Political Declaration

International Youth Popular Movements Meeting

Botshabelo Rural Workers, et al

09/05/2015

Declaración

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We are the expression of youth’s working class who account for the majority population in several nations, but who are attacked all over the world. We the young people of the world, want to live in dignity, fight and lead a happy life. We are who we are committed to a complete social transformation, as part of this history have managed to rescue the memory of past struggles and we seek to sustain the resistance with a vision of our future for the generations to come.

In this spirit, we of 36 popular youth movements from 24 countries, on 4 continents (Africa, America, Asia and Europe) met between 3^rd-5^th May 2015 at the National Florestan Fernandes School (ENFF, initials in portuguese) in São Paulo, Brazil, in order to make an effort to recognize that we are primary targets of violence; to identify the enemies and resist through our common flags of struggle, as also forging a platform to continue this effort of building a joint internationalist that is anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, anticolonialist, anti-neoliberal and anti-patriarchal.

Our enemies and our struggles

We reassert that imperialism is the main enemy of humanity and life on earth, as it perpetuates exploitation, oppression, subordination, domination and destruction of human life, nature and the environment. In that sense, we are anti-imperialist youth.

We understand that imperialism is the expression of the expansion of capitalism and it is a project of wars and death in the world, where economic gains is at all times placed above life. In that sense, we are the anti-capitalist youth.

Imperialism is not a “ghost” enemy, it is concretely manifested in the daily life of youth through the action of states, governments, international institutions - like the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), banks and financial systems, enterprises and transnational corporations that displace whole communities, by seeking geostrategic natural resources, exploit workers and are responsible for the current environmental crisis-; their representatives in electoral institutional politics and the means of communication, which not only manipulate information about reality, but also impose on us, on a daily basis ,the ideology and values of a selfish, individualistic and consumerist life.

Currently, capitalism faces a deep structural crisis, in which their representatives articulate themselves in order to impose austerity policies, that is to say, the withdrawal of workers’ rights. We do not accept workers to pay for this crisis! In that sense, we’re an anti-neoliberal youth.

We fight against the interference, occupation, colonialism and militarization that support the current imperialist project; as also we’re against the patriarchal system and heteronormativity which subordinates women and people who have different sexual identities. We fight against the neoliberal model of education in Universities; against criminal groups, drug trafficking, paramilitary and other forces of extermination; all forms of state violence, injustice and impunity. In that sense, we’re an anti-colonialist and anti-patriarchal youth.

Our horizon

We initiated to redefine the concept of youth beyond the narrow definition of an age range that is usually defined by law and international organizations. For us, our youth is part of the political, economic, cultural, social, environmental and sexual spectrum of our peoples; and we refuse to be objects and assert that we are subjects of law in strength, with proposed actions and creative force, with a potential and ability to transform our current global reality to build another world, another internationalist history of freedom, sovereignty, love, peace, justice, dignity and happiness.

We are proposing the construction of an unfinished process of constant, inclusive, organized discussion and struggle for peoples’ and nature’ lives; for freedom; for sovereignty; for peace in our lands and territories; for a life which is free of violence, holding on to new values for human liberation that reflect our collective construction; for a new paradigm in human society.

Internationalism and Solidarity among peoples

We pronounce ourselves in solidarity with the struggles of our own working class in the world:

1. Cuba: The end of the economic and financial blockade to Cuba, imposed by the United States’ (US) government, and the closure of the illegal Guantanamo naval base, occupied by the same country.

2. Venezuela: Stop to the US government decree that qualifies them as an extreme threat and opens the way for further aggression and attempted coup financed by imperialism.

3. Palestine: “Free Palestine!”. We repudiate the Gaza’s Strip massacres and demand recognition and freedom of the Palestinian.

