On the Second Congress of the Comintern (Communist International), Vladimir Lenin said “Workers and oppressed peoples of all countries, unite!”, an adaptation of Marx’s original phrase. This was done to denote the anti-colonialist agenda of the Comintern, and the need for oppressed peoples of the world and the global proletariat to unite in the anti-imperialist struggle.

Today, on International Labor Day, the ILPS Commission 10 sends warm militant greetings to all working and oppressed peoples of the world! Today let us commemorate our victories, reaffirm our struggle, and reiterate our aspirations to end imperialism and realize the liberation of mankind.

Laborers from National Minorities are found in many industries, we work as farm workers in plantations, as miners, and as precarious workers in industries owned by multinational and transnational corporations, just to name a few. On one hand we are exploited for our cheap labor, and productivity, whilst constantly discriminated against because of our identities– on top of this, capitalists justify unjust wages, poor working conditions, and little to no work benefits through racial and ethnic discrimination.

The current oppressive, and exploitative nature of the global capitalist system necessitates the need for greater resistance, and the unity of all oppressed peoples aspiring to build a better world. It is in this struggle that the role of the working class is highlighted as a powerful force to bring about change. Only through proletarian leadership do we have a fighting chance at ending the cycle of oppression brought about by this rotten system.

The role of capitalism in national oppression, plunder, and fascism

The link between capitalism and the national oppression against minorities is an undeniable fact. Industrialists, banks, and bureaucrats are the forces behind racial prejudice and discrimination,  the continuing exploitation of our ancestral lands and territories, and the genocide of Indigenous peoples and national minorities. All this is done in the interest of big business owners that seek to profit off our labor and extract the riches of our lands.

To this day, the absurd idea of “racial inferiority” is carried out by imperialists to impose the concept of imperialist powers as superior and thus more capable of carrying out development in the communities of Indigenous Peoples and National Minorities, especially in the Global South. In reality, the global monopoly capitalists have been the primary culprits of why nations in the Global South lack industries that are needed to develop and become self-reliant economies, the continuing existence of landlessness, feudal and semi-feudal exploitation, and the rapid depletion of our natural resources.

National Minorities and their role in the proletarian-led struggle for socialism

The role of National Minorities is key towards winning victories in different countries and ultimately contributing to the global struggle against imperialism. In many places around the world Indigenous peoples and national minorities wage national liberation struggles, as an assertion of our inherent right to self-determination, whether it be to defend our lands, culture, and lives or to secede from oppressive states, and defend their communities against fascism and reaction. The role of the politically advanced revolutionaries, activists, and anti-imperialists is to harness these movements to contribute to the anti-imperialist struggle and ultimately for the proletarian cause.

Across the globe the seeds of socialism are scattered and find fertile ground to blossom within the communities of National Minorities. The movement of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines against development aggression, the ever-growing resistance of West Papua against occupation, the struggle against IFI-funded mega-dams in Northeast India, and the unbreakable fighters of Palestine are just a few of the many revolutionary situations that threaten the very existence of imperialism.

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world, unite!
Struggle for self-determination, liberation, and socialism!|
Down with imperialism!