Salute to the victory of the Peruvian indigenous movement!

WFDY has received the news about the historical victory achieved by the indigenous movement of Peru, after an intense struggle against the national Government, who is a close ally of the USA imperialism.

This victory was achieved after several months of protests that have cost the life to at least 34 people and produced more than 60 missing people, whereas the main leaders were being intensively persecuted by the Peruvian authorities.

The struggle of the indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazonia, is an example to follow by all those who claim the right to their land, to their natural environment, against the neoliberal policies and against all those who want to five away the natural resources of Amazonia to the big transnational groups for its destruction, disregard the people who have lived in that land for millions of years.

WFDY expresses its solidarity towards the indigenous movements in Peru and calls upon all its member and friend organizations, as well as all the progressive youth of the world, to express its support to all the indigenous people of the world, who are struggling to survive and save their cultures

The CC/HQ of WFDY
Budapest, June 19, 2009

250,000 Germans call for free education for all

The Morning Star Online

A quarter of a million teachers, students and children marched in cities across Germany on Wednesday to demand that the government boost investment to ensure free education for all.

In 80 towns and cities including Berlin, Mainz, Duesseldorf and Munich, as well as in university towns such as Heidelberg and Goettingen, marchers carried their trade union banners and placards reading: "Cough up the cash, rise up against social bandits," "Save education, not only the banks" and "Investment in education = guaranteed returns."

Protesters were overwhelmingly peaceful, but some young activists took direct action, blocking the entrances to university buildings and occupying administrative offices.

In Mainz, many protesters took over a state parliament building and covered it in toilet paper.

Since the German constitutional court ruled in 2005 that state governments could start levying tuition fees, around half of them have, while others are in the process of doing so.

The protesters are concerned that this is resulting in a two-tier education system, with budgets for some universities slashed while funds have been injected into "world class" establishments like the Einstein Foundation in Berlin.

A core demand was free education for all and protesters also called for smaller class sizes and better training for teachers and lecturers.

In Berlin, where around 30,000 students took to the streets, they chanted: "We're here and we're loud because our education is being stolen."

University of Potsdam student Marlene Gesche explained that she marched in Berlin because she felt cheated out of a decent education due to insufficient funding.

"I'm here protesting because I'm not really learning anything at my university," Ms Gesche said, adding that "there's no money for books and often a lack of instructors."

But ministers insist that German education standards have risen in recent years.

And while German Rectors Conference head Margret Wintermantel acknowledged that "the student-teacher ratio is a problem," she sought to defend the introduction of fees.

"It's wrong to say that tuition fees limit equal opportunity for access to higher education," she asserted, claiming that "we haven't seen a decline in attendance where tuition fees have been introduced."

Fire Jason Kenney!

May 14, 2009, Vancouver – The anti-racist migrant justice organization No One Is Illegal is outraged at the awarding of “Best MP of the Year” to Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney by Macleans.

Based on polling of MP’s, the Third Annual Parliamentarian of the Year was awarded to Conservative Calgary MP Jason Kenney on May 13 in Ottawa.

According to Alex Mah of No One Is Illegal, “Minister Kenney is routinely called the Minister of Censorship and Deportation. Kenney was the one who decided that Canada would not participate in the 2009 Durban World Conference Against Racism. His controversial statements and racist attacks on immigrants are hardly worth awarding. In fact, we demand the opposite – Fire Jason Kenney!”

Over the past three months, Kenney has stated that Canada needs to get tough on immigrants who do not speak English or French. He has made inflammatory comments about Canada not being a hotel and that he will not tolerate immigrants not integrating into or embracing Canadian values.

“Such comments are fundamentally rooted in arbitrary racist ideologies. Who defines Canadian values? Kenney is appealing to public fears and prejudices of migrants rather than undertaking a systemic transformation of Canadian social, political, and labour segregations”, further states Mah.

Kenney has also appointed a failed Conservative candidate and known anti-gay activist to the Immigration and Refugee Board, made unsubstantiated claims about “systematic abuse” by Mexican asylum-seekers, and criticized the citizenship booklet for having information about recycling and not the Canadian military.

Despite Canada-wide outcry, Kenney cut Canadian Arab Federation funding for immigrant language instruction due to CAF’s involvement in pro-Palestinian efforts and barred well known UK MP George Galloway from entering Canada because of his opposition to the occupation of Afghanistan.Contrary to Kenney’s double-speak about welcoming immigrants, in April Kenney oversaw the largest immigration raid in recent Canadian history, which went largely unreported.

