The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Thursday called upon all its members and the South African public to join the peaceful mass protests planned before and during the visit of US President George Bush to South Africa from July 6 and 8.
The union federation said this was being linked to celebrations to mark the 45th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.
Cosatu said it would be voicing its vehement opposition to the policies of the Bush administration in many areas, including Cuba.
”Cosatu is disgusted at the United States government’s 44-year long economic blockade, which continues to hold the Cuban people to ransom for their unwavering support of their revolution and their socialist political and economic system.”
”They have used every trick in the book to intimidate the people of a small country, yet have dismally failed. The US’s grudge with the Cuban people is that the system of socialism, which has provided them free health, education and other services, is a threat to the dominance of the system of capitalism, which the US seeks to impose on the world.”
The union demanded the immediate end of the blockade and the US government’s support for counter-revolutionary organisations ”which are plotting to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro”.
On Iraq the trade union said it has consistently opposed the US-UK invasion of Iraq, which had no sanction from the United Nations.
Cosatu said it held no brief for Saddam Hussein, but believed that Bush was not waging a war to topple a dictatorship but a war waged for oil and to strengthen the hegemony of the US superpower throughout the world.
”The invasion was justified by lies about weapons of mass destruction which have yet to be produced. The occupying armies will now find that they can only rule by armed force, since any elections will lead to a radical, anti- imperialist majority.”
The union also demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of occupying troops from Iraq and free elections for the people of the country.
It also lashed out at the Bush administration for hinting that Syria and Iran could be next in line for ‘regime change’.
Cosatu accused Bush of continuing to bankroll the Israeli government’s illegal occupation of Palestine and its ”brutal repression” of the Palestinian people. – I-Net Bridge