North Africa: Communist Parties Denounce Morocco’s Attacks on Saharwi Republic

A number of communist and workers’ parties from around the world have denounced the arrangement whereby the United States will recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara in exchange for the Kingdom of Morocco normalizing its ties with Israel. When Spain decided to give up this colony in 1975, Morocco moved to invade it, despite the expressed wishes of the people of Western Sahara for independence. Since 1991 a cease fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front, the armed forces of the Saharwi Republic, has been in force. But a move in recent months by the Moroccan government to intensify economic exploitation of the part of Western Sahara which it controls is leading to the danger of a major armed clash.

The Communist Party of Israel, or Maki, pointed out that the deal also entails the United States selling four advanced aerial drones to Morocco, and that it is a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions. The Israeli communists called the U.S.-Morocco agreement “yet another imperialist move.” The Israeli communists recalled that the Kingdom of Morocco has had a long relationship with the Israeli government, which included Israeli help in the “disappearance” of Moroccan leftist leader Mehdi Ben Barka in 1967.

The Communist Party of Spain added its voice to the protest. The Spanish communists remind us that this action, in the waning moments of Trump’s presidency, is only the latest such move by the current U.S. administration — moves which have included the transfer of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the recognition of Israeli rule over the Golan Heights and the illegal settlements. “Once again President Trump, like Morocco, ignores and disobeys the authority of the United Nations” and long-standing Security Council and Decolonization decisions, as well as international law.

The South African Communist Party (SACP) expressed once more its solidarity with the people of the Western Sahara. The SACP also called for the African Union to “reject the imperialist machination on our continent, and assert its democratic role . . . on African affairs. . . . It is clear that the Trump administration’s proclamation involves other imperialist objectives, not to mention continued colonial oppression of the people of Western Sahara, occupation of their land, exploitation of their resources, the apartheid oppression of the Palestinian people, and occupation of their land by the apartheid Israeli regime.”

 

Poland: Communists Support Farmers’ Demonstrations

The Communist Party of Poland has called for full support for farmers’ protests in that country. Party leaders compare the protests in Poland with the huge mass demonstrations being carried out in India, in that in both cases, the encroachment of monopoly agribusiness supported by the respective governments is at the root of farmer discontent.

The Communist Party calls for payment of compensation to farmers for losses “due to wrong decisions and inaction by the government, labeling of food products by country of origin, an end of discrimination against Polish farmers by the European Union, [and] state regulation of prices of agricultural products.”

 

Belgium: Workers’ Party Calls for “Winter of Solidarity”

The Workers’ Party of Belgium, one of two major communist parties in that country, is calling for a “Winter of Solidarity.” “It is shaping up to be a long winter, but we’ll not leave anybody out in the cold. Solidarity is in our DNA” said party chair Peter Martens. “More and more people are struggling financially and mentally, both old and young people.” He added that there will be a distribution of laptops, of toys for children, as well as food distribution all over the country.

Martens also called for the minimum wage, in one of the richest countries in Europe, to be raised to at least 14 euros per hour.

Image: Mundo Obrero.

Comments