Peru - April 04, 2022

 The spark of the strike in Huancayo-Junin has set fire to deep Peru that is revolting against the rise in the prices of the basic food basket and the gasoline... Now they are rising up in Lima

For a National Committee of Struggle
of the Worker and Peasant Sectors!

 The cost of living can't be stood anymore!
 Out with Castillo!  General Strike!
 Up those below!

Enough of the collaborationist bureaucracy of the CGTP under the leadership of Patria Roja and the Communist Party!

Today, a day of transport strike was held throughout the country against the increase in the price of gasoline and food, which have not stopped rising since the beginning of the year.  So much so that everything has risen 100% in food and gasoline has been even worse.  So that, the population spontaneously took to the streets of Lima, paralyzing the capital, since the situation can no longer be tolerated.  As the hours passed, there were clashes with the police because in the anger the toll booths were burned, in protest at the high charges to carriers.  When night came, "cacerolazos" (pot-banging) were heard throughout the city under the slogan "Castillo, get out".

This spontaneous mass response comes after a week in which heavy cargo carriers carried out a national strike, particularly in the Junin region and the city of Huancayo, where the strike was concentrated and radicalized.  In those days there were roadblocks in the Regions of Junín, Amazonas, Lima and Apurímac.  It is worth mentioning that Junin is the region where the Peru Libre (Free Peru) party was born, the party for which Pedro Castillo became president.

On April 1, the situation went out of hand in the center of the country, which had the fifth day of protests by heavy cargo carriers, to which farmers and ranchers from the Junín region joined, thousands of people came out to the streets of the city of Huancayo to protest the rise in fuel, the price of fertilizers and the high costs for transporting products.  For several hours there were clashes where the police brutally repressed the strikers, the neighbors, mothers and their children who joined the strike.  Little by little, the situation got out of control and the demonstrators stoned the headquarters of the Regional Government of Junín and the Provincial Municipality of Huancayo.  While this was happening, Castillo said publicly: “some stoppages and roadblocks were malicious and paid for by some leaders and ringleaders”, which infuriated the population even more, for example, an artisan woman came out to respond: “I went out on my own.  I am an artisan who makes masks and all things are very expensive.  There is no money to eat, we are screwed, brothers and sisters.  That is why I have gone out on my own to support the others who are on strike, to be all united.  Castillo has turned his back on us.  We have voted for him and now he says that some people are paying us. Who pays us?  Nobody pays us!  Two days we have to work for a balloon of gas for cooking, and where does it come from for potatoes, sugar, noodles and oil?  Where will the money come from?  Everything is screwed."  (Vigilante.pe 04/01/2022).

In this way the masses have come out shouting: "Castillo out, rat" and "Incapable Castillo, you ignored your people who supported you."  As a result of that week of demonstrations, there is a child who fell into the river and drowned, two other people were run over and finally a teacher who did not get medical attention for his dialysis also died.  Likewise, there are 22 detainees, among whom is a minor. Freedom to all prisoners for hunger!  The Castillo government, defender of imperialist business and its profits, is responsible for these deaths.
Despite the fact that the strikers gave the government a 5-day truce, arriving at a negotiating board in Junin, as we saw today in the strike in Lima, this situation for the workers and their families cannot be tolerated any longer.  However, the Stalinist leadership of the CGTP remains silent because they are supporting the government and, like they have done along so many years, they dedicated themselves to dividing each struggle of the workers, sector by sector and also Lima from the regions.

Castillo demonstrates once again that he is the man of imperialism and the guardian of all the businesses of the bourgeoisie.  This is why a week ago, at the motion to vacate Castillo, only 55 legislators voted in favor of the dismissal, 54 against and 19 abstained.  Though, 87 votes were required to pass that motion.  In the same way, this government is the one that pardoned the murderer Fujimori through the Constitutional Court, demonstrating at every step that he is the defender of the hated Fujimori regime and its reactionary constitution.  This is why all the left that called to vote for Castillo today have to take responsibility for this government that turned out to be equal to or worse than Fujimori's.

Enough of hunger and high cost of living for the poor people!  To unify the struggle in a single list of demands: For a National Committee of struggle of the worker and peasant sectors in struggle to prepare the General Strike!  Until Castillo goes out and the people get bread, work, a decent salary according to the basic basket, land for the poor peasant and all our demands!  To counter the crisis of those above… Let's put up the power of those below!  For a provisional government of workers and poor peasants, supported by the armament of the masses and on the rubble of the hated Fujimori regime, in order to bring order to this chaos of hunger, misery and looting by the transnationals and the IMF that the bourgeoisie has submerged us in.
It is necessary to recover the CGTP from the hands of the corrupt leaders of the Communist Party and Patria Roja (Red Fatherland), who are on their knees to the anti-worker government of Castillo that has not come to confront Fujimorismo at all but only to agree with it. Let the CGTP break with the bourgeoisie!
There is plenty of money for our demands: Repsol and all the transnational oil, mining and bankers steal it.  We must fight for the expropriation of all the transnationals without compensation and under workers' control! Let's fight for workers' control of the entire industry and commerce!

Closing this note, Pedro Castillo has just declared a State of Emergency for tomorrow, Tuesday, April 5, in which there will be citizen immobility from 2 a m. until 11:59 p.m. with the excuse of crime. Down with the state of emergency!  Enough of this government that fills the streets with soldiers and policemen in the best style of Fujimori!  Against the repression of the police we must set up self-defense committees to defend ourselves.  While the government and state institutions release murderers like Fujimori, those responsible for the death of Inti, Brayan and the agrarian workers murdered in the Merino government remain free. Jail for the murderers of the people!  Dissolution of the repressive institutions of the state!
Out with the IMF!  Out with the US imperialist bases in Peru and Latin America!

Correspondent of the Liga Socialista de los Trabajadores Internacionalistas de Peru (Socialist League of Internationalist Workers of Peru)