Capitalism needs war - we need neither
Strike!

In the middle of their crazy war plans we are fighting back – against the war, against our worsening living and working conditions, against their crazy logic of profit above all else. Striking is one of the most powerful weapons we have and we’re gonna use it!


Fire Fighters
They keep on fighting, despite the Sun’s smear campaign, the Government’s nationalist legal threats or Gilchrist’s 800 Pound restaurant bills. 19,000 soldiers will have to stay home and do some scab work instead of killing. They walk out again on Thursday the 20th. Support them!

School Kids
Thousands walked out on the 3rd March. They organised the strike by word of mouth, e-mail and telephone trees. They squatted streets and attacked cops at Downing Street. On 13th March 500 school students in Oxford walked out and trapped the soldiers of a recruitment stall in their van. They walked out despite legal consequences and the new “truancy patrol”.

Dockers
Last Tuesday Italian port workers went on strike against the United States using their workplaces to ship war equipment out to the Gulf. Against “being involved in preparation for a military operation in Iraq”. A 48-hour strike by Finnish Dockers put a stop to all cargo traffic in and out of Finnish ports last week. 8th of March 2003: Striking Belgium Dockers Clash With Cops. Hundreds of striking dock workers clashed with police outside European Union headquarters Friday over plans to open its ports to greater competition.

Oil Workers
In the last month there has been a total strike by Nigeria oil workers, raising supply fears in global oil markets. Truckers in Los Angeles had a one day work stoppage for compensation for the recent increase diesel prices. 2,000 oil workers in Kenya burnt bosses vehicles in a protest against poor working conditions and maltreatment by the management.

[see for more: www.labourstart.org]
What is this war about?
This war is not only about US access to oil, it is also a way to try to make us feel powerless. Their system of profits is in crisis, and we pay the bill. The average worker in the USA today works 6 hours more than 1976, for less money. Most households are in debt, people have to have two or three jobs to make ends meet, millions have lost their pensions in stock market crashes. This society is in crisis, because it can’t contain its own contradictions anymore and they hope the war is a way out.

· we are supposed to work more, despite all the shiny, new, highly productive technology and increasing knowledge
· billions live in poverty, while markets are overcrowded with wealth that can’t be sold
· more and more workers all over the world work together in chains of production, but they still want us to believe in our countries or our companies interests

People are fed up and don’t believe the bosses and politicians promises anymore. In Argentina they kicked the government out of power, organised ‘peoples assemblies’ to make their own decisions, a hundred factories are squatted and being run by the workers. This war is also meant to oppress our hopes and demands, our struggles for a better life. We are supposed to shut up and be happy that the bombs are not falling on us.

Now it is up to us to show them that we are not afraid, that we are fed up with their system of war and crisis. Despite the threat of legal repression in the name of “national security” and despite the smear campaign of the media people keep on fighting. If their war is legal, if crisis is legal, if social cuts are legal, so what if our strike is not!

Go out! Support each other!