Washington D.C., September 14 & 21—As the U.S. government continues its crackdown on immigrant workers, Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members continue to organize against this racist, fascist terror campaign. Recently in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC, workers fought back against attacks on seafarers who are mainly from the Philippines.
Members of PLP have been organizing with members of the Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, particularly the University of Maryland chapter (terpCHRP). We were invited to their fundraising gala for “a just and lasting peace in the Philippines” which showcased music, class struggle, political speeches, and dynamic banners. Unfortunately, they fell short of calling for communism, which we in PLP know is the only way for lasting peace for the workers of the world.
Racist deportations bring terror to workers in the Philippines
Earlier on the same day, forty miles away, another PLP member joined a bold protest at the Port of Baltimore. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) kidnapped four workers; three from the Philippines and one Indonesian seafarer from a Carnival cruise ship in Baltimore Harbor on September 7. The seafarers were detained, interrogated, falsely accused of heinous crimes, forced to confess under duress, and deported to the Philippines later that same day. Just since April, over 100 seafarers from the Philippines working for Carnival have been deported, using the same underhanded tactics. As with all of the workers that have been kidnapped by ICE, they were not afforded any due process or recourse.
Approximately 30 percent of seafarers worldwide are from the Philippines. They experience isolation, dangerous work conditions, poor mental health, and exploitation by their employers through legal loopholes. In general, widespread poverty, corruption, and foreign plunder leave tens of millions of Philippine workers unemployed and underemployed, desperate for work. The Philippine bosses’ government does nothing to protect workers who migrated to the U.S., which has led organizers to engage in several sharp struggles in the U.S. to protest the deportations. The formation of Tanggol Migrante is well underway, and it is joining with other anti-ICE groups around the country.
Loyalty to no flag, except the red one!
The rally at the Port of Baltimore was a great start, but it prominently featured the Philippine flag, and participants - giving otherwise excellent speeches - focused on holding the government accountable for protecting overseas workers. However, we in PLP need to bring the perspective that nationalism is a losing strategy. Over and over again, reliance on nationalism and national liberation has led to the downfall of leftist movements. Under capitalism, every country’s government is a dictatorship of the ruling class, the big business owners. Their class uses the government and the state (military, police, courts, and jails) to rule. They profit from exploiting workers. They don’t care about the protection of seafarers or any other workers. Workers’ loyalty should not be to any country, capitalist government, or national flag. Instead, our loyalty should be to all our siblings in the international working class!
Striking back against fascist bosses
Another important struggle has seen a campaign launched in the Philippines against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other “Nepo-babies” (children of the rich capitalists) who have been stealing money designated for flood control and flaunting it on TikTok. This is a serious problem. It’s criminal that none of the money is being applied toward controlling the devastating flooding. Along with the 52nd anniversary of martial law initiated by Marcos, Sr. the theft of flood-relief funds sparked a militant fight-back at the president’s mansion on September 21. Arrests, injuries and at least one protester’s death show that de facto martial law still rules in the Philippines. However, it now has a nice name – NAP-UPD (National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development) – in an attempt to prettify the ugly reality of ruling class violence. Coinciding with this struggle in the Philippines, a local rally was held at Dupont Circle in DC on September 21, followed by a march to the Philippine embassy.
An excellent video shared by one of the students, entitled “Where Taxes Go “, can help us get up to speed with our friends. PLP, however, advocates that to defeat imperialism we need a widespread fight for communist revolution. We need to be clear that replacing Marcos and Rodrigo Duterte, without forcibly defeating the capitalist system, would simply lead to another round of exploitation, with a different face at the top.
We are staying in contact with our friends, helping with their opposition to U.S. imperialism on campus and beyond, and inviting them to PLP events. The struggle continues.
