The Newcomers

Around the world, millions of people are moving between countries. Most move to find jobs and seek a better life. Many flee repression. The ruling class want fellow-workers to believe that all their problems are caused by the immigrants – people who face exactly the same problems as the local working class, like unemployment, exploitation, domination and crime. In short, the ruling classes everywhere tries to teach hate and blame people, to scapegoat people who are exactly the same as them.  They are their brothers and sisters, people with whom they should unite to fight the ruling classes, the ruling classes of every country. The rich are left alone. Their money brings them passports and visas. The ruling class of one country recognises their fellows from other countries. They have things in common: privilege, property, profits and power. They share the same interest - keeping the working class in their “place”, doing what they are instructed...working for the bosses for low wages.

Migrant workers become the scapegoat for every problem the capitalist class has created. The conditions of the immigrants make them into cheap labour, which benefits the local employers and the immigrants get the blame for the local people’s unemployment, stealing jobs and low pay, undercutting wage rates.  The working class are divided between native and foreign worker, and lacking unity are unable to fight back against the bosses who have orchestrated the whole situation by using nationalism and patriotism as their weapons. These hide the class divisions in society and presents the local capitalists as friends and allies of their “fellow-citizens”.  Their exploitation and repression against the working class is camouflaged by the nation’s flag and national anthem. The employing class and its government appear to be defenders of the local population when the opposite is true. The owning class promotes nationalism to divide and rule.

Our fellow-workers must learn that we live in a class system and know what side they are on. Either it is to support the owners of wealth or defend the working class by which we mean those who work for wages and lack control of their lives, including the unemployed. Between the capitalist class and the working class, there is nothing in common. We, the majority, are ruled by the few for enrichment. We are told where to live, what to do, even how to think, who to hate and persecute. Everything the ruling class possesses has come from the toiling class and our higher wages and better conditions mean less profit in their pockets.

Only a socialist mass movement can change things. Only world socialist movement can make the fundamental changes in society: not by improving bits of our lives here and now, but challenging the whole class system, itself.  Only through a mass socialist movement can we create a new society, based on equality and freedom, a society based on production for use and distribution by need, democratic control of the communities and workplaces. It would be a global community, not a world divided into different nations, with endless recurring wars and oppression. The socialist movement does not mean in one country only, or of one nationality, or of one race, or of one gender. We mean a socialist movement that refuses to recognise the divisions imposed from above by the ruling class, a socialist movement that opposes all governments, a socialist movement that really stands for “Workers of the World – Unite!”

The Socialist Party is for class struggle. We oppose the capitalist class because it is a ruling class because it exploits and oppresses. We stand in solidarity with our fellow-workers in all countries and against the ruling elites of all countries. Instead of an endless parade of tyrants we seek a better world. We must wage a common fight against the ruling class. We must engage in a struggle for a new world - a world freed of capitalism.