Contribution of the MLPD on its work for International Women's Day and ICOR day of struggle on 8 March 2021

In Germany, 8 March was a great success for the militant women's movement. The MLPD participated in alliances in at least 28 cities and often initiated them. It was a day of the grassroots women, especially also of the non-party-affiliated women's association Courage and of broad internationally oriented organizations with very diverse topics and actions. People from about 60 different local, regional and nationwide organizations participated, embodying the whole range from religion to revolution. The participation of women from the Feminist Party, the Left Party, the MLPD and the SPD was an important signal of non-party-affiliated cooperation in the fight against the rightward development.

 Overall it was evident that women wanted to take to the streets despite and because of corona. In Germany, about 30,000 women took part in International Women's Day. The MLPD was present throughout Germany like no other party, had mobilized intensively in advance to participate in the activities on the streets, took part in the demonstrations of the women's alliances, carried out Women's Day actions in the factories with flowers, discussions, material of the MLPD and partly participated in Internet protests.

Tens of thousands of people participated permanently or intermittently, listening to speeches, music, performances, taking leaflets and newspapers, signing up for causes, signing up for participation lists or organizing, and enjoyed the culture with performances, music, dances, drumming, songs and poems.

Everywhere, women from the women's association Courage reported that the women's test of endurance had intensified since the corona pandemic and they blamed the chaotic bourgeois crisis management.

Many women denounced domestic and structural violence. There were clarifying debates that men cannot be called rapists across the board, but that most men reject violence against women and are allies in the fight against violence.

 Increased participation this year included organizations such as the Environmental Union, which called for the shutdown of all nuclear power plants worldwide and denounced the increase in deformities and thyroid cancer in children due to nuclear radiation.

 Non-party-affiliated local election alliances addressed matters of basic public services such as the demand for the preservation of hospitals and health care close to home.The situation of employees in hospitals and nursing homes, in child daycare centers and schools or in retail trade played an important part. It was pointed out that although the government praises women in the corona pandemic, so far there are neither new jobs nor adequate health protection.

In addition the MLPD  focused on winning women workers, carried out actions at clinics, handed out roses, spoke about the importance of Women's Day at the workplace, etc.     

No successful Women's Day would be complete without a debate on anticommunism: Against attempts by representatives of the petty-bourgeois women's movement to exclude the MLPD from demonstrations, the MLPD went on the offensive and spoke against the undemocratic and anticommunist behavior. It carried out tributes to Rosa Luxemburg and Clara Zetkin, presented the MLPD's polemic "New Perspectives for the Liberation of Women," distributed the magazine "Rote Fahne," which had a women's political focus on 8 March, and collected signatures and donations for the movement "Don't Give Anticommunism a Chance!"

We talked with many young women about the double exploitation and oppression of women, about the bourgeois family system as a counterpart to the exploitation of wage labor, about the liberation of women in socialism and about organizing. There was much interest in this, but also many questions. It showed that we are on the right path and there is still much to do and that a real movement to organize is needed. All in all, a wonderful international day of struggle for women's liberation!