1945: 50 YEARS ON Memorial to British imperialist brutality: Bomber Harris By Lucky Kandanearatchi THE MAY Day holiday has been obliterated from the 1995 calendar and replaced by Day', to mark the 50th anniversary of the Allies' victory in the second world war.
The significance of the two is a manifestation of conflicting class interest.
With the prominence of the royalty, pompous celebrations are on the agenda with mounting propaganda aided by the reactionary press falsely depicting the war as a crusade against fascism and totalitarianism, for democracy and freedom.
A one-sided picture is painted, portraying only the crimes of the Nazis and the Axis powers, hiding the rest.
Whilst we have to express our profound grief for the six million innocent Jews who were the victims of historically unparalleled genocide, and our indignation against the savage atrocities of the Japanese, we must refresh our memories of those millions killed by the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The legacy of this holocaust was inherited by later generations, with physically and mentally deformed children. This indelible mark of the brutality of American imperialism will remain through the history of humankind.
Nor should the slaughter of 35,000 civilians by British bombs in Dresden be allowed to sink into oblivion. Millions of German civilians were bombing of civilian targets.
Far from expressing any remorse, and despite the kindness and compassion shown by the members of the royal family on television screens, the Queen Mother recently unveiled the statue of Sir Arthur cannon fodder for the war machine.
Because of imperialist domination, every corner of the world was plunged into war, bringing misery and havoc to millions who had nothing to gain from the conflict. An estimated 53 million died, of whom 38 million were civilians. The claim that the war was fought to wipe out fascism and to usher in freedom is monstrously false.
In the Spanish civil war British and French imperialism had found common cause with the fascists, signing ine non-intervention agreement in lavour of the dictator Franco and against the legitimate and elected Republicans who were thought to be anti-capitalist.
When the Japanese fell in Indochina, French imperialism followed up on their retreat, and reoccupied the region.
In the wake of the war a tidal wave of revulsion that swept across the world bolstered the anti-imperialist struggles for freedom.
The Indian Swaraj (self rule) movement had its success in 1947, later followed by the African liberakilled in calculated Allied The first London May Day demonstration, 1890 tion movement.
The 1945 election brought the British Labour Party to power with a resounding victory despite Churchill's personality.
Landmark
In contrast, May Day signifies a historical landmark in the workers' struggle against the fetters of slavery and exploitation.
Originally it was linked with the eight-hour working day, although today it has become the workers' international day of solidarity.
The birthplace of May Day was Chicago, a city inhabited by a multiracial working class belonging to the militant and revolutionary tradition that celebrated the anniversary of the Paris Commune. They were engaged in violent battles in the throes of severe repression.
After futile attempts in 1867 and 1879, the hope of an eight-hour working day was rekindled by the Chicago Trades Assembly, in declaring 1 May 1886 a day for action.
The Central Labour Union and International Working Peoples Association were leading organisations which spearheaded the campaign, in particular the CLU representing workers of European origin with a leadership influenced by revolutionary socialist ideas.
On 1 May, with Chicago as the centre, the struggle escalated to other cities. One characteristic feature was that even unskilled and unorganised workers spontaneously joined the strike in massive numbers. Workplaces were paralysed.
On 4 May at Haymarket Square following a demonstration, a meeting was held to protest against the brutal attack by police on a meeting of strikers at McCormic Reaper Works.
A bomb was thrown by a police agent into the crowd, killing a police sergeant. This triggered off to a violent battle with the police firing, and finally into a bloodbath, killing seven policemen and six workers.
One year later the leaders of the protest, Parson, Engel, Fischer and Spies were executed after a trial which became renowned as a judicial travesty. This was followed by a period of repression.
The eight hour day was achieved by this kind of struggle and sacrifice. It must not be thrown into the dustbin of history.
Inspired by the example of the American workers, the founding congress of the Second International resolved to observe May 1 1890 on an international scale.
In many European countries workers braved state harassment to come out on strike. In this process, May Day became a day of international workers solidarity, celebrated with demonstrations and rallies around political demands.
Fascism is a product of capitalism, stemming from a system in crisis and decay. Its spectre sull naunts us.
The present regionalisation of the globe into competing trade blocks of the EU, NAFTA and Asia Pacific region is the precursor to conflicts to come.
It remains the task of the working class to free the world from these dangers; that's why May Day, and not the imperialists Victory Day is important to socialists.