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Danish General Strike (1998)

Mon Apr 27, 1998

Image: Police arrest a picket at Aarhus Harbour [libcom.org]

On this day in 1998, more than 500,000 Danish workers, one fifth of the entire workforce, walked off the job in a general strike, demanding a 35-hour work-week, an extra week of paid holiday, and a 6% wage increase. The strike action came after a big economic boom in Denmark that left workers feeling left out from the increased profits of their employers.

The strike affected a wide variety of industries, from schools to manufacturing to airports to food and petrol stations. Workers in Sweden exhibited solidarity by refusing to load planes heading for Denmark.

May Day marked the fifth day of the strike, and a gigantic demonstration of more than 500,000 people took place in Copenhagen. The government intervened, ordering everyone back to work on May 11th and announcing that any strikes by the affected workers before March 2000 would be illegal.

A compromise deal was accepted by union leadership, and the majority of strikers returned to work, however some spontaneous walk-outs occurred in the following days - in 96 workplaces, 6,200 workers walked out for a one-day strike. Baggage handlers at Copenhagen International Airport stopped making their contributions to the Social Democratic Party, which led the government throughout the labor action.

• Date: 1998-04-27
• Learn More: libcom.org, nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu.
• Tags: #Labor, #General Strikes.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Santiago FOCH Massacre (1934)

Fri Apr 27, 1934

Image: **

On this day in 1934, the Chilean Workers' Federation (FOCH) headquarters in Santiago was attacked by the police and armed vigilantes known as the "White Guards" - 7 workers and a child were murdered and 200 more were badly injured.

The FOCH was founded in 1909, and functioned as a kind of trade union center with socialist leanings. FOCH was suppressed, facing the closure of premises, banning of newspapers, and the arrest of its leaders. It officially dissolved on December 26th, 1936, going on to form the Confederation of Chile (CTCH).

• Date: 1934-04-27
• Learn More: libcom.org, es.wikipedia.org, www.memoriachilena.gob.cl.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

April Revolution Succeeds (1960)

Tue Apr 26, 1960

Image: Lee Cheol-seung, who participated in the protest against fraudulent elections [Wikimedia]

On this day in 1960, illegitimate South Korean President Syngman Rhee was forced to resign and flee the country after weeks of sustained nationwide protests against his regime known as the April Revolution, or April 19th Movement.

Protests opposing Rhee were started by student and labor groups in the southeastern port city of Masan on April 11th after the discovery of the body of a local high school student who had been killed by police during demonstrations against President Rhee's rigged elections that March.

On April 18th, the protests spread to the capital, Seoul, where students from Korea University demanded new elections at a non-violent protest at the National Assembly against police violence and demanding new elections.

On April 19th (called "Bloody Tuesday"), more than 100,000 protesters, many of which were students, gathered at Blue House, the official residence for the South Korean head of state. When they arrived and demanded Rhee's resignation, police opened fire on protesters killing approximately 180 and wounding thousands. A week later, professors joined students and citizens in large-scale protests in which police refused to attack the protesters.

The next day, Rhee resigned and fled the country and found asylum in Hawaii. On May 16th, 1961, following months of political instability, General Park Chung-hee launched a coup d'état overthrowing the short-lived Second Republic of South Korea and replacing it with a military junta and later the autocratic Third Republic of South Korea.

• Date: 1960-04-26
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.jstor.org.
• Tags: #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

1st Recognized U.S. Fast Food Union (2016)

Tue Apr 26, 2016

Image: A march in support of the Burgerville Workers Union. A banner is prominently displayed: "BURGERVILLE WORKERS UNION" [portlandoccupier.org]

On this day in 2016, the Burgerville Workers Union (BVWU) formed with the help of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), eventually becoming the first formally recognized fast food union in the United States.

The fight for formal recognition took more than two years of worker-led organizing and strikes at multiple stores. In 2018, BVWU successfully applied for National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election.

On September 18th, 2018, National Cheeseburger Day, Burgerville workers went on strike, staging a picket in front of the Montavilla Burgerville location due to issues in bargaining and conflict over a ban on workers wearing Black Lives Matter and Abolish ICE buttons at work.

"We hope to lead a like a torchlight so that someone can say 'well, Burgerville did it, why can't we?'" said Alexander, one of the workers. "We hope to start the snowball effect."

• Date: 2016-04-26
• Learn More: archive.thinkprogress.org, portlandiww.org, www.portlandoccupier.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #IWW.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Ruby Smith-Robinson (1942 - 1967)

Sat Apr 25, 1942

Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson, born on this day in 1942, was a civil rights activist who worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from its earliest days in 1960 until her early death in October 1967.

