.

What are the consequences of the Afrin incursion?

Those who see Afrin as a victory will eventually see the extent of the destruction it has caused among the Kurdish and Turkish people who have coexisted for centuries, and realize that this was a bad policy by the Turkish government. Yes, there have been problems, the Kurds have had demands, and these demands have been denied and suppressed. But now we are sowing distrust and reaching an emotional breaking point.

The events in Afrin erected an iron wall between Turks and Kurds and created a political breaking point. Turkey’s incursion into Afrin benefits neither Turkey nor the Turkish people.

If Turkey had been a democracy, if it had recognized the Kurds as a people and taken democratic steps towards giving Kurds representation, it could have become the strongest nation in the Middle East. It could have been a role model for other nations, thereby strengthening democracy in the entire region. But Turkey has not taken on this role, it has instead insisted in treating Kurds as a potential threat.

 Turkish nationalistic policies beget Kurdish nationalism and radicalization. Problems can only be resolved with dialogue, through mutual understanding. This is the only way of preventing the rise of nationalism.

What are your thoughts on the claims in the international media that with Turkish help, jihadist groups have come together to form a radical opposition?

Afrin does not have a strong opposition. Before the incursion, there had been vibrant coexistence in that city, even among different groups of people. These media claims are just propaganda, and should not be entertained. How could jihadists that destroy people’s property be seen as a legitimate opposition who could represent the public?

If Turkey has brought together murderous jihadists, this is a global problem. Since the West has watched idly as jihadists have been brought here, while the Kurds have battled these groups that perform beheadings, destroy artifacts, and erase cultures, it is the West that should have to answer for its actions, not I.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming 2919 elections? Do you believe they will be held fairly?

The government faces uncertainty and fears the results of an election. They say that elections will be held as scheduled, but if it sees an earlier opportunity for victory, the government could easily call for early elections. Of course, the newly passed election laws will lead to many irregularities. Unmarked ballots could be counted, government officials could be assigned to oversee ballot boxes. Everyone is concerned.

In the absence of democracy, anything is possible. We could win the election, and they could ignore the results and assign us provincial administrators instead. People are expecting all sorts of undemocratic policies to be in effect.

What are you thoughts on the possibility of international mediation to resolve the Kurdish issue?

Everywhere in the world, problems have only been resolved when a third party has become involved. In the absence of a group acting as watchdog or referee, differences are difficult to overcome. We can see examples to this end in Ireland, South Africa, the Balkans, the Philippines…

If the world is serious about stability in the Middle East, it must take on the role of arbitrator. This role does not have to be adopted by the United State; a small country could also play the part as long as they have support from the United Nations. When bigger countries become involved, their arbitration can be interpreted as compulsion or pressure, but a country like Sweden or Norway would be an ideal mediator.

What are your thoughts on he future of Kurdish politics under the censorship of the Turkish government?

Kurdish parliamentarians are being silenced in parliament or removed entirely, but we have overcome these obstacles in the past. In the mid-1990s, when we lacked local organization and were barred from forming an official party, we collected a record numbers of votes. Even in the face of such obstacles, the people know how to cast their votes.

We are living through very difficult times, and it is hard to see where things will go. For example, after the 1980 military coup, we were all rounded up and sent to Diyarbakir prison. The torture we experienced there was a crime against humanity. But we had an idea of how much longer we would be held there.  Today however, I am having trouble predicting how long the oppression will last.
Is there a danger in creating idols around Kurdish leaders in the Kurdish community?

In the Middle East and the Caucasus, there is a tradition of placing a lot of importance on the leader.

In countries with stronger democracies, politics are centered on people’s demands. But in Turkey, leaders have a strong impact on the people.

 Leaders that have been victimized by oppressive forces are particularly successful in mobilizing people.

 When we call for Kurdish unity, we are not advocating for uniting against a different group of people. We want healthy policy decisions made in an organized political forum in order to support us in the path to democratization and to help us resolve issues more easily.

For example, if Kurds had a universal congress, members of the community spread out across different countries would pay more attention to each other’s needs and avoid taking actions that would be to the detriment of their fellow Kurds.

Turkey, Iraq, and Iran see this as us forming a united front against them. But in reality, we are trying to find ways of making healthier policy decisions.

What does the future hold for the Kurds in the Middle East?

We live in a world in which rights, liberties, universal values, and Copenhagen criteria are being trampled. 

We knew that we would not be able to achieve a great deal by simply kowtowing to American or Russian power. 

Instead, we are going to rely on the people’s will to make the demands of the oppressed known to the whole world. 

At some point, other countries will step in to mediate in finding a solution. 

We can look to the Balkans as an example. For a while, the world silently allowed genocide to take place, but was eventually forced to intervene. 

Ultimately, I feel that we must analyze the situation as a game of chess with many competing interests at play.

SOURCE:https://ahvalnews.com/kurds/after-afrin-iron-wall-divides-turks-and-kurds-ahmet-turk

India : Support State Conference in Telangana of Civil Liberties Committee on 7th & 8th April 2018

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April 3rd 1948 - Remembering the Jeju Massacre

Democracy and Class Struggle welcomes the fact that this massacre in Jeju Island is being remembered - what is less known in the West is that more people were killed in South Korea between 1945 and 1950 before the outbreak of the Korean War than in the Spanish Civil War.

The Korean War of 1950-53 has to be seen in context of these massacres in South Korea from 1945 to 1950.

When Truth comes out reconciliation is possible and truth is a path to Korean Unification.

SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday apologized to the victims of state violence during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the bloody April 3 incident on the southern island of Jeju.

 Moon, the first head of state to attend the memorial event in a decade, also renewed his pledges to uncover the truth behind the tragedy, restore the victims' honor, make state compensations for them and retrieve the remains of the missing.

 "I, as president, deeply apologize once again for all the pains stemming from the state violence and the efforts (to heal them), and also deeply appreciate them," Moon told a gathering of some 15,000 people, including the surviving victims.

 President Moon Jae-in speaks during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the bloody April 3 incident on the southern island of Jeju on April 3, 2018. (Yonhap)

 The Jeju April 3 incident refers to the South Korean government's anti communist suppression campaign from 1948-1954 under direction of United States.

A 2003 government report put the number of civilian deaths at between 25,000 and 30,000, about 10 percent of the island's population at the time.

Russia “We’re Not Going to Participate in the Madness” - Zakharova Says RF Will Retaliate, But Keep it Sane

Democracy and Class Struggle says Zakharova makes the valid point about British participation in 1936 Nazi Olympics - the Soviet Union was not present but the British Establishment of that time loved the Nazis and their Olympics.

The Boris Johnson's of the Tory Party of their time were raving Nazis supporters.

See our article on this

DISMEMBERING THE TRAITOR CLASS

https://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/dismembering-traitor-class-british.html

At least seven killed in India protests over caste discrimination

At least seven people have died in India during angry protests over caste discrimination. Dalits, the country’s least-privileged caste, say a supreme court judgement last month weakens their protections. The ruling made it harder to prosecute officials accused of discriminating against their members.