World Cup Stained in Workers’ Blood here ♦ Mexico Demonstrations Against Violence Against Women here ♦
Qatar 2022: World Cup Stained with Workers’ Blood
“The soccer World Cup party has started,” said a friend in Los Angeles (USA). Another replied, “It’s a party stained with workers’ blood.”
In 2010, Qatar won the contest to host the World Cup without having a football (soccer) history. But it has immense wealth in oil and natural gas. And at the same time racist, sexist, homophobic, and anti-immigrant policies.
Krisma Timislina, a migrant worker who worked on the construction of hotels and stadiums in Qatar said, “It was hell on earth,” referring to the dire living and working conditions.
Qatar had to hire immigrant labor from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and other parts of the region to build the mega-attraction in the middle of its deserts. It was no source of joy for these immigrant workers, who left with their backs broken (and many died) because of being forced to work up to sixteen hours a day in inhumane conditions.
According to the British publication Guardian, around 7,000 migrant workers lost their lives in the construction of World Cup facilities.
Just as responsible for this atrocity as the Qatari ruling class is the complicity of the FIFA organization. Profit is your goal. But it is not only Qatar. In every imperialist country where previous World Cups have been played, the bosses have their hands full of workers’ blood.
The organizers say, “We Unite the World.” But these festivities are full of nationalism and patriotism that disunite the working class. For example, a sentiment pushed by propaganda is, “My team, my country, to hell with everyone else.”
On the other hand, these events have a global political point. FIFA, the US, and NATO boycotted Russia and gave Ukraine international support.
In a truly communist society, soccer and all sports will be even more exciting and joyous because they will not be measured by superiority or profit. I don’t know how they will be organized. The communist masses will find the best way to do it.
But I am sure that it will be to unite the working class. We will abolish nationalism, racism and fanaticism that today are instruments to divide workers.
—Comrade Red Sportsman
November 21 was “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.” Thousands of people in various parts of Mexico marched to express their solidarity with women victims of violence and their families. The masses are furious with the capitalist, sexist system. As the International Communist Workers’ Party, we believe that more communist political awareness is needed to guide that anger toward the destruction of the system. To make this possible we must organize communist cells of the ICWP to build a society where gender equality is a reality.
Front page of this issue
