Afternoon Comrades.
For the past 5 years, every time this day comes around, I have written a few words of encouragement, practical tips and what have you. Considering I am the opposite of the defeatist nonsense that seeps in and our of online “discourse” there will, of course, be a proud call to action for Wednesday. Of course.
I know that “Labor Day” isn’t done on May 1st in the U.S. but maybe you readers from the the U.S. should get into that- for the rest of you readers from around the rest of the world, I do hope that you can make it out to whatever is happening where you are from.
For context, May 1st was chosen to be International Workers' Day to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. In that year beginning on 1 May, there was a general strike for the eight-hour workday. On 4 May, the police acted to disperse a public assembly in support of the strike when an unidentified person threw a bomb. The police responded by firing on the workers. The event led to the deaths of seven police officers and four to eight civilians; sixty police officers were injured, as were one hundred and fifteen civilians. Hundreds of labour leaders and sympathizers were later rounded-up and four were executed by hanging, after a trial that was seen as a miscarriage of justice. The following day on 5 May, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the state militia fired on a crowd of strikers killing seven, including a schoolboy and a man feeding chickens in his yard.
In 1889, a meeting in Paris was held by the first congress of the Second International, following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne that called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. On 1 May 1890, the call encouraged May Day demonstrations took place in the United States and most countries in Europe. Demonstrations were also held in Chile and Peru. May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891. Subsequently, the May Day riots of 1894 occurred. The International Socialist Congress, Amsterdam 1904 called on "all Social Democratic Party organisations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace." The congress made it "mandatory upon the proletarian organisations of all countries to stop work on 1 May, wherever it is possible without injury to the workers."
If it wasn’t abundantly clear, May 1st is important, no matter what state we are in and what the material realities are on the ground. Yet, and this is something that I have been discussing with a few comrades around the world of late- there are a few concessions, reality checks and consequences we need to address. Again, and by all means, do not misunderstand the following criticism as a denial of some universal truths and paths, but as Marx said:
“...it is all the more clear what we have to accomplish at present: I am referring to ruthless criticism of all that exists, ruthless both in the sense of not being afraid of the results it arrives at and in the sense of being just as little afraid of conflict with the powers that be.”
Read the whole text here
As important as celebrating what was won, and how, as well as putting large amounts of bodies on the ground on this day, both for sending reality checks to the ruling class as well as cashing in solidarity checks, the last ten years or so a shift, and this is entirely subjective, has taken place.
Globalization, neoliberal economic policies, and technological advancements have led to the fragmentation and division of what was once a cohesive working class, not materially, but ideologically. This poverty class encompasses a wide range of individuals, including low-wage workers, unemployed people, precarious freelancers, and marginalized communities. The existence of a massively divided poverty class, characterized by various forms of precarity, insecurity, and marginalization, exists without a doubt but if we are being honest, there is hardly any class based solidarity to be seen.
Traditional labour movements and unions are struggling to adequately represent and address the needs of this poverty class. These institutions are additionally co-opted by capitalist interests or are ineffective in confronting the systemic inequalities that perpetuate poverty and exploitation. At this point then it is fair to say that these Working Class Marches, Protests have become nothing but a ritualized performance that is allowed and accepted by the ruling class. They do not exist as a threat.
More so, neither do most of the self-proclaimed radical protests across the West on this day. The black block theatre of playing cat & mouse with the police is highly performative, rehearsed, does not set out with a clear goal, let alone coordinated strategies. Again, make no mistake, I will be out there, yet, we have to admit that these performances at best, make for an entertaining performance not much. The very few times a block I was there for actually had the cops on retreat fell apart at that instance, as there has never been a plan for what to do, when that happens. Protests that are allowed to occur within designated spaces, such as designated protest zones or under heavy police supervision, are often carefully managed to prevent any genuine threat to the status quo. By granting permission for protests to take place, the ruling class creates the illusion of democratic participation while effectively containing and neutralizing dissent.
Moreover, modern-day protests in the West frequently follow a pre-scripted performance, characterized by familiar tropes, rituals, and symbolic gestures. This scripted nature of protest actions often serves to reinforce existing power dynamics rather than challenging them. For example, protesters may engage in symbolic acts of civil disobedience, such as peaceful marches or sit-ins, that pose little real threat to the entrenched interests of the ruling class. Additionally, the commodification of protest culture, whereby activism becomes a marketable brand or lifestyle choice, further undermines the revolutionary potential of protests by reducing them to superficial displays of solidarity or virtue signaling.
I am saying this, especially in light of the upcoming May Day, the faltering in ease of Empire Management by the ruling classes that maybe, just maybe, we tap into what we had discussed mid last week, and create cases of spontaneity and eschew the marches they allow. It is always vital to remember that 1-3 pre-planned and allowed marches are easy for any police force to control. 10-20 spontaneous are absolutely not. Additionally, maybe set out with a goal other than shaking hands and kissing babies. We all know that “this” cannot continue the way it has and it is urgently necessary to re-evaluate and change tactics.
In any case, do go out there, join the marches, raise the red flag high and do what can be done and bring it on home.
Never backwards, always forward. We serve the Revolution.
Yours, warmly,
V.