Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with the Korean People

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Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with the Korean People

A solidarity meeting of friends of Korea was held on Saturday, April 8, 2006, in Southall. The meeting was organised to mark the anniversary of the birth of Comrade Kim Il Sung by the Preparatory Committee to Celebrate the Day of the Sun, as this anniversary is known. Its aim also was to strengthen the solidarity of the progressive forces in the context of the increasing anti-communist campaign world-wide.

            The solidarity meeting included a video show, a contribution from Comrade Thae Yong Ho of the Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and speeches and discussion, followed by a cultural programme of revolutionary songs, including a live performance by Korean children.

            We are posting here the message to the meeting by a representative of RCPB(ML).

 

On the auspicious occasion of the Sun’s Day, 2006, marking the 94th anniversary of the birth of the great leader President Kim Il Sung, I bring heartfelt greetings of steadfast solidarity from our Party.

            In our opinion, this celebratory meeting is taking place at a very dangerous time not only for the Korean people but for the people of the entire world. They are facing the imposition of Anglo-American imperialism of their values on the entire world by aggression, domination and force, the abandonment of international law and the imposition of darkest reaction at home and abroad. Imperialist aggression is being driven by the crisis on all fronts that the Anglo-US ruling elites are suffering, as they become openly more barbaric, driven by the doctrine of “pre-emption” and that the “rules of the game are changing”. Under this signboard they are tearing up all the arrangements and gains nationally and internationally won by progressive humanity, especially in the establishment of socialism as a concrete living system and in the defeat of Hitlerite fascism and bestiality, whose aim was to enslave humankind and bury socialism and communism.

            Under these circumstances the twin tasks of the defence of sovereignty of nations and peoples and of the fight for national and social emancipation are assuming paramount importance. The DPRK itself faces the direct threat of imperialist aggression, as the Korean people, under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, implementing and further developing the guidelines laid down by President Kim Il Sung, are ever-ready to defend the social system they themselves have chosen and are ready to do so with their very lives. This readiness, as well as the progress made towards reunification of the homeland by the Korean people themselves, thwarting the manoeuvres and threats of US imperialism and its British ally, are very much an inspiration. In these very tense and dangerous times, the struggling peoples of the world very much stand shoulder to shoulder with the Korean people in fighting for their rights, and for a new world fit for human beings.

            In our view, it is extremely important in the context of the present international situation to base ourselves on the mobilisation of the people’s forces, to develop the unity of progressive and democratic people in an organised form. In this respect, our work in the solidarity movement as friends of Korea is an important component part of activating the people’s forces in defence of what is just and against reaction and retrogression. In Britain, it is our especial duty to reject and combat the charges concocted against the DPRK with an ulterior motive by the British government, charges concerning the so-called “violation of human rights”. The British government is very full of itself on this issue, declaring that the values it upholds are universal and mandatory for the whole world, to be imposed by force and regime change where necessary, and by stepping up its ideological offensive against doctrines and values it labels as “extreme” and undemocratic. At the same time, it thinks nothing of declaring an open-ended state of emergency in which it can opt out of its own human rights obligations, and pass “anti-terrorism” law after “anti-terrorism” law which have the aim of criminalising resistance against oppression. We ourselves have important work to do in demanding that the US imperialists and the British government drop their hostile policy towards the DPRK, stop spreading disinformation about the DPRK and its positions and jettison their hostile stance so that resolutions to outstanding issues can be found. At the same time, this implies we have much work to do in combating this disinformation, in providing information about the DPRK and in merging the people’s struggles into one torrent against reaction and to plant an alternative to this reaction and war.

           

            We are very clear that the people of the DPRK, under the leadership of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, are relying first and foremost on their own thinking, using their own heads, following their own chosen path. This is an extremely important example for the world’s peoples. Our solidarity movement has to develop its own tasks, tasks of combating, for example, the ideology that the British government making use of, as it puts forward pretexts such as those of containing “rogue states”, “failing states”, the “axis of evil”, “illegal states” and the like. These concepts are those of 19th century colonialism transplanted into the era of the domination of the monopolies and the financial oligarchy in all spheres of life. It is therefore very important to support the struggle for independence and sovereignty of the people and nation of Korea, as elsewhere in the world, on the basis that we are part of the same humanity and part of the same struggle. We are co-fighters in the common cause of all progressive humanity, in our own country as well as globally. All progressive humanity must stand and does stand shoulder to shoulder with the Workers’ Party of Korea and people of the DPRK.

            Therefore we must develop our political action in support of the DPRK hand in hand with developing the struggles in this country. We have the common agenda of defeating the neo-liberal agenda and monopoly right, the agenda of fascism, war and annexation, which US imperialism, the British government and other big powers have taken up. In today's world the imperialist powers are stopping at nothing, they are casting aside all established international norms, in their efforts to impose on the peoples of the world their "free market" economy, political pluralism and concept of human rights based on private property. They are waging an unprecedented assault not only on socialism and communism but on everything progressive, attempting to turn the clock backwards to medieval ways. That the DPRK continues to refuse to bow the knee to such unrelenting pressures is both a great inspiration and an immense contribution to the struggles of the peoples of the world against imperialism, for their national and social rights and freedoms.

           

            As part of our work in the context of the solidarity movement and of developing the people’s struggles, it is very important to oppose the attempts by the ruling elites to criminalise certain ideologies, particularly that of communism. To do so, it is very important to provide information about what is actually the case in the world, and to take a stand for what is just, and to bring into play the human factor. Our conviction, as is that of the people of the DPRK who are upholding the precious legacy of great leader Kim Il sung, is that socialism is the present and future of humankind, and it is therefore very important to strengthen international friendship and unity with all those forces standing for this socialism and fighting to bring it into being, to strengthen the unity of the forces upholding the banner of socialism, as well as the banner of independence, freedom and democracy.

            The cause in which the DPRK takes so heroic a stand is the cause of all progressive humanity, the cause of the independence and sovereignty of the people, the cause of socialism which is the future of humankind. On this historic day, Sun’s Day, we declare again that we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Korean people in this cause. We profoundly honour the memory and legacy of President Kim Il Sung, and pledge that his cause is our cause, and the cause of all who aspire to open the path to a new and different world.

            Thank you very much.