On the Anniversary of George Floyd's Murder

One year after the murder of George Floyd, The International League of Peoples’ Struggle-US Chapter (ILPS-US) reaffirms our commitment to fighting against police crimes in the struggle for Black liberation. 

On May 25, 2020 - one year ago today - killer cop Derek Chauvin brutally murdered George Floyd, suffocating him by kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes, even as Floyd called out “I can’t breathe.” Under the fierce leadership of Black organizers, the world rose up to demand justice for George Floyd, and for the countless other Black lives taken at the hands of killer cops. Protests erupted in Minneapolis and in cities all across the country and around the world, bringing thousands into the streets day after day. 

The significance of this uprising, however, reaches beyond spontaneous action. We should recognize and continue to support the ongoing organizing work leading the masses in the fight for concrete demands to improve conditions and advance the struggle for Black liberation. Groups like the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression were already organizing around demands for community control of the police before the uprising last May, and they continue to do this important work today.

The Democrats have tried to co-opt the movement for justice for Black lives. During Chauvin’s trial, Nancy Pelosi called George Floyd a martyr. But George Floyd did not choose to become a symbol; he was murdered in cold blood. The Democrats pretend to be different from the Republicans when it comes to issues of police crimes and racist oppression. However, they have only offered the people empty gestures, like the designation of “Black Lives Matter Plaza” in Washington D.C., not accompanied by any real, concrete justice. Democrats and Republicans collude together in imperialist violence both at home and abroad. Rather than waiting for hollow offerings from these imperialist politicians, we must take action and continue to organize mass movements to honor those who have been taken from us as victims of U.S. imperialist violence.

We must make no mistake - the ONLY reason that Derek Chauvin was convicted is because the people rose up and demanded it. This movement victory was solely the result of the uprisings last May, and the sustained pressure from organizers going forward. 

And our work does not stop here. Just this year, we have also seen the murders of Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright, and Ma’Khia Bryant. We should follow the leadership of Black organizers who continue to organize in a sustained fight for the conviction of the other three killer cops involved in George Floyd’s murder, and for justice for all other Black and brown people murdered by the police. In line with this, ILPS-US commits to continued organizing work in solidarity with the fight for Black liberation.

We recognize that mass uprising and organizing is the driving force for change, and we have seen this not only in the struggle for Black liberation, but also in other national liberation struggles around the world. In the current moment, thousands across the country are rising up in solidarity with Palestine after Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestinians in Sheikh-Jarrah and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. U.S. police departments and the Israeli occupation forces are two sides of the same coin - both tools of imperialist aggression, they train together and share tactics of repression as they attempt to squash people’s resistance. 

In spite of this brutal repression, the world rose up for Black liberation last year, and rises up for Palestine today. Both struggles are ongoing, and it is the people, not the ruling class politicians, who continue to do the work for justice and for change. We have a duty to continue organizing in solidarity with national liberation struggles right here in the U.S., in Palestine, and around the world. 

We, ILPS-US, call on the people of the world to continue the anti-imperialist fight for the liberation of all oppressed peoples. We call for continued mobilization in solidarity with national liberation struggles, and we urge people to join organizations to sustain these movements in the struggle against police crimes and all forms of imperialist violence. 

We continue to stand in firm solidarity with Black organizers in their fight for justice for George Floyd and all the Black lives that have been taken by killer cops. Through collective resistance, mass mobilization, and organizing, we can win the fight for liberation. All power to the people!