Executing unprecedented US-style tactics, Canadian Border Services Agency officers stormed into factories and farms in Ontario and detained over 100 non-status and migrant workers. In an illegal move, 41 of them were tricked into signing waivers that removed their right to a hearing and many have now been deported.According to the Immigration Legal Committee of Toronto “We vociferously condemn the CBSA raids as a shift towards aggressive enforcement tactics.

Every person should be concerned about the message this sends to our friends and community members.”As stated by Cecily Nicholson of No One Is Illegal “The fact that all political parties voted in this survey reinforces that no party will strive towards migrant justice.

It is reprehensible that they are endorsing an MP who so blatantly propagates racism against immigrants, enforces deportations of workers at gun point, and supports expanding slave-like temporary worker programs.”

- 30 -

What Happened to Checks and Balances?

By Arnold August* June 15, 2009.

On June 15, 2009 the US Supreme Court announced its decision to reject the request for a revision of the Cuban Five case. This demand for a review was carried out by millions of people from all walks of life around the world, a record number of “Friends of the Court” petitions and thousands of personalities and elected officials from every continent. All of these pleas also came from within the USA itself.

The US brags about its political systems as being based on the separation of powers between the Executive (President and Vice-President), the Legislature and the Judiciary and a resulting built-in checks and balances system. This is supposedly a superior form of democracy based on checks and balances to avoid abuse of power by one or the other of the three branches forming the US government. In the US Constitution Article II Section 2 states that the US president has “the power to grant reprieves and pardons...” Every indication is that President Obama, far from using his constitutional powers to free the Cuban Five, made it clear to the Supreme Court judges that they should rule against revision.

This has obviously been a political case right from day one. It is even further revealed by the Supreme Court’s decision and the shameless refusal of the judges to publicly explain to the world the basis of their ruling. Of course the judges are not obliged to divulge it according to the American legal system. However, in a case such as this one in which the whole world and many governments are watching, a public explanation was necessary. We are perhaps witnessing one of the greatest ironies in the current international political scene. The Cuban Five are cruelly and politically persecuted for their peaceful anti-terrorist motivations and activities. The reason? They are acting on behalf of and supporting the Cuban government. One of the main charges that Washington levies against Cuba is lack of democracy, that it is does not, amongst other characteristics exhibit a political system similar to the American one which would include checks and balances. The Cuban system is in fact one unified revolutionary peoples’ political power, from the top down and from the bottom up including the judiciary, each enjoying its own respective fields of competence. The relationship and inter-action of all the different Cuban state levels between themselves including the judiciary and all of these institutions in turn with the citizens, is a feature of the Cuban type of democracy. There is no need to get into a debate as to whether the Cuban system is more democratic than the American model. However, if one takes into account this latest Supreme Court episode of US democracy in action on the one hand and my direct experience and study of the Cuban political system on the other hand, Cuba has no “democracy” lessons to take at all from the USA.

Obama must change his position and use the checks and balances powers vested in him through the US Constitution to free the Cuban Five now. If ever an institution in the USA needs a check and a balance, it is the June 15 2009 Supreme Court decision. Obama must also take into account the offer by President Raúl Castro to exchange the 200 prisoners in Cuba and all their families for the Cuban Five. Governments in such countries as mine, Canada, should not be allowed to open their mouth about human rights violations in other countries without throwing in their face the latest human rights violation just south of the border in the USA.

*Arnold August is an author/journalist/lecturer specializing on Cuban democracy, a member of the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five and the Comité Fabio Di Celmo pour les 5 of the Table de concertation de solidarité Québec-Cuba.

Chilean Military Justice evaluates giving immunity to the killer of Matías Catrileo.

ONCE AGAIN THE DECISION HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009. The Military Court will that day decide if the process initiated by the Military Prosecutor of Temuco will indeed go forward for "unnesesary violence causing death," against police officer, Walter Ramírez, whom perpetrated the shot that killed Weichafe [Warrior] Matías Catrileo.


On the mourning of January 3rd, 2008, a group of Mapuche community members from Lof Yeupeko-Fillkun gathered at the Santa Margarita estate, Mapuche territory usurped by the Luchsingers, a landowner family in the Cautín region. The estate police, without provocation, opened fire against the Mapuche who fled from the deadly shooting.

One of the bullets entered through the back of Weichafe [Warrior] Matías Catrileo, killing him on the spot. The media came out in defence of the murderers, inventing a supposed armed confrontation, where Chilean National Police used their machine guns in “self-defence.”

