Fight Back News Service is circulating the following greetings from communist and workers parties to the 10th Congress of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Workers Party of Belgium (PTB)

Your Congress convenes at a critical juncture in the development of the people’s struggle and the accelerating decline of U.S. Imperialism. The U.S. war machine has become ever more aggressive under the second Trump administration, yet this aggression signals not strength, but desperation as it faces rising competition and intensifying resistance at home and abroad.

Brooklyn, NY – On Saturday, June 6, community members and activists with Brooklyn Against War [BAW] gathered at the Bedford Library for a panel and discussion regarding their ongoing campaign to free Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores. Titled “What is Happening in Venezuela?”, the panel featured guest speaker Steve Ellner, an author, historian and political scientist who taught at the Universidad de Oriente for 26 years. 

Washington, DC – On the evening of June 3, organizers and community members from around the DMV (DC, Mayland and Virginia) area rallied outside the Cuban embassy to demand hands off Cuba and an end to U.S. imperialism and intervention abroad.

Two trade unionist leaders from Colombia recently shared updates at a videoconference of international trade unionists on the situation in Colombia and the stakes of the presidential elections. Marlon Puentes, a member of the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT), talked about how Colombia has been dominated by decades of a radical right-wing government. It is only with the 2022 election of Gustavo Petro that “working-class Colombians have had access to government but not power.”

El 31 de mayo, la primera vuelta de elecciones presidenciales en Colombia terminó entre acusaciones de intervención de EE.UU. Porque ningún candidato obtuvo el 50% de la votación, el proceso va a pasar a una segunda vuelta el 21 de junio entre el senador izquierdista Iván Cepeda y el abogado de la derecha extrema Abelardo de la Espriella.

Nearly 100 roadblocks around the country have the neoliberal agenda of domestic and foreign elites in the grip of the masses of organized Bolivians. From indigenous campesino organizations and trade unions, to mining cooperatives and neighborhood councils, working-class Bolivians have paralyzed the efforts of President Rodrigo Paz to make Bolivia a buffet for corporate interests.

Porto, Portugal – Workers throughout the country set up picket lines and marched in the streets instead of going to work on June 3, bringing key sectors of the economy to a standstill. Public transit, education, health care and many sectors of production were impacted by a general strike.

In a June 3 statement, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) said that the Marcos administration's campaign is an “insult to the thousands of victims of state violence, killings, and aerial bombings in the Philippines.”

On May 31, the first round of the Colombian presidential elections concluded amid allegations of U.S. interference. Since no candidate won 50%, the process will be a second round runoff on June 21 between leftist Senator Iván Cepeda and far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella.

Porto, Portugal – Business elites and conservative political leaders are powerless to stop the massive working class wave about to hit them as momentum builds toward a nationwide general strike June 3.

San Francisco, CA – Over 500 people gathered in the Bay Area, May 30 and 31, for the U.S. chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) Third National Assembly and Political Conference. The theme of the action-packed weekend was “Advance the Peoples’ Struggle.”

Dozens of peasant organizations, unions and community organizations representing tens of thousands united for a national strike on May 20 to demand agrarian reform. Marches and street blockades in the countryside and major cities like Bogotá, Valledupar, Cartagena, Popayán, Montería and Sincelejo have shut down transportation and some services.

Grand Rapids, MI – The Grand Rapids district of The Freedom Road Socialist Organization assembled for a May 17 reportback from Jessica Plichta on their recent humanitarian aid trip to Cuba. The event took place at Fountain Street Church

Months of popular resistance to political decisions to benefit the wealthy elite have brought Bolivia to a boiling point. Trade unions are two weeks into a general strike that calls for the resignation of center-right President Rodrigo Paz. Rural indigenous organizations have surrounded the house of former President Evo Morales to protect him from an assassination or kidnapping attempt. Reports say that workers have seized the airport near the home to prevent an operation similar to what the U.S. did to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

On May 15, leaders from the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC) spoke to the biweekly online gathering of international trade unionists hosted by the Venezuelan Central Bolivariana Socialist de Trabajadores (CBST).

On May 15, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) dismissed as “fictitious and desperate” the recent claims by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that it had “neutralized” 625 members and supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA) between January 1 and May 7. The Party said the report contains hollow claims to create the illusion of victory, in order to mask its inability to stop the regrowth of the NPA across the country.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Ang Bayan, the publication of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The entire Party and all revolutionary forces nationwide salute the heroism of the 10 fallen Red commanders who fought the fascist attackers in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19. The people mourn the deaths of their beloved children who selflessly gave their entire lives to advance the interests of the oppressed masses in Negros and the entire people’s struggle for genuine freedom and democracy.

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, April 30, over a dozen students gathered in the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) for a screening of the War on Democracy, and a guided discussion led by members of the Chicago district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Brooklyn, NY – On the afternoon of May 3, a dozen protesters gathered outside of the Metropolitan Denton Center, to mark the fourth month that President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have been detained in the federal walls.

Havana, Cuba – May 1, over half a million Cubans and hundreds of international delegates attended the International Workers’ Day celebration in Havana, Cuba. Cuban citizens and international delegates started the day at Revolutionary Square and marched five kilometers (roughly two miles) to the celebration and demanded no war on Cuba and an end to the blockade through chants and songs.