The World Atni-imperialist Platform (the Platform) met with the Catalan communist organization Crida Comunista in Barcelona on September 8.
The President of Crida Comunista, Antoni Puig Solé, expressed solidarity with the People’s Democracy Party (PDP) and the Anti-Japanese Action and strongly condemned the fascist repression against them by the Yoon Suk-yeol government of the “Republic of Korea.”
He also explained the specific history and situation of Catalonia, saying, “As an organization for the realization of communism, we are engaged in various theoretical studies and practical activities aimed at building a Catalan proletarian party for the liberation of the working class.” He expressed international solidarity by mentioning the role of the Platform in the current situation and the importance of the anti-imperialist struggle.
After reading the PDP Statement No. 558, “The doom of the fascist lunatic Yoon Suk-yeol is near,” he said, “I have already heard about it through the media,” and strongly condemned the fascist abuses of the Yoon government. He emphasized the importance of international solidarity against fascism.
After the meeting, the organizer of the Platform and the core members of Crida Comunista took a commemorative photo in solidarity with the PDP and anti-Japanese actions.
Catalonia’s largest annual event, the National Day of Catalonia, was celebrated on September 11, with Catalan people, particularly youth, taking to the streets. The Catalan people united for Catalan independence in memory of Gustau Muñoz, who was killed 46 years ago by Spanish imperialism’s repression of Catalonia.
Muñoz was 16 years old when he died fighting for justice against the violence and massacres of Spain’s Francoist dictatorship. In the streets where Muñoz, a symbol of the democracy struggle, was killed, the Catalan people strengthened their resolve to realize democracy and independence in Catalonia.
Muñoz’s family encouraged, “You (the pro-democracy movement) are doing a good job,” and “Let’s keep moving forward until the day we achieve our goals,” and people chanted that they would not forget his name.
A delegation from the PDP, which is facing fascist repression under the Yoon government, attended the event.
“Muñoz responded to the demands of the era with the conscience of youth, but his life was tragically cut short by the murderous actions of the fascist power,” the delegation said, stressing that “Muñoz, who symbolizes the Catalan people’s desire for democracy, is still alive in the hearts of the struggling people.
“The facts that until now, 46 years later, the truth has not been told and those responsible have not been punished show the anti-people nature of Spanish power and the contradictory reality where Catalan people have no choice but to struggle for independence. ,” the delegation said.
“The anti-fascist liberation struggle of Muñoz and Catalan revolutionaries is intrinsically similar to the history of the revolutionary forces and people of the “Republic of Korea (ROK).” the delegation said, adding, “The crackdown on the People’s Democracy Party (PDP), the legitimate and only revolutionary political party in the “ROK,” shows how vicious Yoon’s fascism is.”
Finally, the delegation said, “Behind the fascist power in Spain and the fascist Yoon are the U.S. imperialist invasion forces,” and emphasized that “the progressive people around the world today must unite and fight under the banner of anti-imperialism.”
After the speech, which was translated into Catalan, the protesters chanted, “The best weapon is solidarity,” “Don’t forget, Don’t forgive,” and “Viva Freedom land. The rally was filled with the emotion of true international solidarity.
The rally was followed by many expressions of gratitude and solidarity from Catalan activists.
In Catalonia, the anniversary was celebrated with a number of events dedicated to the independence of Catalonia. Banners symbolizing the revolution, independence, and Catalonia were hung in many places. The energetic rallies and marches confirmed the optimism for the future of the struggling Catalan people and their passion for independence.
Below is the full text of the PDP’s speech at the Nation Day of Catalonia event.
