The governments and central institutions of the European Union have launched a concerted offensive against our social and public services, jobs, and pensions. This is dictated by globalising capital– the giant industrial financial and trading corporations. They demand that public transport, health, social welfare, pension and education systems be privatized or subordinated to the “laws of the market".
We the providers and users of these social services and public utilities totally reject this logic, based on rejecting the needs of the many in favour of the greed of a few. It will lead to ever greater exploitation, unemployment, inequality and insecurity. We say: Enough is enough!
This year alone –in Italy, Austria, France and other countries- working people and youth have protested in the streets, taken strike action, shown their rejection of this attack. We have to continue and spread this campaign yet further. The working people, the social movements right across Europe must mobilise for action
"Tous ensemble!” we declare war on the policies of privatisation, austerity and cuts. We mobilise in defence of all our social gains and their improvement. If capitalism cannot afford a decent life for all, at school, at work or in retirement– then we cannot afford capitalism! The huge antiwar demonstrations of February 15 and the mobilisations against pension “reform” in June and July show that we can build such movement. Above all we need UNITY IN ACTION.
This Assembly of the European Social movements calls for a European Day of Action to demand an immediate end to all these attacks. This action should include a general strike and mass demonstrations. This should take place on ….. (a working day to be decided by the representatives of the social movements in Paris but in nay case no later than the next European summit in June)
To mobilise for this day of action and to continue the campaign to victory we call for the setting up in every town and city of social forums. These should include representatives of the trade unions, organisations of the unemployed, the small farmers, immigrant communities, women, school and college students, anti-war and anti-imperialist campaigns and those political parties fighting neoliberalism.
These social forums should at the same time promote solidarity between all of these struggles and continue the campaign against the threats of new wars, the occupation of Iraq and Palestine, as well as the corporate plunder of the so-called global south.
Resolution for the Assembly of European Social Movements and Actors
Submitted by the League for a Fifth International