Young Communist League - Glasgow

Yesterday, our members met with the Cuban Ambassador to Britain. Cuba remains a shining example of how Marxism-Leninism functions in practice, in spite of a relentless US blockade. 🇨🇺

We'd like to thank the Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign for organising this visit.

Well done UCU Scotland for taking this principled stand against 's occupation of .

Solidarity with oppressed people still counts for something in our movement, even if it doesn't to 'Stand up to Racism'.

We have recently learned of the ridiculous move by Labour councillors to "stand up to China" by effectively banning solar panels, as the working class freeze in an energy crisis and the world teeters on the brink of climate catastrophe.

(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/glasgow-set-to-ban-solar-panels-made-by-abused-uighurs-m7tgt93k8)

The media offensive to claim that China is conducting a "genocide" in Xinjiang is based on the deranged claims of far-right "journalist" Adrian Zenz. Despite years of independent enquiries and inspections, no evidence of a "genocide" has ever been found in Xinjiang.

Since Labour suddenly care about , perhaps they'll boycott the cobalt mined by children in the ? Or the lithium extracted via devastating the South American environment? Or the oil we buy from ?

A crucial source of green energy should not be denied to our people because municipal government personalities are whipped up in a demagogue's mad crusade against China.

For more information on the situation in Xinjiang:

challenge-magazine.org/2021/04/05/for…

challenge-magazine.org/2021/04/05/for…

Foreign diplomats refute Western lies about Xinjiang Foreign diplomats who visited Xinjiang on a four day trip have denied the lies spread by the Western media and organisations regarding Xinjiang.

Saturday 18th. YCL Glasgow stood with Palestinian-rights campaigners, protesting the local "Stand Up to Racism" organisers' decision to involve Glasgow Friends of Israel in their UN anti-racism day demonstration.

Zionism is racism. Freedom for Palestine is non-negotiable.

We don't take pleasure in publicly denouncing another organisation. However, as young communists, we repudiate the Israeli regime's occupation of Palestine.

Cooperating with their craven supporters in the name of "anti-racism", is simply indefensible.

As a mark of solidarity, our members were out across Glasgow, supporting striking workers today.

From giving refreshments to those on picket lines today, to marching with them to Buchanan Steps, our members give our full support to organised workers, advancing the interests of their class.

Special thanks to Strathclyde UCU for giving us a chance to speak at their picket lines.Our collective wellbeing will not be gifted to us by the powers-that-be; it must be continually struggled for.

Marxism-Leninism offers the theory to understand that struggle, and the political strategy to win it.

If this interests you, consider joining the Young Communist League - Britain

Today, Glasgow Branch comrades dropped off the first of the winter clothes collections, to Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels

They showed us their food pantry and community space, that is also being used as a heat bank.

OKFP hub and community pantry are one of the many community-run groups, whose stories highlight the immiseration of our communities by our local bourgeoisie and the Scottish Government.

Two weeks into our winter clothing drive, we wish to express our sincerest gratitude to all who donated their spare clothes, blankets or cash.

Special thanks go to the low-paid Glasgow bar workers, who wish to remain anonymous, who generously gave £130(!) from their tips.

If you have the means, please, donate whatever you can at our gofundme page. (Link in the comments)

Thank you

The communist youth of Britain reject the winter of misery that the capitalist class are making us suffer through. Our branch will hold our first clothing collection tomorrow @ 13:00- 16:00.

Please see us then if you have anything to donate, or you can contribute via link below. All donated items and funds will go to the most impoverished members of our community.

Thank you.

Today, comrades visited the Women's Centre in Glasgow to make the first donation of our Winter campaign.

The Centre is a vital community space for women providing counselling, recreational and crèche facilities. While we were there, we discussed their mum and baby group, women's self-defence, and our common efforts during the 16 Days of Activism. ✊

Today marks the start of this years international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, which will end on the 10th of December. The YCL will be taking a series of actions and campaigning across these 16 days to fight for an end to violence against women and girls.

We will kick off our 16 Days by travelling to London for the YCL Women’s Conference, where our women comrades from across Britain will present a Marxist feminist assessment of women’s oppression under capitalism.

We will be on the streets leafleting and campaigning for an end to s*x based violence throughout these 16 Days. Young communists will be at the Fight for The Night March, and we will continue to show our support on picket lines, where most of the lowest paid workers in struggle are female.

We will celebrate the successes of our female comrades from history in a Communist Women From History social media series, the first of which will be shared later today.

