Mayday Struggle in S. Korea
by KCTU/ETU-MB Sunday, May. 02, 2004 at 8:15 AM |
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Seoul. Workers, students and migrants were demonstrating for a world without exploitation ang oppression.
MSSC STRUGGLE REPORT (서울, 南朝鮮, 05.01)
Let’s begin with the end. Yesterday in the evening, around 7.30 pm, several units of the infamous riot cops (No 1002, 1003…) blocked all the entrances to our struggle area, we were inside and they just blocked.
But let’s come to the beginning to this great day, the International Struggle Day of the Working Class! After arriving at around 12.30 pm, while the majority of MSSC (Myeong-dong Sit-in Struggle Collective) was waiting on Daehak-no (road), in front of the main stage (all together five stages/rally places were there) for the beginning of the main rally, some from our group joined the anti-war rally, in fact organized by All Together (다함께), in the immediate neighborhood. The rally was nice, but the number of participants, around 200, was a little scrawny. If we continue like that, never we’ll get the chance to topple the troop-dispatching plan!! Already in our speech, Masum held, we said about the necessity of a mass movement to avoid that the government send additional troops to Iraq and more than ever to bring the present troops back home.
After that we joined the main KCTU rally. In contrast to the last years, where KCTU held nation wide rallies in Seoul, this year’s rally was a regional one. But surprisingly at least 20.000 workers and students (according to the Internet magazine Minjung-ui sori) joined. And the atmosphere? Just great!! The main subjects of these-year’s rally: First of all “No to troop dispatching”, “Change the status of irregular workers” and of course migrant workers struggle and demands was one of the main issues.
The rally was followed by a march to downtown’s Gwanghwamun area. There a final rally was held and thousands were blocking Jong-no, one of the main avenues here, until the evening hours. Again, just a great event! If we would have similar demonstrations at least every weekend in the case of our struggle against troop dispatching, very soon the government would give way!
After the final rally we walked, accompanied by several dozens of our student supporters, back to Myeong-dong. But near Eulji-ro, nearly in the middle between Jong-no and our struggle site in Myeong-dong, we found out that around 1000 student were following us. There, just they took the street and shouted slogans, supporting our struggle. Ha, really great idea! A while later, we already departed in our “home”, also the student activists were arriving here. And of course a short while later… the f… cops arrived and blocked… already we wrote in the beginning of this report. But anyway, all together we’d a beautiful final rally and without any incident, everything we were able to finish.
At 9 pm we conveyed a solidarity message via a life interview to a broadcasting station (independent leftwing radio LORA) in Zurich, where Switzerland’s main Mayday demonstration/rally was held… and thousands there were listening.
Finally, once more, this was a great event y’day, but we’ve to see, if it was only one day in this year, or a beginning of a mass movement.
Here now just some impressions by photographs (perhaps during the day we’ll upload also something about before y’day’s Workers Culture Festival in Joong-ang Univ) about this really beautiful day.
A small nice anti-war rally
We participated
On the edge of the rally
天/地/人
Masum's speech
Red flags over S. Korea
Yeah, that's right
No discrimination anymore
Stop destruction
Tower crane unionists
NK propaganda?
What the child wants to say with this expression?
Struggle and Rice
Anwar's (actually he's a physical giant) speech
Our performance
ZEN on stage
KTCOTU members
Mass struggle performance
Ha, just call 111
Strong, strong 투쟁
Fight against troop dispatching
Front banner
At least 20.000 demonstrators
No comment is necessary
Performance on the edge of the demonstration
Daewoo workers
Since when immigration officers wear the same clothes like us, or K. Marx t-shirts?
Our demo block
...
Once more, because it's so beautiful
The final rally on Gwanghwamun
New capitalism is exploiting too!
Just our answer
...
...
Around thousand students...
...on the way to Myeong-dong
Finally we got some fun
RELEASE ALL MIGRANT WORKERS FROM DETENTION CENTERS!
FREEDOM FOR ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS IN S. KOREA!
LET’S FIGHT TOGETHER FOR A WORLD
WITHOUT EXPLOITATION AND OPPRESSION!
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE, ONLY
IF YOU WANT AND FIGHT FOR IT!
WE’VE NOTHING TO LOSE EXCEPT OUR CHAINS!
굽타, 깨비, 헉 동지와 다른 잡혀간 이주 노동자들의 석방을 위해 투쟁!
한국의 모든 양심수들의 석방을 위해 투쟁
착취와 억압이 없는 그날을 위해 투쟁
다른 세상은 가능하다, 당신이 그걸 원하고 그것을 위해
투쟁한다면! 투쟁!
우리가 잃을 건 쇠사슬밖에 없다구!
