League for the Fifth International
The south Asian session of the League’s eight congress passed this statement in solidarity with the masses recent uprising in Tunisia
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The Asian Conference of the League for the Fifth International salutes the revolution in Tunisia, which gives a mighty impulse to the resistance of the workers and all oppressed peoples around the world.
Moved to action by the suicide of unemployed graduate and street seller Mohammed Bouazizi in December, thousands upon thousands of youth transformed despair into anger and anger into hope as they took to the streets and set the entire political situation in Tunisia and North Africa ablaze.
With one in five out of work, Tunisian youth rallied in huge numbers and transformed Bouazizi’s dying words from a plea into a programme for fundamental social change: No More Poverty! No More Unemployment!
As the regime trembled in the face of the mounting protests, as the police fell back in disarray before the fury of the people, the trade unions threatened to launch a decisive attack – a general strike – against the authoritarian regime of Ben Ali.
In a demonstration of the power of the general strike that must become a great lesson for workers facing austerity, unemployment and price rises everywhere, the very threat of an indefinite general strike broke the regime as Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia, that haven for despotism.
The rejoicing of the people turned quickly to rage as the remainder of the government clung to power.
We, delegates from fighting communist organisations from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Europe, pledge our fullest support to the Tunisian Revolution and will raise solidarity with its fight wherever we can among the organisations of workers, peasants and youth. We express the earnest hope that the Tunisian workers and youth will not allow the revolution to be stolen from under their feet, will mistrust the bourgeois politicians of every type and go forward to organise democratic councils of their own to fight for power.
If the Tunisia uprising can proceed from a democratic revolution to a social revolution, can spread across the Maghreb and into the Middle East, can establish a strong workers’ and peasants’ government to take power and property out of the hands of the imperialists and the rich and into the hands of the people, then the masses can secure real gains and can make them permanent.
The key to victory lies in securing the independence of the workers from the bourgeoisie through the formation in the crucible of struggle of a new revolutionary party committed to proletarian power.
Long live the Tunisian Revolution! Long live the struggle of the masses of north Africa and the Middle East! Long live the world socialist revolution!