Anti-imperialist and independent forces must win
Forty-six years ago today, 16-year-old Gustau Muñoz was killed by a police bullet during a demonstration on September 11, La Diada. The people of Cataluña, persecuted under the Franco dictatorship, had risen up to shatter the deceitful Moncloa Pacts and to fight for Cataluña’s sovereignty. Muñoz responded to the demands of the era with the conscience of youth, but his life was tragically cut short by the murderous actions of the fascist power. The facts that until now, 46 years later, the truth has not been told and those responsible have not been punished show the anti-people nature of Spanish power and the contradictory reality where Catalan people have no choice but to struggle for independence. Muñoz, who symbolizes the Catalan people’s desire for democracy, is still alive in the hearts of the struggling people.
The anti-fascist liberation struggle of Muñoz and Catalan revolutionaries is intrinsically similar to the history of the revolutionary forces and people of the “Republic of Korea (ROK).” The history of the “ROK” people is the history of the struggle for national independence and democracy against imperialism and its fascist puppet power. The military fascist regime, backed by the U.S. military, massacred the people’s uprising in 1980, and the torture and tear gas attack causing the death of university students in 1987 were the catalyst for the all-people uprising in June of that year. Today, the Yoon Suk-yeol government of the “ROK,” which is the worst fascist warmonger ever, is planning an aggressive war in the “ROK” and is preparing to impose martial law for the reason of war, which is essentially a palace coup.
The crackdown on the People’s Democracy Party (PDP), the legitimate and only revolutionary political party in the “ROK,” shows how vicious Yoon’s fascism is. On August 30, Yoon’s fascist repressive apparatus, the National Security Investigation Division, committed illegal and violent acts such as verbal abuse, confinement, seizure of non-targeted items, and vandalism during a raid on the former president and members of the PDP. The seizure and search took place just one day after Yoon’s “anti-state force” remarks and the harsh prison sentence handed down to the chairman of the regional branch of the PDP, who was detained in May.
The Yoon government used the National Security Act to frame the PDP as a so-called “organization that benefits the enemy” and to frame the “Anti-Japanese Action” raided on the same day as “enemy sympathizers.” The National Security Act, which is the unprecedented fascist law, is an unconstitutional, anti-human rights, evil law that completely violates the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of thought and expression. The international community, including the United Nations, as well as the Korean people, has repeatedly called for its abolition, but it has been maintained to this day by the fascist regime and is being used to suppress progressive and democratic forces in the “ROK.” Currently, Yoon is engaged in practicing a war of aggression by slandering the revolutionary and progressive democratic forces in the “ROK” as “anti-state forces” while being hostile to the DPRK. He is trying to use the war in the “ROK” as a lever to declare “martial law”, which is a palace coup, so escape from the worst political crisis in which he is likely to be impeached and removed from office through martial law.
Behind the fascist power in Spain and the fascist Yoon are the U.S. imperialist invasion forces. The imperialist camp is trying to start World War 3 in earnest by expanding the war in Ukraine to Eastern Europe, exploding the war in Western Asia (Middle East), and starting the war in East Asia and the Western Pacific. Just as the imperialist camp is using pro-American fascist forces such as the Ukrainian neo-Nazis and Israeli Zionists as its war proxies, it is using Yoon Suk-yeol, a pro-US war,onger, as its storm troops for war alongside the Japanese militarism in the East Asia and West Pacific. In line with this, Yoon is following the Japanese imperialist forces, which inherited the barbaric Japanese invasion of Korea in the 20th century, and is frantically trying to provoke an invasion of the DPRK to trigger the war in the “ROK,” which will be the trigger for the war in East Asia-West Pacific. The fact that the world wars were fought between camps and World War 3 is fought between the anti-imperialist and imperialist camps shows that the progressive people around the world today must unite and fight under the banner of anti-imperialism. The launch of the World Anti-imperialist Platform in Paris in October 2022 reflects this mission of the times. The victory of the world anti-imperialist force is just and inevitable. The People’s Democracy Party will stand firmly in solidarity and struggle with the Catalan revolutionary forces and the peoples of the world to advance the final victory of the anti-imperialist and independent forces.
Barcelona, September 11, 2024
