Dear Comrades,
We are writing to express our deep sorrow at the recent terrorist acts
perpetrated against US workers and their families. The Central Committee
of the Workers' Party of Ireland, on behalf of the entire membership
of the party, expresses condolences to the families of the deceased
and offers sympathy to the injured and their families.
The Workers' Party with its long history of opposition to terrorism
at home condemns unequivocally the terrorist actions inflicted on our
fellow workers in the United States and expresses its sorrow and condolences
to the American people and their progressive socialist and labour organisations.
This attack, which masquerades as a revolutionary blow against the symbolic
institutions of American power, is, in fact, deeply reactionary and
objectively pro-imperialist. The arbitrary massacre of workers and their
families, the destruction of their homes and Places of work is fundamentally
alien to the cause of progressive humanity. Far from weakening international
capital, this action only serves to strengthen imperialism,
encourage reaction and repression and create a hostile environment for
the progressive left.
The murder of workers will not change the capitalist system; deter the
military-industrial complex; soften US foreign policy or dilute the
position of the transnational corporations or the power elites. The
bombing of US cities will not put one enterprise in the hands of the
workers; it will not win one political social or economic right for
the working class and it will do nothing to bring into public ownership
the means of production, distribution and exchange. The defeat of the
capitalist system will only be effected through the direct participation
of the working class in the struggle for class politics, peace, democracy,
social progress and progressive change. It was Lenin who stated in "What
is to be done?" - "The idea of substituting excitative terrorism
for political agitation drags
us back politically".
It must also be clear that oppressed peoples and nations have the right
to struggle for self-determination, national independence and sovereignty.
The Vietnamese, Koreans, Chinese, Cubans, the Palestine Liberation Organisation,
the African National Congress, FRELIMO, the MPLA and many others are
testament to that. Throughout the world there are many genuine national
liberation movements fully deserving of our solidarity and support.
Socialists and communists must always resist the efforts of the major
capitalist countries to equate terrorism with genuine struggles for
national liberation.
We must also resist the disingenuous and exculpatory sentiments expressed
by the US and British governments and NATO that they represent freedom,
democracy and virtue against avarice, evil and terror. These colonial
and former colonial powers, the modern face of imperialism, individually
and collectively, embody terror, misery, hunger, poverty, injustice
and despair.
We reiterate our strongest condemnation of this terrorist action against
the people of the US. We send our solidarity to our comrades in the
CPUSA as the representatives of American workers and our fellow fighters
in our common struggle for peace and socialism.
Yours fraternally,
Gerry Grainger
Chair
International Department
The Workers' Party of Ireland
23 Hill Street
Dublin 1
IRELAND
Tel: +353-1-8740716
Fax: +353-1-8748702
e-mail: wpi@indigo.ie
website: www.workers-party.org