We will launch our campaign against commercial s*xual exploitation in all its forms, from po*******hy to human trafficking. We will fight to end the casualisation of prostitution and against the demeaning portrayals of women across all mainstream media, which effectively perpetuate violence against women and girls.

We will not stop fighting for working class women everywhere when these 16 Days are over. During this period, we will intensify our feminist struggle for the abolition of women’s oppression through the eventual overthrow of capitalism, which relies on the super exploitation of women both in the home and in the workplace.

It is only through socialism, where production and society are run for the benefit of people instead of profit, where exploitation and the class system ceases to exist, that we can bring about an end to all oppression. Women’s liberation is in the struggle for socialism!

📢 11 days until we march together against racism and fascism 📢

Join us!

📅 Saturday, 26 November 2022
🤝 Assemble 10.30 am: Glasgow Green
🚶 March off 11.00 am
🗣️ Rally 12 noon: Renfield Centre, Bath Street

🚩Bring your banners and flags!

Yesterday morning, young communists were among Glasgow community groups protesting widespread cuts to public services, at the City Chambers. We condemned the slashing of funds for the children’s holiday hunger programme and demanded a return to full provision.

Those in power can no longer lie that cuts to wages and the public sector are a burden carried by us all. It's clear the working class alone bears the brunt of decisions made to protect the private wealth of business elites.

Glasgow citizens refuse to let children go hungry to satisfy the greed of the rich. Sign the petition to force a rethink of this heartless decision.

https://the.organise.network/campaigns/network-stop-glasgow-s-children-from-suffering-holiday-hunger-8e53f6c2951d0a27

On Saturday, Comrades from Glasgow attended the Stand Up For Abortion Rights demonstration in George square. One comrade spoke on behalf of the Glasgow at the event in solidarity with woman’s rights.

Glasgow Comrades leafleted Celtic Park yesterday as part of our Free Kononovich Campaign, with some great interactions and engagements with the public. They handed out leaflets pre-match and at half time, as well as flying a banner in solidarity with our Ukrainian comrades. The night prior, comrades postered the surrounding area with information on our campaign, demanding the release of captured communists in Ukraine.



Sign our petition here and verify you’re email once signed to make sure your signature counts!

https://www.change.org/p/freedom-for-

Glasgow branch members attended the RMT picket line at Central Station, before joining with the RMT, other trade unionists and members of the public in protest outside the Network Rail headquarters, in solidarity with railway workers. They set up a stall offering free refreshments then later distributed food to the homeless. The workers United will never be defeated.

Today, comrades from Glasgow Branch and Lanarkshire Branch, attended an Abortion Rights protest in George square. Comrades gathered in solidarity over a woman’s right to choose. We expressed our unwavering support for reproductive rights as a vital step in the progress towards ending women’s oppression. We extend solidarity to those affected by the recent attacks on abortion rights within the United States.

We abhor the increasing presence of anti-choice fanatics outside s*xual health clinics in our city and we demand the immediate implementation of buffer-zones to keep them away. Childbearing and childrearing impoverishes women, with statistics showing that economic factors are one of the main reasons why women seek to terminate a pregnancy.

The emancipation of women relies on the socialisation of childcare and free, unrestricted, access to s*xual health services!

Here in Scotland, politicians such as John Mason of the SNP have outwardly expressed anti-abortionist beliefs. Mason also tabled a motion in Holyrood to restrict abortion and has even attended a harassment vigil outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. We condemn these actions and question the conscience of a Scottish Government which continues to allow such a man to serve in public office.

The bodies of women do not belong to John Mason or any other political actor who tries to attack the struggle for reproductive freedom.

A women’s body, A women’s choice ! 🚩

Yesterday afternoon, comrades from Glasgow branch held an educational meeting on Feminism. It was divided into each of the following subjects: Liberal feminism, Radical Feminism, Socialist Feminism and Postmodern Feminism. They discussed Anuradha Ghandy's collection of
essays titled "Philosophical
Trends in the Feminist
Movement", then shared responses as a group. They compared and critically analysed the successes and failures of different feminist ideologies to further understand the root of female liberation within class struggle

On Tuesday night, the 31st, members of Glasgow branch took to the streets of Glasgow, and Hampden, to highlight the case of the Kononovich brothers by conducting a vast agitprop operation. On Wednesday the 1st we took our message into the stands of Hampden Park.

