At the beginning of June, Ronald Reagan will visit several European capitals. While in France, he will participate in a summit meeting of the rich industrial countries at Versailles. He will attend the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) at Bonn in West Germany.
These two meetings alone sum up a whole programme; the exploitation of the entire world by a handful of imperialist robbers, and the nuclear arms race directed against the freedom of the people of the world.
Ronald Reagan is the head of the most powerful imperialist country.
He stands for the siting of American nuclear missiles in Europe in the next few years.
He stands for a military budget of some 257 billion dollars this year, while 40 thousand children under five die of hunger every day throughout the world.
He stands for aggression against the liberation struggle of the peoples of Central America.
He stands for support to the bloody dictatorships in Guatemala and Salvador.
He stands for military pressure and harassment against the Nicaraguan revolution.
He stands for threats of bacteriological war against Cuba.
He stands for open support to British military aggression in the South Atlantic.
In October 1981, almost two million people demonstrated in West Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, France, in the Spanish state and in Portugal against the siting of American nuclear arms and against NATO bases.
In June, the chief representative of imperialism must be greeted for what he is. Demonstrations are planned already for June 5 in Paris and in Rome, June 6 in London, and June 10 in Bonn. Another massive demonstration has been organised in the USA itself for June 12 in Washington. Hundreds of thousands of workers, young people, anti-imperialists will unite to flood the streets demanding:
-No to the nuclear missiles and NATO bases!
-Hands off the liberation struggle of the Central American peoples!
-Down with Reagan, the warmonger!
The sections of the Fourth International will increase their efforts to make the size of the demonstrations fit the importance of the event.
In demonstrating against Ronald Reagan, they will be demonstrating against their own bourgeoisies and political parties following the imperialist policy of rearmament and austerity.
Bureau of the United Secretariat of the FOURTH INTERNATIONAL May 6, 1982