mumbai declaration 2004

international | anti-capitalism | press release Friday January 23, 2004 20:26 by xmr - MR2004

declaration adopted at the end of Mumbai Resistance 2004 against imperialist globalisationa and war - an event held parallel to World Social Forum at Mumbai

MUMBAI DECLARATION 2004


Against Imperialist Globalisation & War

We "Mumbai Resistance 2004 Against Imperialist Globalisation and War",
an international event held in Mumbai, India, 17-20 January 2004
participated in by more than 300 organisations and thousands of
individual from all parts of India and from other countries all over the
world hereby adopt the following declaration.

We have successfully achieved the objectives of MR 2004 as conceived by
the International League of People's Struggles (ILPS) at the
Thessaloniki Resistance in June 2003, to hold an international event
co-sponsored by the broadest range of anti-imperialist groups, to
consolidate and strengthen the anti-imperialist movement.

Drawing inspiration and strength from the unity, commitment, energy and
international co-ordination that MR 2004 has gathered, generated and
heightened, we make the following pledges and calls to action:

We PLEDGE to fight imperialist globalisation and war to the end. For
this we will unite with all forces that stand in opposition to the
horrors resulting from this new anti-people offensive.

We PLEDGE to steadfastly stand by the poverty-stricken masses, who are
the worst victims of imperialist globalisation. We will unite with them
in their struggles against imperialist plunder and war throughout the
world.

We PLEDGE to vehemently oppose the disastrous impact on society in the
form of the dehumanising poverty, destruction of the peoples'
livelihood, the destruction of the environment, the crass consumerism,
the heightened alienation, and the increasing degeneration of the
cultural life of the people.

We PLEDGE to fight against the further infringement and even whole
assault on the sovereignty of all oppressed countries, that has come
under massive attack by the forces of imperialist globalisation and
their institutions like the TNCs, World Bank, IMF, WTO, etc. and also
their imperialist governments, specifically that of US imperialism.

We PLEDGE to fight back the growing fascist attacks of ruling classes
around the world and their whipping up of parochial hysteria, pitting
one community against another. Particularly, Racism, Zionism, etc.,
which act as the ideological content of fascism in various regions of
the world, will be opposed tooth and nail.

We PLEDGE to fight shoulder to shoulder together with the people of
various countries that have come under the jackboots of imperialist
aggression, particularly that of the US imperialists.

We PLEDGE to fight for the abrogation of all the loans to the third
world by the imperialists and their agencies like IMF, World Bank, etc,

We resolve to put up a formidable fight alongside the Iraqi people until
all US and other occupation troops are withdrawn from Iraq.

We resolve to fight alongside the Palestinian and other Arab people
shoulder to shoulder in getting back their land and sovereignty; and
that the Jewish and Palestinian people live in peace, with equal rights.

We resolve to fight for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from
Afghanistan and all other countries of the world, and the disbandment of
all US military bases around the globe.

We resolve to fight for the unconditional release of all political
prisoners incarcerated by the reactionary regimes, particularly of those
fighting US imperialism and their lackeys.

We resolve to fight for the scrapping of all the multilateral
institutions like the IMF, World Bank and WTO, etc, and the removal of
TNC operations in the oppressed countries of the world.

We resolve to fight for the forthwith annulment of all unequal Treaties,
Agreements and Military Pacts signed between the imperialists and the
oppressed countries of the world.

We are determined to achieve our full and total sovereignty --
economical, political and military -- of all nation-states of the world,
and their fundamental right to national self-determination of all
nationalities, where these have been infringed in any way.

In India, where this Conference is being held, we resolved to fight for:

· the end of 'economic reforms', liberalisation, privatisation,
and globalisation of the economy, and the unhindered entry of foreign
capital into the country.

· the end of imperialist paradigm of governance and development
model. We stand for the establishment of people - centred development
and institutions of real democracy with full employment and equitable
entitlements. We resolve to fight for right to work.

· the end of all forms of State terror, in the form of
undemocratic legislations like POTA, banning strikes and TU activities,
extra-judicial killings, torture, custodial rape, disappearances and the
banning of various parties and organisations.

