A-Infos (en) Germany, Die Platform: Out on May 1, 2026 - International Anarchist Statement (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

May Day has a long tradition in the anarchist and global social 
movement. What began as a mobilization in the US for the eight-hour 
workday, which was brutally suppressed, evolved into a worldwide 
movement celebrated today by unions, political organizations, and 
citizens alike as a symbol of class struggle. Even though the ruling 
class has tried to strip it of its origins as a day of struggle and 
class solidarity, we must never forget its true roots. ---- Global 
stagnation and struggle ---- The global economy has slowed in recent 
years: industrialized countries are experiencing only very weak growth, 
China has lost momentum compared to its earlier rapid pace, and the rest 
of the world cannot close this gap. At the same time, the distribution 
of income and especially wealth has deteriorated to such an extent that 
the living standards of broad sections of the working class are declining.

The class struggle is constantly intensifying, while the organized 
workers' movement worldwide has reached an all-time low. At the same 
time, the extreme right has gained influence and, together with the 
bourgeoisie, is attacking the existing social systems and institutions 
that workers have won through decades of struggle.

Alongside this social destruction, all areas of society are experiencing 
increasing militarization, which permeates every aspect of political 
life. A central debate currently revolves around the question of war and 
militarization, which serve both as a means for the bourgeoisie to 
accumulate wealth and to save the collapsing capitalist economic system, 
and as a means of channeling the anger of working-class youth against 
each other.

In many countries, centralized trade unions are not yet able to form a 
united front against attacks from above, but growing resistance can be 
observed at the grassroots level and beyond. While protests worldwide 
are mostly spontaneous and violent, a tendency can be observed within 
popular movements to develop militancy through organizing in 
neighborhoods and unions.

Imperial decline, imperialist war
The economic power of the United States has been declining for many 
decades, but last year saw a break. Instead of adhering to its own 
order, the United States has reinstated the law of the jungle, waging 
wars for territorial expansion, political revenge, and outright plunder, 
with no justification other than its own power to do so.

The result is a world sinking into bloody conflict. Trump has turned 
Venezuela into an imperial vassal state whose oil industry is under US 
control and, in cooperation with Israel, has unleashed a murderous war 
against Iran. Meanwhile, Israel, intoxicated by impunity for its 
genocide in the Gaza Strip, is de facto annexing southern Syria, 
intensifying its ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and is now invading 
Lebanon with the aim of occupying its southern part.

The phase we are currently going through is proof of a historical truth: 
Capitalism is not a harmonious, rationalizable or plannable system, 
since the entire capitalist system is incapable of eliminating its 
internal conflicts, which sometimes erupt - even in violent form - with 
war being an inevitable consequence.

Wars must be interpreted in light of their concrete social and class 
dynamics: it is the bourgeoisies who "attack" each other, not the broad 
masses of wage laborers, since the latter do not possess in any country 
the capital and power that constitute the exclusive advantage of those 
very bourgeoisies who are fighting to continue exploiting them.

It is the "propertyless" masses-those who own nothing but their labor 
power-who are exploited, attacked, and dragged into the bloody wars of 
capital: in Ukraine as well as in Sudan, in Palestine, in Iran, and 
throughout the Middle East, and in the more than fifty conflicts that 
bring death and immense destruction, forcing tens of thousands of people 
to flee their countries in search of better living conditions. It is 
essential to recognize that world diplomacy is shaped precisely by those 
bourgeoisies who are fighting each other within the framework of the 
omnipresent imperialist conflict.

What to do?
In light of the deepening crisis of global capitalism and the collapse 
of the international order, a solution by the working class is 
indispensable. We have the opportunity to wrest power from the 
capitalists if we organize ourselves by taking control of jobs from 
them. This is the unique position that only the working class occupies. 
It is our leverage against the ruling class. It is our best weapon, and 
we must strengthen it.

We must expand the struggles to defend the living conditions of the 
working class and revive the anarchist-communist project as the goal we 
strive for. We must strengthen the internationalist unity of workers 
worldwide against militarism and imperialist wars-against the hunger, 
misery, devastation, and death they bring.

Let us celebrate May 1st this year on the streets together with our 
comrades to demonstrate our strength and international solidarity.

It is more important than ever to unite, celebrate this day, and above 
all, fight for our rights.

May 1st must not be a stagnant holiday where we merely wallow in 
memories of the past. It must be a rallying point in the struggle 
against capitalism, imperialism, and all forms of oppression in the world.

There is much to do, because we have a world to win.

https://www.dieplattform.org/2026/05/01/heraus-zum-1-mai-2026-internationales-anarchistisches-statement/#more-3580
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