Today in Labor History March 23, 1988: Angolan and Cuban forces defeated South Africa in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The battle started in August, 1987. In addition to Cubans, volunteers from the USSR, Vietnam, the African National Congress and SWAPO joined the People’s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) in the Angolan Civil War. It was the largest battle in Africa since World War II. Several thousand died on both sides, including citizens of South Africa, Cuba, and the USSR #workingclass #LaborHistory #independence #angola #SouthAfrica #ussr #cuba #africa #CivilWar #socialism #anc #swapo #fapla

Today in Labor History March 23, 1980: Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador gave a speech appealing to the men of the Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing Salvadoran civilians. The next day, they assassinated him, too, while he was celebrating Mass. No one was ever convicted for the crime, the United Nations Truth Commission for El Salvador concluded that Major Roberto D'Aubuisson had ordered the assassination. At the time, D’Aubuisson was a death squad leader. He later founded the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) political party. D’Aubuisson, a neo-fascist and an alumnus of the notorious School of the Americas (aka School of the Assassins) in Fort Benning, Georgia, went on to serve as president of the Legislative Assembly, and to run for president, ultimately losing to another brutal right-winger, Jose Napoleon Duarte. Though he was hailed by supporters of Liberation Theology, Romero’s biographer wrote that he was never interested in that movement, and that he faithfully adhered to Catholic teachings on liberation and a preferential option for the poor. And throughout his life he continued to draw inspiration from Opus Dei. However, after the assassination of his friend and fellow priest Rutilio Grande, also in 1977, he became critical of the military. In 1997, Pope John Paul II gave Romero the title of Servant of God, and the church opened a cause for his beatification. Pope Francis canonized him in 2018. #workingclass #LaborHistory #imperialism #DeathSquads #elsalvador #assassination #ArchBishopRomero #romero

Rep Jim McGovern calls for a nationwide General Strike. This a mainstream Democrat, asking the public to break the law. Yes, General Strikes have been illegal in the U.S. since the 1947 Taft-Hartley bill, written in the wake of the 1945-1946 strike wave, the largest strike wave in the history of the U.S., when literally millions of workers went on strike, from steel, electricity, automotive, to coal, electricity and numerous other industries. This strike wave included General Strikes in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Stamford, Connecticut; Rochester, New York; and Oakland, California. In total, 4.3 million workers participated in the strikes. It was the closest things we've ever had to a nationwide General Strike since the Great Upheaval, 1877. Also, remember that the 1968 upheaval in Paris, which spread throughout France, was students AND workers, included a General Strike, and forced Charles de Gaulle to flee the country as his government collapsed

Portside

Rep. McGovern and a National Strike

It’s not a lot of laughs being a Congressional Democrat these days. Their party is a mess. Partisan loathing is on high boil. If you’re a veter...

#generalstrike #oakland #Democracts #strikewave #nationalstrike #TaftHartley #paris

Today in Labor History March 21, 1937: Palm Sunday, cops killed 19 unarmed men, women and children marching in a protest in Ponce, Puerto Rico. They injured another 200 civilians. The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party organized the march to commemorate the abolition of slavery in 1873 and to protest the imprisonment of the party’s leaders by the U.S. The police used Thompson submachine guns, rifles and pistols, shooting marchers in the back, during the Ponce Massacre. A commission placed the blame for the massacre on the U.S. appointed governor of Puerto Rico, Blanton Winship. However, no one, including Winship, nor any of the shooters, were ever prosecuted or punished. #workingclass #LaborHistory #ponce #massacre #PuertoRico #colonialism #slavery #abolition #prison

Columbia Daily Spectator

UJB issues expulsions, degree revocations, and suspensions for Hamilton Hall occupation

<i>Updated March 14 at 12:17 a.m.</i>

#freespeech #fascism #trump #censorship #student #protest #university #columbia #gaza #genocide #FreePalestine

UK Subs punk band denied entry into Los Angeles and detained for >24 hours Some of you might have seen posts on UK Subs’ websites, which provide photos and video of a random line-up playing with Charlie at a Los Angeles Punk festival at the weekend. You might therefore be wondering ‘how come?’ Well, the truth is that Stefan, Marc and I were all denied entry into the USA whilst somehow – perhaps he used a Jedi mind trick, or, more likely, caught an immigration officer at the end of their shift eager to get home – Charlie managed to get in. Having already been on a plane for 11 hours, upon my partner Roz and I arriving at the immigration booth we were beckoned to, we were told that Roz could go through, but something had flagged up which required my being taken away for questioning. There were two issues: 1) they said I didn’t have the right visa for entry and 2) there was another issue, which they wouldn’t disclose, both of which prevented me from being allowed into America – I’m now wondering if my regular and less than flattering public pronouncements regarding their president and his administration were a factor; or maybe that’s just me succumbing to paranoia. I was then taken by two police officers to another part of LAX and escorted to a very cold holding pen where I discovered Stefan and Marc in situ along with some Columbian, Chinese and Mexican detainees. My luggage, phone and passport were all taken from me, and at 4am (I’d arrived in LA at 7pm) I took part in a second interview conducted by a very sympathetic female immigration officer, who even kindly went out into the airport to see if she could find Roz to update her on my situation and pass on information regarding the enforced flight I was to take back from whence I came. She did both, and I’m most indebted to Officer Jones for her assistance and decency. Luckily, Roz was able to change her flight to the same one that I was escorted onto by two police officers at 8pm the next day – at that point I’d been in the holding room for 25 hours without sleep and with only a pot noodle and a couple of cups of tea to sustain me. Roz had been obliged to spend 25 hours in the airport waiting for me to emerge. Another eleven hour flight was then endured, the worst bit being I was denied any alcohol because its United Airlines’ policy that any passenger being escorted onto a flight in that manner cannot be served as much as a single glass of wine: Stefan and Marc, on the other hand, who travelled back via British Airways, were allowed to make the most of the free booze on their flight to help offset the stress of our shared experience. I’m really sad that the true UK Subs were unable to provide the performance and the diverse set we’d prepared, all of which the audience deserved; although kudos and congrats are in order for the three musicians who stepped in last minute to play with Charlie. The photo I’ve provided is of Roz and me sitting outside a bar, sharing a few wines together, after finally getting back to our homestead in SW France – despite being happy to be home, my scowling face reflect the after effects of 2 days without sleep. So, in conclusion, although not being something I’d want to replicate, it was actually an educational experience and, honestly, I’m kind of proud of myself for being thrown out of America at the age of 67, now knowing that my relationships with that country is over for the foreseeable future. And maybe, just maybe, that’s why the chorus of track 3, side 1, of the first Clash album keeps running around my head. #trump #MAGA #freespeech #fascism #censorship #punk