· the end of state-sponsored Hindutva Fascism and defence of all
rights of the minorities, and punishment for all those responsible for
the demolition of Babri Masjid and the Gujarat genocide.

· the end of army operations against the nationality movements
and withdrawal of all Indian forces from Bhutan being used to crush the
movements based there; grant all nationalities their right to
self-determination.

· the end of State terror against all democratic movements,
including the armed revolutionary struggles of the masses, and demand
the right to organisation and free speech to all.

· the end of the further infringement of our Sovereignty by
imperialism in general and the US/ Israel axis in particular.

· the end of attacks on the peasantry, badly hit by: the flood
of cheap imports; cut in investments; end to concessional credit,
electricity, water; cut in subsidies, de facto scrapping of PDS; and
corporatisation of agriculture.

· the end of attacks on students and youth as manifested in the
privatisation of education, the loss of jobs, opportunities, and the
extensive promotion of degenerate cultural values.

· the end of the incessant marginalisation of tribal people and
the scrapping of all big projects leading to their displacement and
their right to the forest land, wealth and self rule.

· the end of attacks on the working class and the growing
spectre of unemployment; the repeal of the anti-labour laws, and end to
VRS, a stop to the contractualisation of labour, etc.

· the end of all forms of casteism and the despicable practice
of untouchability; and an immediate stop to the growing attacks on
dalits with overt and covert state support. We commit ourselves to the
struggles of all the oppressed caste people against Brahmanism that has
regained in strength under neo-liberal globalization.

· A large majority of Indian population constitutes artisan
castes and classes they have been adversely affected by the policies of
globalisation. Without showing any alternative their livelihood is
destroyed. We resolve to fight against this situation.

· the end the cultural onslaughts of Hindutva forces on the
Dalits, Adivasis and other oppressed castes and their intrigues to use
them as their cannon fodder for achieving their vile goal of Hindu Rashtra.

· the end of all manifestations of patriarchy and the growing
commoditification of women in this period of globalisation; particularly
the growing trafficking of women and the intensified debasement of women
through advertising, tourism, pornography, etc.

· the end of Indian expansionism and the outright bullying and
treaties to the neighbouring countries by the Indian ruling classes in
close alliance with their US bosses.

We CALL on the people to boycott the products of TNCs/MNCs and thereby
bringing massive losses on the imperialists and their empires markets,
to leave the country particularly American imperialists' and build
militant mass struggles to drive away them from our countries.

We CALL on the people to build firm resistance to the US military camps
worldwide. We resolve to take up a consistent mass protest movement,
till all US and other imperialist military camps are completely withdrawn.


We CALL on the people of all countries of the world, including India, to
unite to fight back the imperialist offensive going on under the
signboard of 'globalisation' and join to defend the rights of the
working people throughout the world.

We CALL on the people to smash the imperialist aggressors, particularly
the US, and ally firmly with the resistance movements, particularly in
Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine until victory.

We CALL on the people to oppose State terror, and anti-democratic laws
like POTA whatever its form, and fight back their growing fascist
onslaught across the world.

We CALL on the people not to be taken in by imperialist schemes and
tricks to diffuse discontent, particularly by NGOs and Social democrats,
but to build a mighty militant movement to smash imperialism and its
agents throughout the world, and work towards building a new order,
based on equality and justice for all -- a world moving towards socialism.

We express our deep sense of solidarity and oneness with all people
worldwide in struggles against imperialism and all reaction and strongly
seek coordination in building common battlegrounds against our common
enemy, that is, imperialism and the classes, which constitute its
composition.

On this, the 18th Day of January 2004, let us all PLEDGE to unite and
march forward in the path of struggle. Let us create a new bright future
for all the toiling masses of the world. As a first step, let us OBSERVE
March 20 as Anti-imperialist War-Day; the Day US/British forces
aggressed on Iraq -- a day to be observed by mass protests against the
imperialists, and militant actions against imperialist forces and their
agents in India and throughout the world.

January 18, 2004

Signed by

311 Organisations that Comprise MR-2004