No one would believe it. The Peñi [brothers] were armed only with their decision to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. Moreover, despite the cowardly statements, no one could deny the fact that the bullet hit Matías in the back. Neither could they hide that it was the Police Officer, Walter Ramírez who carried out the shot with his firearm on behalf of the landowners.

Impunity

More than a year after the process against the murderer began in the Military Prosecutor’s Office in Temuco, an application to abandon proceedings arrived at the Military Appeals Court in Santiago, presented by the defence. With this, they seek to drop all charges against the officer and completely close the cases.

Attorney Gaspar Calderón, defence for Walter Ramírez, confirmed that the Military Appeals Court would pronounce itself on his petition for impunity at the beginning of June. He further signalled that they agreed that the officer had “carried out a judicial order and acted in legitimate defence.”
To this day, Walter Ramírez continues his normal work as a police officer; the only change instituted after the killing, was to move him from Araucanía Region to another undisclosed location for his safety.

The officers responsible for the deaths of Alex Lemún and forestry operator Rodrigo Cisterna are enjoying the same treatment today, who have been congratulated for their acts, and have been promoted within the police institution.

País Mapuche

Distributed by: The Women’s Coordinating Committee Chile-Canada

Declaration of the Presidency of Cuba's National Assembly

The U.S. Supreme Court announced today, without explanation, its decision not to review the case of our Five comrades who are unjustly imprisoned in that country for struggling against anti-Cuban terrorism that is sponsored by the U.S. rulers. The judges did what the Obama administration requested of it.

In spite of the solid arguments made by the defense attorneys from the obvious and multiple legal violations committed during the whole trial, by ignoring the universal backing to the petition—expressed by an unprecedented number of "friend of the Court" briefs, among them 10 Nobel prize recipients, hundreds of parliamentarians, and numerous U.S. and international jurist organizations, of outstanding political and academic personalities—the Supreme Court rejected the case, thus ignoring the demand of Humanity and its obligation to do justice.

We see manifested once more the arbitrariness of a corrupt and hypocritical system and its brutal treatment of our Five brothers.

Our struggle to win their freedom will not diminish for one instant. Now is the time to step up our actions, and not leave even one space uncovered or door unopened.


We are certain that Gerardo, Antonio, Fernando, Ramón, and René will continue leading this battle, as they have during these almost 11 years.

Responding to the infamous decision, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo declared:


“Based on the experience that we have had, I am not surprised by the Supreme Court's decision. I have no confidence at all in the justice system of the United States. There are no longer any doubts that our case has been, from the beginning, a political case, because not only did we have the necessasry legal arguments for the Court to review it, we also have the growing international support as reflected in the Amicus briefs presented to the Court in our favor. I repeat what I said one year ago, June 4, 2008, that as long as one person remains struggling outside, we will continue resisting until there is justice."


The struggle must be multiplied until the U.S. government is forced to put an end to this monstruous injustice and restore freedom to Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando y René.


Presidency of the National Assembly of People's Power

June 15, 2009

Solidarity with the Cuban 5!

The World Federation of Democratic Youth has received the news about the decision of the Supreme Court of the USA of not accepting to review the case of the Five Cuban Heroes that remain unfairly imprisoned in the USA prisons.

Despite having received the important support of many personalities of the world and all the progressive youth that struggles to build a better world, it is known that the imperialist government of Obama has put an action in a court for it not accept the case, which shows once again its hypocrisy towards Cuba.

The heroic struggle of the Cuban people, that has cost the life to more than 3000 of its children, victims of the terrorism supported by the USA, over more than 50 years of heroic struggles driven by the Cuban people to protect itself from the terrorist actions is the essence of this case, which is once again created by the imperialist Government of USA, who keeps trying to overthrow the heroic people of Cuba by condemning the Five Cuban Heroes, proving the deep political content of all decisions regarding Cuba.

WFDY condemns this unfair decision taken by the Supreme Court of USA, that has been under pressure of the imperialist government of that country and considers this decision a complete hypocrisy to the American justice, and demands to the Government of USA to stop the pressures
over this case that became political, because it has put over the Cuban Five Heroes all the hate of the challenge that Cuba represented over the last 50 years and that will never be destroyed.

WFDY calls upon its member and friend organizations to demonstrate in front of all American embassies and take action to denounce this injustice.