4. USA: Solidarity with regard to the anti-racist struggle in the US and justice for the black youth murdered by the police

5. South Africa: Justice for the mine workers who were killed in the Maricana Massacre, on August 16th, 2012.

6. Haiti: “Minustah Out! No to dictatorship and no to military forces. No more homophobia against our working class in Dominican Republic. Stop violence against children and women.

7. Mexico: “We’re all Ayotzinapa!”. For the live appearance of the 43 students who disappeared by the criminal State in 2013 and we hope that Mexico can build its new citizen constituent process.

8. Puerto Rico: We demand the release of Oscar Lopez Rivera and other political prisoners by the American colonization.

9. Kurdistan: all our solidarity for the Kurdish women and men’ resistance.

10. Colombia: We demand continued peace dialogues with the FARC-EP under conditions of a bilateral ceasefire; also, the opening of dialogue with the ELN and EPL.

11. Turkey: For memory and repudiation of the Armenian genocide and its 100-year anniversary.

12. Bolivia: “Sea for Bolivia” because it is part of the regional peace, but above all is part of the unity of peoples.

13. Chile: Solidarity with the mapuche communities with legitimate struggle for the defense of their political and territorial rights.

14. Honduras: Freedom for 5000 peasants, farmers and prisoners struggle for land and justice by 143 peasants killed in the last six years.

15. Catalonia: We support Catalonia in the process of struggle for self-determination.

16. India: No to the displacement of shepherds, farmers, peasants and indigenous people who are fighting for their land and are in opposition to mining projects, dams and agro-business enterprises.

17. Guatemala: Solidarity to the indigenous and peasant struggle against their violent displacement, which favors the extractive projects

18. Norway: We support unions fighting neoliberal politics that seeks to affect the pension rights of the working class and threaten its future.

19. Nicaragua: For Nicaragua's continuing struggle against imperialist policies.

Our organization and articulation

We’re sure that a deep and true transformation of the society will only be possible with masses struggles, which face the enemies of the humanity and youth. Hence, we as youth face huge challenges and it is important to continue the discussion on collective points that indicate and provide a glimpse of the specific paths of common struggle towards a vision that we hope to build.

This space is a first step and is a joint effort to follow up the work of us youth who attended the first meeting, but seeks to integrate more youth. As a first step we’ll have a team of people as an Interim Secretariat, which will be in charge of presenting a proposal for a communication platform inside and outside of our movements.

The challenge also lies in shaping this joint space as a horizontal platform where decision-making is not centralized and tasks are shared, with the aim of generating participation among equals. To achieve this, we begin to understand, know of and respect our own forms of struggle. We do not seek to fight over another or use this international space to promote interests that are not reflective of the collective discussions.

The first actions to be built under internationalism’ principles of solidarity and unity, with the objective of mobilizing wide sectors of the youth - besides other sorts of organizations –, will be in two important dates:

1. From 8-10 July, we declare an "International Protest and Resistance" in different regions and countries against the International Forum of the Americas (The International Economic Forum of the Americas), to be held in Toronto, Canada.

2. On October 8^th,we call for an "International Day of the Popular and Anti-Imperialist Youth’ Struggle, against capital’s violence", in memory of Ernesto "Che" Guevara’ demise, internationalist fighter who has inspired our generation to remain mobilized.

With the hope, bravery and boldness which are necessary to change the world, we call all youth from every corner of the earth to join us in this wide collective and participative building process. We’re just beginning this process and we intend to advance, day to day, towards the organization and articulation of masses’ struggles that face our enemies and strengthen worldwide people’s unity.

Guararema, São Paulo-Brazil, May 5^th 2015

Participating Organizations

1. South Africa - Botshabelo Rural Workers

2. South Africa - CSAAWU – Farmworkers Union

3. South Africa – National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA)

4. South Africa - Rural People’s Movement

5. Argentina - Pátria Grande

6. Argentina - Seamos Libres

7. Bolivia - Columna Sur

8. Brazil - Levante Popular da Juventude

9. Brazil – Movimentos dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST)

10. Canada - Natural Farmers Union