Smith-Robinson served the organization both as an on the ground organizer and as an administrator in the Atlanta central office. She eventually succeeded James Forman as SNCC's executive secretary and was the only woman ever to serve in this capacity.

Robinson achieved renown for her willingness to fight rather than politely acquiesce to power. Fellow activist Julian Bond has stated that, when a delegation of SNCC staff was told that their African-bound plane was overbooked and told they needed to be delayed, she, without consulting the rest of the group, sat down in the jetway and refused to move. The delegation were given seats on that flight.

In January 1967, Ruby's health began to decline precipitously around the same time as the splintering of SNCC, and she was admitted to a hospital. She suffered for ten months from a rare blood disease and in April of that year she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died on October 7th, 1967, aged 25.

• Date: 1942-04-25
• Learn More: snccdigital.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Civil Rights, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Ruby Smith-Robinson (1942 - 1967)

Sat Apr 25, 1942

Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson, born on this day in 1942, was a civil rights activist who worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from its earliest days in 1960 until her early death in October 1967.

Smith-Robinson served the organization both as an on the ground organizer and as an administrator in the Atlanta central office. She eventually succeeded James Forman as SNCC's executive secretary and was the only woman ever to serve in this capacity.

Robinson achieved renown for her willingness to fight rather than politely acquiesce to power. Fellow activist Julian Bond has stated that, when a delegation of SNCC staff was told that their African-bound plane was overbooked and told they needed to be delayed, she, without consulting the rest of the group, sat down in the jetway and refused to move. The delegation were given seats on that flight.

In January 1967, Ruby's health began to decline precipitously around the same time as the splintering of SNCC, and she was admitted to a hospital. She suffered for ten months from a rare blood disease and in April of that year she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died on October 7th, 1967, aged 25.

• Date: 1942-04-25
• Learn More: snccdigital.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Civil Rights, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Mexican-American War Begins (1845)

Fri Apr 25, 1845

On this day in 1845, the Mexican-American War began after the U.S. seized Texas from the Mexican government, fulfilling President Polk's imperialist campaign promise of annexing both Texas and California.

Tensions between either government had already been increasing, but the act that initiated the war was Polk ordering troops to occupy contested land between the Nueces River and Rio Grande. On this day in 1846, a 2,000-man Mexican cavalry detachment attacked a 70-man U.S. patrol under the command of Captain Seth Thornton in the contested land.

Polk asserted that American blood had been shed on American soil (which Abraham Lincoln called "a bold falsification of history"), and a formal declaration of war from the U.S. government soon followed.

The outcome of the war resulted in the U.S. acquiring control over Texas, California, and large parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. An "All-Mexico Movement" in the U.S. opposed the treaty, demanding that the country annex the entire country of Mexico.

• Date: 1845-04-25
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, socialistworker.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Rana Plaza Collapse (2013)

Wed Apr 24, 2013

Image: A large crowd standing outside the collapsed Rana Plaza building Munir Uz Zaman/Agence [NYTimes]

On this day in 2013, the Rana Plaza, an eight-story building in Dhaka, Bangladesh containing multiple garment factories, collapsed, killing 1,134 people in the deadliest garment factory disaster in history. In addition to textile factories, the complex hosted several shops and a bank.

The previous day, several cracks were discovered and reported, and other facilities in the building were closed. However, the factories were kept open, and the building owner, Sohel Rana, threatened to withhold pay to workers who did not come to work the following day.

The next morning, at around 8:57 am, the building completely collapsed. In addition to the 1,134 killed, over 2,500 were injured, most of whom were women and children.

Many survivors were trapped for days underneath rubble, and one woman was rescued 17 days after the collapse. The incident drew international attention, and Rana was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to declare personal wealth.

Rana and 37 others, including government officials, have been charged with murder and could receive the death penalty if they are found responsible for the complex's collapse. As of January 2021, only Rana is in custody, and their trial is still pending.

• Date: 2013-04-24
• Learn More: www.independent.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Elizabeth Flynn Statement to the Court (1952)

Thu Apr 24, 1952

Image: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn addresses strikers in Paterson, NJ in 1913 [jacobin.com]

On this day in 1952, communist labor leader and feminist Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who had been arrested under the Smith Act, issued a statement to the court, denouncing anti-communist hysteria and pleading for a fair trial.

Flynn (1890 - 1964) was a radical political activist who helped found the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), proponent of a woman's right to birth control and the vote, co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and served as chairwoman of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA).

