Lebanon is exploding!

Lebanon has been a land of tears and struggles! In October 2019, starting with the uprising on 17th October a movement built up in Beirut against the government politics. It called for building an independent and democratic Lebanon. It also contains a majority of forces who are opposed to the politics of the USA and Zionist Israel and almost all other imperialist and regional powers which are trying to destabilize Lebanon and dominate it. Also Saudi Arabia and Iran belong to these, the latter especially via Hezbollah. Though this movement was dampened due to the onset of the worldwide Covid 19 pandemic, the protests continued into January 2020.

Beirut has since decades become the target of Zionist Israeli and other bombings. The explosion of bombs has become the norm in Beirut rather than a novelty.

On 4th August there was a massive explosion in the port of Beirut which left dozens dead and thousands injured and 300 000 homeless. This has also been attributed to Government corruption and apathy by the people. We firmly reject the latter!

In spite of curfew and imposing martial law there were again massive protests which called for the resignation of the Government and the formation of a democratic government. The protesters took over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and rechristened it as the “Ministry of Revolution”. On 10th August the Government of Hassan Diab who had taken over in January did resign and has been asked to continue by the President Michel Aoun till a new Government takes over.

The USA as imperialist warmonger and China have been blaming each other in their attempt to control this important part of West Asia. After all the Belt and Road Initiative planned by China is supposed to lead across the port of Beirut. Chinese aid to Lebanon is well known and the US is now blaming China for laying a “debt trap” forgetting that the largest debt trap has been laid by the IMF which is controlled by the USA. On the other hand the Israeli-Zionist bombings of Lebanon with the approval of the USA are too brutal to be forgotten. Zionist Israel cannot be ruled out as the possible originator of the explosion even now. We call upon the people of Lebanon to resist all attempts by all foreign and imperialist powers, to take in their justified struggle for freedom, social justice and democracy, as for example the former colonial power France is trying.

For the right of self-determination of the Lebanese people! For a revolutionary change according to the will of the masses!

At this time we support the call of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) who have given a call for the movement of October 17th to come together once again. They rightly demand a policy in the interests of the working class and the broad masses of the population and want to build a truly democratic and progressive Lebanon. We call upon all democratic forces in Lebanon to come together and for all sections of workers and other toiling masses to get organized and fight for this goal. The ICOR supports this movement in solidarity and in the spirit of the Beirut Middle East Conference of the ICOR and together with revolutionary forces in Lebanon promotes its revolutionization for a democratic and socialist Lebanon.

Strengthen the revolutionary forces in Lebanon and the ICOR!

Workers of all countries, unite!

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world, unite!

Forward with the construction of the ICOR!

Signatories (as of 26 August 2020, further signatories possible):

1. ORC – Organisation Révolutionnaire du Congo (Revolutionary Organization of Congo), Democratic Republic of the Congo

2. UPC-Manidem – Union des Populations du Cameroun - Manifeste National pour l’Instauration de la Démocratie (Union of Populations of Cameroon - National Manifesto for the Establishment of Democracy)

3. CPK – Communist Party of Kenya

4. MMLPL – Moroccan Marxist-Leninist Proletarian Line

5. CPSA (ML) – Communist Party of South Africa (Marxist-Leninist)

6. PPDS – Parti Patriotique Démocratique Socialiste (Patriotic Democratic Socialist Party), Tunisia

7. MLOA – Marxist-Leninist Organization of Afghanistan

8. CPB – Communist Party of Bangladesh

9. SPB – Socialist Party of Bangladesh

10. CPI (ML) Red Star – Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Red Star

11. PPRF – Patriotic Peoples Republican Front of Nepal

12. CPA/ML – Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist)

13. БКП – Българска Комунистическа Партия (Bulgarian Communist Party)

14. БРП(к) – Българска Работническа Партия (комунисти) (Bulgarian Workers Party (Communist))

15. PR-ByH – Partija Rada - ByH (Party of Labor - Bosnia and Herzegovina)

16. MLPD – Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Deutschlands (Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany)

17. Symp.PFLP – Sympathisanten der PFLP (Sympathisers of the PFLP), Germany

18. UCLyon – Unité Communiste Lyon (Communist United Lyon), France

19. BP (NK-T) – Bolşevik Parti (Kuzey Kürdistan-Türkiye) (Bolshevik Party (North Kurdistan-Turkey))

20. KOL – Kommunistische Organisation Luxemburg (Communist Organization of Luxemburg)

21. RM – Rode Morgen (Red Dawn), Netherlands

22. MLGS – Marxistisch-Leninistische Gruppe Schweiz (Marxist-Leninist Group of Switzerland)

23. TIKB – Türkiye İhtilalci Komünistler Birliği (Union of Revolutionary Communists of Turkey)

24. MLKP – Marksist Leninist Komünist Parti Türkiye / Kürdistan (Marxist Leninist Communist Party Turkey / Kurdistan)

25. KSRD – Koordinazionnyj Sowjet Rabotschewo Dvizhenija (Coordination Council of the Workers Class Movement), Ukraine

26. PCC-M – Partido Comunista de Colombia – Maoista (Communist Party of Colombia - Maoist)

27. PCP (independiente) – Partido Comunista Paraguayo (independiente) (Paraguayan Communist Party (independent))

28. BDP – Bloque Democratico Popular (Popular Democratic Bloc), Peru

29. PC (ML) – Partido Comunista (Marxista Leninista) (Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist)), Dominican Republic

30. UPML   Union Prolétarienne Marxiste-Léniniste (Marxist-Leninist Proletarian Union), France