The CC/HQ of WFDY
Budapest, June 16, 2009

ON THE OCCASION OF THE DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD

ON THE OCCASION OF THE DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD

The World Federation of Democratic Youth joins the African region in commemorating the Day of the African Child on June 16 2009. In 1991, the African Union the then Organization of African Unity declared that June 16 be the Day of the African Child in remembrance of the June 16 1976 when hundreds of black school children in Soweto, South Africa were massacred in cold blood and thousands injured by the racist and imperialist regime when they took to the streets to protest against the inferior quality of their education, and to demand their right to be taught in their own language. Thus therefore June 16th of every year has been commemorated across the African continent as the Day of the African Child.

The World Federation of Democratic Youth hereby calls all progressive youth movements from across the continent to continue exposing such brutal, barbaric and uncouth acts by imperialists. We also note with great concern that in the current global political setup the intervention of imperialists is derailing the progress towards empowering the young people of African nations. We encourage governments to provide local resources for empowerment and shun the conditional meager donations of imperialists.

We therefore urge Governments of African Nations to effectively deal with issues which hinder the progress of child development especially in education, culture, religious, health, child abuse, ending the issue of child soldiers, enabling youths to participate in the economic issues of their nations amongst other issues.

The leadership must also engage in robust educational campaigns on the dangers of HIV and AIDS. We call for an end to the use of children as soldiers in countries, which are currently under war, an end to child trafficking.

The African Commission must encourage some African states that have not ratified African Youth Charter to do so and to enable child representatives to air out their views and concerns on how they expect to be done regarding their needs.

However we strongly encourage governments and concerned youth organizations to educate children the history of their nations as this helps them build a concrete historical background as well as preserving African values and culture.

We wish all Africans living in Africa and the Diaspora a strong commemoration of the Day of African Child 2009 under the Theme “Africa Fit for Children: Call for accelerated action towards their survival”

WFDY CC/HQ
Budapest, June 16 2009
www.wfdy.org

Coup d'etat of a deceitful and backward regime against the will of millions of Iranians

Statement of the Central Committee of the Tudeh Party of Iran

Our vigilant compatriots!

Your great participation in tens of millions has once again turned the tenth presidential election into a referendum against the backward-looking and deceitful regime.

Million of Iranians stood in long queues holding green flags as a sign of protest against the bankrupt despotic rule of the Spiritual Leader and his cronies. This has shaken the mendacious regime to such an extent that its leaders, fearful of the repetition of 2nd Khordad (Khatami’s election in 1997), have ordered their repressive forces in the major cities to crush the will of the majority by organising a quasi-military coup.

The attacks by the security forces against the thousands of young people pouring into the streets protesting against the regime’s charade, along with the forced closure of Mousavi’s campaign headquarter and combined with the threats issued by the Revolutionary Guards to suppress any protest, are all indicators of a heavy defeat suffered by the regime’s leadership on the 12th of June.

Both presidential candidates, Mousavi and Karroubi, have declared the poll’s results as null and void, stating that they will not leave the stage. The obvious poll rigging and fixing of millions of ballots in Ahmadinejad’s name which was followed by Khamenei’s confirmations of the election results shows that the spiritual leader and his armed militias are the organisers of the state sponsored violence against the will of millions of Iranians.

This electoral charade indeed points to a turning point in the way the regime intends to deal with its opponents and it clearly demonstrates that even the so-called “insider critics” will not be allowed even limited political activities.

Khamenei’s threatening statement is effectively a warning to the presidential candidates, demanding their surrender in the face of the reaction and to abandon the arena.

In recent weeks the Tudeh Party of Iran has repeatedly warned against the sinister plans of the repressive forces preparing to crush the people’s will. We asked all national forces and those struggling for liberty to unite in a common cause in opposing the regime’s plans. We must not let the powerful might of the people, which has enraged and petrified the reactionaries, to be eroded and must prevent people’s retreat in disillusionment, giving the arena back to the reactionary forces. All social and political forces of the country should declare the poll’s results as
void and use all means to voice their protests against this deception perpetrated by the Spiritual Leader and his armed cronies. By broadening and organising the struggle we must put the ruling regime under pressure. Accepting these election results would be a betrayal of the people’s vote and would be tantamount to collusion with a deceitful and backward regime.

Our vigilant compatriots!

The rulers of this regime have ruled by brute force and by betraying the goals of the Revolution, now they are about to carry out a coup d'etat against the people.

The powerful presence of millions of Iranians and their protest can thwart this disgraceful machination and save our country from a serious danger.