EL SALVADOR, May 1— The banner of the International Workers’ Communist Party that read “In the Face of Imperialist Wars, Communist Revolution” was one of the most widely read before and throughout the May Day march in San Salvador. This slogan is the response of the working class organized in the ICWP to fascism and genocide around the world. It demonstrated that workers cannot and must not remain indifferent to capitalist crimes.
Men and women workers carried the banner, wore red T-shirts, and proudly waved our Red Flag as a sign of their struggle for communism. Several workers participating in the march, who were reading the banner carefully, stepped in front of it and said, “Take my picture here!”
“The working class has no borders!” “Long live the international working class!” shouted the maquila workers this May Day, as dozens of workers from the fields, healthcare, education, and young students made up the group organized by the International Workers’ Communist Party (ICWP) in the march through the main streets of San Salvador.
Very early in the morning, and in the days leading up to it, comrades from the International Communist Workers’ Party gathered at agreed-upon meeting points. They came from the mountains in the eastern and western parts of the country, as well as from the outskirts of the capital. They answered the ICWP’s call to participate in the Salvadoran capital in the massive protest demonstration against a system unjust for the working class, which must be destroyed at its roots through revolutionary violence.
Army and police checkpoints on the main highways did not prevent our comrades from arriving at the march on time. And our contingent was consistently recognized as one of the most colorful, disciplined, and ideologically committed to communism.
“We passed through the checkpoints without any problem, according to our plans. But other organizations were unable to do so. Their buses were stopped, the drivers’ documents were confiscated, and fines were imposed to prevent them from reaching the march. That shows the capitalists’ fear of workers’ mobilization,” said a comrade.
The overarching principle of mobilizing the masses for Communism is reflected in the participation of families of ICWP comrades in the march. It is fostering an interest in Communism in the children, turning them into new generations of communists, fighting to put an end to the capitalist system of exploitation.
Twelve hundred copies of Red Flag were successfully distributed at the march, and as always, it wasn’t enough. “It’s a joy to see that the newspaper is in demand and being read by the workers right now,” said one comrade.
After marching through the main streets of the country’s capital and waving the ICWP’s Red Flag, the workers went to an annual gathering to share a moment of relaxation with one another, strengthening communist social ties.
Likewise, the comrades traveling to areas farther from the capital also shared a meal together on the trip and enjoyed one of the best meals in the country.
“What a joy to be marching again after so many years, and that everything went well,” said a young comrade who had only recently rediscovered the struggle for revolution at the December conference. She brought a contingent of rural women workers to this march.
“I thought you’d get tired because of the length of the march,” Comrade J remarked to two ICWP comrades who are former Salvadoran guerrilla fighters.
“No, this energizes us every year,” they replied. Many worker comrades asked to take photos with them, since they are very elderly and represent a great example of lifelong revolutionary struggle. Their daughters and granddaughters marched alongside them. One even marched with a cane, waving the red ICWP flag, and they concluded their participation with great emotion.
The comrades returned satisfied that they had fulfilled their mission of spreading communist ideas through Red Flag. And with a genuine commitment to strengthen the International Communist Workers’ Party, wherever they may be.
Read letters about May Day in El Salvador here