For hundreds of years the people of Europe have celebrated Spring and the start of the warm weather on the first of May. Then in the late 19th century the communists and socialists of the 2nd International decided that May Day should be the date of International Worker’ Day.
0161 would like to take the opportunity to send a message of solidarity to all of our comrades around the world on May Day 2020. The working class is being tested by the Covid 19 virus like never before, but our communities are staying strong, united and resilient in the face of this challenge.
We have seen just how little our lives mean to those who run our society. Simultaneously we have seen just how considerate and full of love total strangers can be. Our communities have banded together in a way not seen since WW2, and it is this community spirit that has allowed us to survive.
Through this crisis, the resilience of the working class has been made plain for all to see. We have seen English national pride on St George’s Day. We have seen weekly outpourings of gratitude towards NHS and other frontline workers. We have seen charitable actions by organisations like 0161 Community on a scale that would have been hard to imagine 6 months ago.
All this leads to one point: the struggle for the liberation of our class is not only possible but it is well within our grasps. We have shown the strength of our own resolve. When abandoned by governments and big businesses the working class has not crumbled and turned on one another, as they always expect we will. We have united to maintain and strengthen our communities, and we have done so in a way that has astounded and scared the ruling class.
But it is not just the virus that has marked this May Day. As always, we should celebrate our traditions. Trade Unionism and nationalised health care are the historic achievements of the English working class, and May Day is about celebrating those victories and the communities that won them.
So we say again, solidarity and a happy May Day to the working class all over the globe! When the fight against this virus ends, the fight against our oppression will be back on the table. We have more than proven we’re up for it.