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Title: Worsening times, yet moving forward Author: Malangchism Date: May 4, 2022 Language: en Topics: Korea, South Korea, May Day Source: Retrieved on July 9, 2022 from https://libcom.org/article/worsening-times-yet-moving-forward Notes: Originally posted on https://malangkism.tistory.com/35. Translated by Min
Last weekend, we took part on 132nd International Worker’s Day protest
and the festival on the day before. As is now well known, Worker’s Day
began on May 1, 1886, during a series of general strikes by Chicago
workers and anarchists. Therefore, we as Malangchism also joined the
protests, as anarchists, to honor the struggles of the anarchists who
came before, and to join in solidarity with the struggle of all present
workers.
As we continue the protests around Jongno on both days back-to-back, we
listened to the voices of people fighting against the state, capital,
and various other oppressive systems and vowed to fight alongside
together. We felt once again that the power that all of us have, who
stand shoulder to shoulder under countless groups and numerous flags,
was strong enough to end all oppression we face.
However, our rights continue to regress backwards even though we
continue to fight, just like how the lyrics of a song sung by a choir
during the Worker’s Day have told. Especially, as the article read by
the comrade Ko Jin-soo of the Sejong Hotel branch during the 4.30 Youth
Student's May Day Eve Festival showed us, we have now reached a point
where it is even difficult to barely demand capital and the state
acknowledge us as workers, let alone fight for better wages. At a time
when times and the form of labor have changed and the law is simply
reluctant to call workers as workers, when the unity of capital, the
state, and the factors of discrimination is just so strong and firm, why
is it that we fail to create a solidarity stronger than that, as we fail
to organize more struggles because of our rejecting those who come to
join in solidarity, shuddering in fear? In the face of the majority
worker’s rights that are being severely rolled back, some of the
half-assed attempts to create factions that are divided for some petty
conflicts among us are the actual behaviors befitting "left-wing
communism : infantile disorder"(rather than what Lenin said), so how
could we not be ashamed of this?
There are countless workers. There is no place in the world that does
not involve labor, and there is no place that does not depend on labor
to operate within it. However the way our lives are heading for the
worse, our rights are being rolled back, are mere testaments to how we
are still inexperienced both in organizing and standing in solidarity,
and nothing more. The moment we actually believe and practice that we
can put an end to this state on our own, not with words, nor our mouths,
but with our sincerity and actions, all will become history in an
instant, even in just one day, disappearing without a trace.
We cannot afford to waste what little time we have by gradually taking
over the district and city councils, increasing the number of seats in
the National Assembly, and seizing power. We should admit it. That is
something that the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea,
the two conservative parties in the Republic of Korea could do much
better. They have already mastered it, rendering it impossible for us to
imagine any other world, or any other system. And they keep calling us
over to join their ring to which rules favorable to them apply. Is this
a fair match just because you and I are both wearing the same gloves? Is
that why one party called for voting system reform, and another party
said how socialism can be blended smoothly within this current
framework?
On the way to Gwanghwamun, where the presidential transition committee
is located, after we finished the Worker’s Day protests, we ran into a
Taegeukgi unit, and as usual, they screamed the words “빨갱이”,
“종북세력” at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. Whenever they
vigorously shouted “물러가라!”, we merely responded with “투쟁!”. Two
letters are more ‘cost-effective’ to say than four, and the way to show
our unity and solidarity without getting caught up in their rhetoric is
that simple, not difficult in the slightest. This struggle, of course,
is not an easy one. However, it is us who are standing here right now,
who are in solidarity with this struggle, are the very ones carrying it
out. One cannot ask anyone to substitute their place in their struggles,
and one cannot ask someone else to take care of the wound of their
friend beside them. Such are merely cowardice and incompetence. So let's
now claim our freedom for ourselves, who understand our struggles and
movements best, without relying on anyone else. This is where our
anarchism truly lies. To that end, we will continue to shout.
“투쟁!”
2022/05/03
‘Our Mutual Aid’ Malangchism