March On Mayday
On May 1, we will join with millions of workers from every
continent and country for a Mayday March in an expression of international
solidarity.
Mayday is an international working class holiday. It is a
day on which the international working class reviews it forces as it prepares
to do battle with the capitalist class.
For the last hundred years, the US bosses have tried to separate workers
in this country from their brother and sisters around the world by celebrating
Labor Day in September. The time has
come to end this division
.
Mayday has a long history.
It began as a commemoration of the Haymarket Massacre. In 1886, a general strike was called by the
unions in Chicago as part of the fight for the eight hour working day. As a part of the day’s activities, a rally
was held at Haymarket Square. The police
attacked the rally and several workers were killed as well as some police. As a result, criminal charges were brought
against the leadership of the unions in Chicago and four of them were hung.
In the 1930’s, workers marched on Mayday to fight the rise
of fascism and to stop lynching in the US. On Mayday, 1945, the red flag of
revolution was raised over the Reichstag in Berlin by soldiers signifying the
defeat of fascism and the end of World War II in Europe. In the late 1980’s millions of workers in
South Africa marched on Mayday to help bring down the apartheid regime there.
The struggle continues today as we march:
To Smash Racist
Unemployment – 26 million people are out of work or underemployed in the
United States, and 200 million in the world. Jobs for all.
To Stop Deportations
– In 2010, over 400,000 people were deported from the United States. Workers have no borders.
To End Mass
Incarceration- Over 2.3 million are in jail in the United States, the
highest incarceration rate in the world.
End the war on drugs which is being used to incarcerate people of color.
To Stop Home
Foreclosures – Millions of workers are facing eviction from their homes
because of the ongoing financial crisis.
To Smash Imperialist
War- End the war Afghanistan and stay out of Syria and Iran.
To Fight Sexism –
End the attack on women’s rights.
We call upon all workers, students, and soldiers to join the
Mayday March.
The March will leave from Malcolm X
Park (16th St and Euclid St NW) at 6:00pm on Wednesday, May 1. Speeches and entertainment will begin at
5:00pm. The March will end at the White House.
Occupy DC May Day Committee DCMAYDAY2013@GMAIL.COM
