Down with imperialist war and the governments who promote it

Let capital pay for its crisis, not the workers

On this May Day 2025, the world has reached a turning point: from neo-liberal globalisation to a direct confrontation of powers in the economic, political and military fields - with the trade war waged by the USA  against the rest of the world, but above all against China, the continuation of Israel's genocidal aggression in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria, and the wars in Ukraine, Sudan and Congo, while in Europe as well as in East Asia, in the Middle East as well as in North America, the governments have started a rearmament race as part of the growing tendency towards a next world war, exacerbated by the rivalry between the incumbent American superpower, its Chinese first challenger, the European imperialisms, Japan and so on, for world supremacy

Trump, at the helm of US imperialism, wants to revert its historic decline and return to being the undisputed superpower. The “tariff war” will be a new inflationary attack on the living conditions of the working masses.

The ruling capitalist classes are calling on workers to serve their "countries", their "fatherlands" - i.e. the interests of their exploiters - both as workforce, which must be especially productive to compete in the world market, and as cannon fodder on the military fronts.

Capitalist governments are imposing brutal cuts in welfare and wages to support the war economy and are tightening the screws of state repression against all working class, social and environmental movements and anti-war, anti-militarisation protests. The EU decision to "Rearm Europe"  reveals itself for what it truly is: a Union of War, reorganizing the entire European economy around the military-industrial complex. The suspension of the EU's Stability and Growth Pact (allowing governments to exceed deficit limits)  for military spending only, is a provocation for the workers suffering decades of austerity, flexibility and wage-pension cuts.

In addition, an ultra-reactionary new international is emerging, targeting the masses of women, immigrants, national and ethnic minorities and LGBTQ people. The increasingly brutal offensive against trans+ people is the cutting edge of a concerted attempt to restore the traditional heteronormative family and tie women to bearing and caring for children.

To this violent aggression of the forces of capital and imperialism, in addition to the great international movement of solidarity with the Palestinian people and resistance, there have been and are broad responses of struggle in many countries, from Argentina to Turkey and Greece. Even in the United States, protests against the anti-worker policies of the Trump administration are multiplying.

May Day has historically been called to advance the union of workers worldwide in the struggle for the 8-hour day and for the emancipation of workers and the whole of society from capitalist exploitation.

It is the day of political and organisational independence of the working class, of its international unity against its capitalist exploiters, who are vying with each other for the division of the world and the fruits of exploitation.

Reducing working hours is still a topical demand in 2025 in the face of job-crushing technological change, and one that can unite workers across industries and borders. But it must go hand in hand with proletarian opposition to rearmament and war. The future of humanity, not just of the working class, depends on the attitude of workers to existing trade, political and military wars, to rearmament and global war preparation, whether they follow the national flags of the bourgeoisie or the red flag of internationalism, anti-imperialist struggle and socialist revolution to unite proletarians around the world.

May Day 2025 must also mark a turning point for the vanguards of the working class worldwide, following the example of Karl Liebknecht, who on May Day 1916 courageously opposed war and pointed out that "the main enemy is at home".

On May Day 2025 let's stand against our "enemy at home" in all imperialist countries and against all capitalist governments, which are all "enemies" of the workers they exploit and the peoples they oppress.

On May Day 2025, let's lay the foundations for the formation of an international and internationalist working-class camp against the rival and shifting camps of the capitalist states. To promote a common international action along these lines, we call on all consequent revolutionary proletarian forces to gather in the Internationalist Conference call for the 14^th and 15^th of June in Naples, Italy.

No to rearmament and war! Stop the genocide in Gaza and the war in Ukraine, Sudan, Congo!

Freedom to all political prisoners, jailed for struggling against capitalist exploitation and the governments of war and hunger!

Defend the purchasing power of wages and reduce working hours: work less to work for all! Defend pension systems and conquests of labor!

United front of workers and oppressed peoples against imperialism, racism and fascism!

For workers’ governments! Let's fight for a classless society without exploitation and oppression!

Communist Liberation Greece

Partido Obrero Argentina 

SEP Turkey

SWP Great Britain

TIR Italy

Tribuna Classista Brazil 

Agrupación Vilcapaza Perú

Fuerza 18 de Octubre Chile

Grupo de Acción Revolucionaria México

Lea la declaración en español aquí.

Dozens of organizations from around the world join the International Forum Against Repression and Political Persecution

To be held online on April 26. -

www.prensaobrera.com