As you are surely following in the news, the struggle of youth and workers against the increasing of the bus fare and police repression has taken over São Paulo and other major cities in Brazil.
The support of the population to the demonstrations is huge, and the number of protesters is increasing day after day, fueled by the indignation provoked by the criminal activities of the police forces, commanded by the governor Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB), who has already injured hundreds (bombed with tear gas and shot by rubber bullets) and detained a huge number of protesters (under illegal and pathetic “accusations” as, for instance, carrying vinegar – used as protection against the tear gas).
The shocking images of repression moved the population, had international repercussions and recalled the dark days of military dictatorship. Again, Alckmin led a bloody action against the people, as he and his Military Police did in the massacre of the residents of Pinheirinho, in São José dos Campos (SP). The same thing that they do, every day, with the numerous killings (a true genocide) of young black people in the suburbs.
Because of that, today, the 17th of June, the city of S. Paulo is going to be taken over by what will surely be one of the biggest demonstrations in our recent history. Now, more than ever, it’s time to take the streets by the repeal of the increase of the passage and against repression!
We, from the the Socialist Workers’ Party – United (PSTU) are proud to be part of the demonstrations, side by side with an increasing number of social, popular and youth organizations, and we are calling all the international organizations and activists to express the support to this struggle, through motions, messages and the organization of protests all over the world, as it has already happened in around 30 cities worldwide.
Immediate withdrawal of the increase in tickets! Punishment for those who ordered the repression! Demilitarization of PM! No more massacres!
Meanwhile, Fernando Haddad, the major of S. Paulo, who belongs to PT, the same party of President Dilma, insists on keeping the absurd rate of R $3.20 for the bus fare.
During his electoral campaign, Haddad used the chaos of public transport in SP to win the votes of workers and youth. He promised a lot of things, but, so far, the only thing he really did was to increase the bus fare to further the profits of entrepreneurs. And, to make matters worse, Haddad has been supporting the repression of the military police.
After the negative impact of police action, on the 13th, Haddad said he was against ”the possible excesses of the police,” but at no time did he condemn the police action or stand in favor of dismissal of the commander responsible for PM repression. But not only that. Haddad has increased bus fares against the will of the people! Haddad (PT) teamed up with Paulo Maluf (PP), a well-known corrupt and active supporter of the dictatorship, to win the city mayor hall and ally himself to corrupt big business and against workers and youth. We cannot trust this government.
The annulment of the increased fares does not end the struggle for public transport, access and quality! In São Paulo (SP), the population coexists with the daily chaos: crowded buses, stopped traffic and highly expensive fares! Haddad does not tell the truth to the people. If the transportation fare accompanied inflation over the past ten years, the ticket price should be R$ 2.10, and not R$ 3,20. Haddad delivers R$ 6 billion a year in subsidies to large transport companies. Not by chance, the same ones who financed his election campaign.
If we had the investment of 2% of the national GDP in public transportation, we could nationalize the system, ensuring services with quality and for free for the needy people. Because of that, PSTU defends: Nationalization, now! Against the privatization of the subway! Free passes for students and unemployed, now!
Broadening and unifying struggles to defeat inflation, the decrease of wages, the privatizations and repression!
The struggle of youth and workers of São Paulo was the trigger for protests that are shaking dozens of cities across the country. Hundreds of acts are scheduled for the next days! It is time to unify the struggles, especially at the moment when the demonstrations (including those against the amazingly high and scandalously corrupt expenditures for the World Cup) are facing fierce repression by the Federal and the State police!
Because of that, the PSTU also advocates unification of struggles in a national day against rising transport costs and repression!
In the streets, the people are demonstrating that nobody is going to tolerate the indifference to education and public health, which are abandoned, as the government invests billions on overpriced stadiums for the World Cup. Inflation erodes wages and high food prices take food from the table of the worker. Therefore, we require that Dilma Rousseff (PT) freeze food prices and tariffs!
There is no doubt, as the protesters remind proudly in their chants and political slogans yelled on the streets, that this movement, besides being moved by its specific demands, echoes the mobilizations of the youth and workers all over the world, in an increasing number of streets and squares: from Puerta del Sol, in the Spanish State, to Tahir, in Egypt; from Taskim, in Turkey, to Syntagma, in Greece.
Exactly because of that, more than ever, it’s time for International Solidarity. It’s time to raise our voices, all over the world to remind governments, bankers and bosses that the youth and the workers will not accept paying for the crisis created by their endless greed.
Protest in the way you can! Support and join the struggle of the Brazilian youth and workers.
Socialist Workers’ Party – United
Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado (Brasil) (IWL-fi)
Posted in LIT/La Voz Declaraciones/Statements, June 17, 2013
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