In May 13, 2023, the world anti-imperialist joint struggle centered in Gwangju, hosted by the world anti-imperialist platform and people’s democracy party(PDP), was held.
In South Korea, the struggle was held in Gwangju, where all people of Gwangju had a uprising against Chun Doo-hwan, a fascist government.
On May 13th, the struggle in front of the old Jeollanam-do Provincal Office in Gwangju were in the order of cultural performance, rally and march.
The first order of stage is singing performance “Song of May” by Choi-Do eun, a singer of protest song. She later sang “I’ll live till the end” in memory of Yang-Hee dong martyr, who burned himeself to death under the repression of the Yoon Suk-yeol fascist government.
Next, Donghaenuri, Korean traditional performance group, performed in honor of the spirits of the fighters devoted their lives in anti-imperialist struggle and the spirits of Gwangju in May.
Participants in the rally held up signs written in “Overthrow Yoon Suk-yeol! Withdraw the USFK!”, “Stop the US Imperialist War Drive!” amd chanted loudly “Workers and the People of World, Unite and End Imperialism!”, “Crush the Imperialist War Maneuver through the Anti-Imperialist Struggle!”.
‘Heemangsae’, the musical troupe, had a musical performance depicted Gwangju in May 1980 and singing performance “Blow the Wind”.
Ricardo Molina, the former vice president of Venezuela, began his speech by saying “We know what it cost the Korean people the courage to protest against injustice that May 1980 to achieve democracy and was massacred by the oppressor in the service of imperialism.”. He also announced “From Venezuela, a country besieged by U.S. imperialism since 1999, when the people made Hugo Chávez President of the Republic, we know who the real enemy of humanity and Mother Earth is: imperialism.” and stressed “For all the lives sacrificed in these liberation struggles, together with you we remain in permanent battle.”.
Lee Jeok, the permanent representatives of peace treaty movement, spoke out that “U.S. Imperialism has turned half of the country into U.S. military base and took control of the collaborator regime.”. Also he emphasized “Let’s expel the U.S. troops from this country to establish this country as a fully sovereign power and create one nation!”.
At the end of the rally, the vice president of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist), Joti Brar read the Statement of World Anti-imperialist Joint Struggle in Gwangju.
The march was organized by 600 participants, including international progressive figures and workers and youth in South Korea under the flag of the World Federation of Trade Unions(WFTU), People’s Democracy Party(People’s Party) and the World Anti-Imperialist Platform after rally.
The march had “mural paintings depicted Gwangju People’s Uprising” and nongak‘s band of performance.
Participants chanted “Overthrow Yoon Suk-yeol in the Spirit of the Gwangju People’s Uprising!”, “Withdraw the US Imperialist Forces in the Spirit of the Gwangju People’s Uprising!” and “Overthrow the Pro-US, Belligerent Yoon Suk-yeol, the Fascist!”.
Charles Hoareau, the representative of Association Nationale des Communistes (ANC), said “For French people like me who are lucky enough to know the history of the revolt and the Gwangju municipality, our task is to tell everywhere the history of this municipality, the greatness and the courage of the actors and actresses of this struggle and the hope that they have aroused and continue to nourish if we make them known.” and “43 years later, let us be sure that Gwangju is still alive, and the people who commemorate it are the youth of the world.”.
He spoke up that “In Gwangju, as in all the revolting communes, we are in the direction of history. Long Live the Gwangju commune! Comrades, let us continue the struggle! Solidarity of the peoples of the world!”.
Participants sang “The Internationale” and ended the world anti-imperialist joint struggle centered in Gwangju in great success.
