After a very successful first day the congress delegates and visitors were in a very excited mood, discussing till late at night the issues raised in the sessions and commissions. Today the comrades gathered for the second day of the congress.
At 10am on Saturday, 10 March, the 31st Congress of the Pakistani Marxists opened its doors in the impressive Aiwan-i-Iqbal building in Lahore. This year there has been a record participation, exceeding all previous attendance. Over 2,600 people filled the huge hall to full capacity. There were no spare seats upstairs or downstairs and some people had to sit in the passageways.
In December welaunched an appealfor donations for the work ofIn Defence of Marxism. The need for Marxist ideas in the movement is now greater than ever and many comrades have made a contribution to the appeal. We managed to raise the full €1,000 and another €200 on top of that, making a total of €1,200.
Preparations for a Historic Congress of Pakistani Marxists are in full swing and a big participation is expected in Aiwan-i-Iqbal on 10, 11 March. Four Draft Documents have been published for this congress and debates are being finalized from branches to regional congress for the four sessions in congress. Documents are also published on our Urdu website www.struggle.com.pk
Over 50 comrades attended the second annual Northeast Marxist School in Montreal last weekend. Organized by supporters of La Riposte Quebec, Fightback Canada and Socialist Appeal USA, the school was a resounding success that saw a 30% rise in attendance from the previous year. Comrades from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, New York and New Jersey enjoyed two days of vibrant political discussion and revolutionary socials.
The weekend of the IMT winter school saw approximately 100 comrades come together for two days, attending political discussions by day, and revolutionary socials by night. The weekend was held in Cambridge, a city steeped in history, with the colleges of the famous University providing the perfect atmosphere.
In December we launched an appeal for donations for the work of In Defence of Marxism. The need for Marxist ideas in the movement is now greater than ever and many comrades have made a contribution to the appeal. So far it has raised €583, which is over half of our target. As we are now nearing the end of the appeal, we are asking for a final push to get the last €400 in.
With the Arab revolutions, the Euro crisis, the mass movement in Greece, and the Occupy movement, more and more workers and youth are looking for a socialist alternative to capitalist austerity. La Riposte Quebec, Fightback Canada, and Socialist Appeal USA are organizing their second annual Marxist school in Northeast North America to provide Marxist answers to arm militant activists in the struggles to come.
The year 2011 is coming to an end, and what a year this was! It started with the eruption of the Arab masses onto the scene through mass revolutionary action. We would like to wish all our readers and supporters a red new year 2012, full of fruitful revolutionary struggle, while at the same time we appeal for a donation towards the continuation of our work.
On top of the €30,000 that were raised this year for the IMT and In Defence of Marxism at the World School, we've raised another €628 from the website. We'd like to thank those who have contributed to the collection.
Alan Woods, last week, officially launched the Dutch edition of Reason in Revolt in Belgium (Brussels and Antwerp) and in the Netherlands (Amsterdam). Those who participated in the meetings were unanimous in agreeing that the discussion on the book widened the horizons of their thinking.
The annual Pakistani Section National Marxist Youth Summer School was held from 29th to 31st July at Khaigala, a beautiful hill station in Kashmir. In spite of the very long distances, difficult economic situation and sweltering heat, 256 comrades from all over the country participated in the school with great revolutionary spirit making it the largest school in the history of the section. Comrades from Sind and Baluchistan had to travel for more than 3 days to reach the venue. Here we provide a brief report and some pictures.