Mikhail Kononovich and his brother Aleksandr Kononovich were arrested by Ukrainian security forces on the 6th of March under false charges of espionage. Since their arrest they have been subject to physical and psychological torture.

After the Euromaidan coup in Ukraine in 2014, the government and fascist forces, have continuously targeted and punished leftist organisations within the country.

WE DEMAND:

1) THEIR IMMEDIATE & SAFE RELEASE.
2) A PUBLIC APOLOGY TO THEM & THEIR FAMILIES.
3) AN END TO THE POLITICAL REPRESSION OF COMMUNISTS IN UKRAINE.

We will not rest till our comrades are free !

Today, comrades from Glasgow branch attended a meeting hosted by the Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign and Unite The Union. 7 Glasgow Branch members
had the chance to speak with Elizabeth Ribalta Rubiera the new Northern European Officer for the Insitituto Cubano por Amistad con los Pueblos. We are proud to continue our support for the people and Government of Cuba. Hasta Siempre 🚩

On 1st of May, Glasgow YCL members collected food for multiple charities. The last of the mayday foodbank donations have been shared with Project Scotland who continue to aid the homeless and vulnerable in Scotland. To find out more about the fantastic work that they do then visit their website http://www.homelessprojectscotland.org or for anything else contact them on 0800 0147 160

Today, comrades from across Scotland marched through Glasgow in celebration of May Day. Later they split into groups and collected donations for local food banks, distributed homeless care packages and removed/covered fascist propaganda from the streets . The Workers United, will never be defeated! 🚩

Today comrades from the Glasgow branch attended the Refugees Welcome demo in George Square. The YCL opposes the racist Nationality and Borders bill as well as the off shore detention in Rwanda as proposed by the UK government. We welcome all asylum seekers of all races in to this country. We encourage everyone to write to their local MSP, MP and other representatives and demand that they act immediately to oppose this bill. If our elected representative fail to act, we will. No person is illegal✊🏻🚩

Members of Glasgow branch attended the Cost Of Living demonstration in george square today. Emphasising our standing message that Green Capitalism will not solve this crisis, only a socialist future will.

As well as attending this demonstration. Glasgow branch conducted a foodbank collection and cleaned up the streets from fascist propaganda.

We continue to fight for the working class, in the street and in the workplaces. The workers united will never be defeated ✊🏽🚩

Our hearts go out to our comrades across the Irish Sea. Thinking of you all in these dark times.
Connolly Youth Movement - Belfast Branch Trademark Belfast CPI Belfast Branch

Mel was an inspiration to many young communists and some of the branch had the privilege of his company on a trip to Belfast back in 2017.

Our hearts are breaking, our friend and comrade Mel Corry has passed away after a battle with Covid.

Our love and thoughts are with his wife Fiona, his boys Sean and Michael, his mother, sisters and grand daughter Nancy.

Mel was a committed trade unionist and communist, an inspirational teacher, a passionate bluegrass musician and composer, a talented young boxer in his day, a defender of workers who made a lasting contribution to the peace process. He worked tirelessly in the service of his class and was and remains an exemplar of the incorruptible working class.

Gone too soon comrade ❤💔👊

Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann...

(Details of funeral/flowers etc under Covid restrictions to follow according to his family's wishes)

Send a message of solidarity to British Gas workers

The YCL offers its support and solidarity with the 7000 and it is not unwarranted. These engineers have been vital in keeping this country going, by ensuring that the homes of fellow essential workers and the vulnerable have been kept safe and warm throughout the pandemic.

While Centrica PLC (the parent company of British Gas) was rewarded with a 27% increase in profit in 2020; the reward for British Gas Engineers was a 10% pay cut on top of the “Fire and Rehire” proposals that have already been threatening the security of their jobs and income.

This cannot stand. An attack on essential workers that have risked their lives throughout the dangerous and unprecedented times we find ourselves in is not just a disgrace, but disgustingly immoral. We must stand in solidarity to ensure that employers and big business get the message that we are essential not expendable. No more will we be pushed to the side and stabbed in the back while being publicly applauded by the very same that inflicted the wound in the first place!

Sign here to support the British Gas workers https://gmb.org.uk/campaign/back-british-gas-workers

gmb.org.uk Join us in calling on the company to take their ‘fire and rehire’ threat off the table.

Young Communist League - Britain

“The pandemic has proved to a new generation that it is capitalism which is a decaying form of society, unable and unwilling protect the lives or interests of working people, only determined to keep increasing the wealth of a shrinking number of billionaires” 🗣2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣🚩