Long live May 1, the International Workers Day

May 1 is the anniversary of the world solidarity of the working class and the heroic uprising of the American workers on May 4, 1886 in Chicago.

135 years have passed since this historic event. On this occasion, on May 1, the communists, the labor parties, the unions and all the organizations who are defending the rights of the working class will exhibit their class power by staging a huge demonstration against the exploiters and imperialism.

In Iran, the working class has barred to have its own organizations for many years. The basic freedom such as holding demonstrations, strikes, or even forming trade unions, is prohibited. For more than four decades, the dictatorial-religious-capitalist regime of the Islamic Republic has banned Iranian workers from demonstrating and marching on the occasion of May 1. Instead, the ruling regime, holds an orderly rally on this historic day on behalf of the Iranian workers. Every year, the ruling regime mobilize their agents and tugs to exploit this important and historical event in the absence of the workers.

Although the workers' rights and disenfranchisement historically goes back to era of the Shah's dictatorial regime, but the situation in terms of exploitation, social conditions, economic poverty, cruelty, and violence has worsened the Islamic Republic of Iran came to power.

Four decades of severe punishment, imprisonment, torture, and execution for attempting to protest and demand for any workers' rights, the regime has not been able to stop the heroic struggles of working class and their supporters and their successive protests and strikes.

In fact, labor strikes have been an ongoing events in most factories in Iran. Workers at the Haft Tappeh (a sugarcane factories), Arak’s Hepco industry, southern Iranian refineries in Kangan and Lamerd, as well as oil and petrochemical workers in the provinces of Abadan, Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and in dozens of other cities are showing their strong resistances and fights against the oppressive condition and dictatorship of the Islamic Republic.

The teachers and educators are in a most awful economic situation and many of them have been imprisoned only for demand for their basic rights.  Despite all the pressure and intimidation on cultural and progressive figures, they have openly risen up against the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Despite the fact that more than a year has passed many of those who signed a letter and request the resignation of Ali Khamenei, they are still being held in prisons in very harsh and cruel conditions. The country's retirees, who have worked hard for a long time have been deprived for a minimum wages to provide basic necessities for themselves and their family. While their constant demonstrations and protests in various cities have so far gone unanswered, these disadvantaged sections of society are increasingly radicalizing against the regime.

The deteriorating economic situation and socio-political pressures have put the oppressed people of Iran in increasing difficult situations. The regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran not only does not intend to provide for the livelihood of the people, but also shoots down and suppresses any protest, from the Kurds whose life depends on transporting good on their back or Baluchi people whose life depends on selling fuel in the open market.

 Human rights and the ruling regime in Iran

In fact, the issue of the human rights are a tool in the hands of the imperialists to put pressure on the leaders of dictatorial countries while they are working and supporting them secretly and openly. Since the establishment of the dictatorial-religious regime in Iran, the main capitalist powers in the world have always recognized the Iranian regime as an official member in the international communities. For more than four decades, they have condemned the Islamic regime in Iran for severe violation of human rights just for domestic consumption of their countries.

Without exaggeration, since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. In fact, at a time when differences between the main capitalist powers and the Iranian regime in the process of trade agreements occurs, the violation of human right in Iran become an issue for them. The fact is that for many years, Iran's lucrative market has become a battleground between Western capitalist countries and the capitalist countries of China, Russia and India. Therefore, the occasional waving of the human rights flag in Iran by the United States and its allies should not be considered as a sign of Western opposition to the violation of human rights by Iranian regime.

There are much more reasons for international condemnation of the Iranian regime than of Saddam Hussein's regime, if the members of the UN Security Council did not have special economic interests in Iran. The following examples could easily prove the truth about this matter:

1.              The killing of tens of thousands of dissidents without trial in the 1980s by both reformist and fundamentalist factions.

2.              The killing of more than 10,000 political prisoners in September 1988.

3.              The deliberate shooting down of the flight 176 Ukrainian airline plane, where all of the innocent passengers were killed.

Undoubtedly, if it were not for the interests of the countries running the Security Council, they would have issued serious condemnations against the Iranian Islamic regime.

While the masses across the country struggle with poverty, corona virus, and harsh dictatorship, the US government is in talks with the Iranian regime to recuperate the nuclear deal (Barjam) to protect its own interests and those of its European allies. Meanwhile, the ruling regime of Iran for its survival gives concessions to Russia in the north of the country and by signing a 25-year agreement that offers the islands of Kish and Qeshm to China. The regime is so afraid of revealing the nature of this shameful agreements by not willing to inform the Iranian people about the signed text of the agreement.

The 13th presidential term of the regime is scheduled to take place in June 2021. Despite the lack of popular participation in previous so called elections, the regime will lie again and will announce the maximum turnout. Unlike in previous elections, the united opposition of the people around the country has increased to such an extent that the regime can certainly not claim that the majority of people went to the polls. Therefore, it is feared that the June elections will be held online under the pretext of Corona virus situation so they could able to extract any number of votes they want to have.

The regime's leadership, especially the Revolutionary Guards, the IRGC's intelligence service, and people who are extremely loyal to Khamenei have so far taken over the executive and legislative branches. Therefore, it seems to access to full control of the government, the next government will be chosen from among the members of the Revolutionary Guards and the puppet elements of this institution. The regime's reformist faction, which has the largest share in the killings of the 1980s, is by no means willing to distance itself from power. The reformist fraction knows very well that if the regime is overthrown, they will also be tried by the people. With such an attitude, the regime's reformist faction will run in the next elections to secure its inadequate share of power.

For the working class and their allies, there is no other option but to stand against the ruling dictatorial-religious regime and their supporters. In the current situation, the revolutionary and militant forces must prepare a new organization to overthrow the ruling regime by just relying on the masses of the oppressed people. With the exception of the Tudeh Party and Aksariat organization which still play the role of informers and destructive agents in the Iranian revolutionary movement, Iranian people should unit with other fighters and progressive opponents of the regime to fight and overthrow the Islamic regime to end the current oppression and misery rough. We must become one.