In 1951, Flynn was arrested and prosecuted under the anti-communist Smith Act, along with sixteen other Communist Party members. On this day in 1952, Flynn issued a statement to the court, demanding a fair trial and condemning the anti-communist hysteria regarding her arrest. Here is an excerpt:

"We will prove to you that we are not conspirators, but that we are animated and united by common ideals and aspirations, with courage to affirm our beliefs, faith in the people and the future, and a willingness to sacrifice for a better world, which we are confident is in birth...

We expect to convince you that we are within our established constitutional rights to advocate change and progress, to advocate Socialism, which we are convinced will guarantee to all our people in our great and beautiful country the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Despite her statement, Flynn was found guilty and served two years in prison. Undeterred, she continued her work with CPUSA after her release.

• Date: 1952-04-24
• Learn More: awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Communism, #Labor, #IWW.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Irish Conscription Crisis Strike (1918)

Tue Apr 23, 1918

On this day in 1918, in protest of conscription laws, a one-day "complete and entire" general strike was held in Dublin, stopping work at railways, docks, mills, theatres, public services, shipyards, shops, and munitions factories.

The strike took place in the Conscription Crisis of 1918, which began when a coalition of Irishmen, including unions, nationalist, and the Catholic Church, resisted attempts by the British government to impose conscription (military draft) on Ireland during the WWI.

On April 18th, an Anti-Conscription Committee, representing a variety of political factions, met to plan resistance. The same day, Roman Catholic bishops declared conscription unjust and called on the Church's adherents to resist "by the most effective means at our disposal".

In the weeks following the April 23rd strike, anti-conscription rallies were held nationwide, with 15,000 people attending a meeting in County Roscommon at the start of May. Despite the conscription law's passage, it was never put in effect - no one in Ireland was drafted into the British Army.

• Date: 1918-04-23
• Learn More: www.theirishstory.com, en.wikipedia.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Vietnam Veterans Throw Medals Back (1971)

Fri Apr 23, 1971

On this day in 1971, more than 800 veterans collectively tossed their medals, ribbons, discharge papers, and other war mementos on the steps of the U.S. Capitol as part of a multi-day demonstration against the Vietnam War. The protest, titled "Operation Dewey Canyon III" was organized by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), one of the most influential anti-war organizations in the U.S. at that time.

The event began on April 19th with a march led by Gold Star Mothers (mothers of soldiers killed in war), more than 1,100 veterans marched across the Lincoln Memorial Bridge to the Arlington Cemetery gate. On April 22nd, John Kerry, as VVAW spokesman, testified against the war for two hours in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The event ended on April 23rd, 1971, with more than 800 veterans throwing their combat ribbons, helmets, and uniforms on the Capitol steps, along with toy weapons.

• Date: 1971-04-23
• Learn More: www.history.com, en.wikipedia.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Vladimir Lenin (1870 - 1924)

Fri Apr 22, 1870

Image: **

Vladimir Lenin, born on this day in 1870, was a revolutionary Marxist theorist who played a leading role in the October Revolution.

Born into a prosperous family, Lenin was radicalized at least in part after his older brother Alexander was executed in 1887 for conspiring to assassinate Alexander III. He was subsequently expelled from Kazan Imperial University for participating in protests against the Russian Empire's Tsarist government and later arrested for sedition, exiled to Siberia in 1897.

Over the next two decades, Lenin remained committed to revolutionary activity, authoring influential texts such as "What is to Be Done?" (1901-2), "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back" (1904), "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism" (1916), and "The State and Revolution" (1917). During this time period, Lenin and his wife, fellow revolutionary Nadezhda Krupskaya, moved frequently, living both in Russia and abroad.

After the February Revolution of 1917 ousted the Tsar and established a Provisional Government, Lenin returned to Russia from Switzerland and played a leading role in the October Revolution, in which the Bolsheviks overthrew the new State Duma government.

A civil war of significant political complexity subsequently broke out, in which the Bolsheviks defeated conservative, social democratic, and anarchist forces to consolidate its own power. Lenin served as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Russian SFSR from 1917 to 1924. In 1918, he survived two separate assassination attempts.

Lenin's ideas are foundational to the political tradition of Marxism-Leninism, a political tradition which emphasizes the creation of a dictatorship of the proletariat by means of a revolutionary vanguard party and democratic centralism, in which political decisions reached through free discussion are binding upon all members of the political party.

"Freedom in capitalist society always remains about the same as it was in ancient Greek republics: Freedom for slave owners."

- Vladimir Lenin

• Date: 1870-04-22
• Learn More: www.marxists.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.revolutionarydemocracy.org, spartacus-educational.com.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Birthdays, #Imperialism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org