(en) Brazil, Coletivo Anarquista Luta de Classe - MAY 1, FROM MOURNING TO FIGHT, THE ORIGINS TO THE PRESENT DAY (pt)

First of May is a day of mourning and struggle, not to party! ---- Text published in the 
first edition of Opinion Anarchist CALC, distributed at the first meeting of the CEL 
(Circle of Libertarian Studies), on May 1, 2013. ---- May 1: Fighting with the "low" or 
celebrate with a "top"? ---- "I have been treated here as a killer and only if I have 
proved that I am an anarchist. For repeat that protest against this barbaric pity because 
I was not proven any crime. But if I have to be hanged for professing anarchist ideas, my 
love of equality, liberty, fraternity, so I have nothing to object. If the death penalty 
is correlative to our burning passion for freedom to the human species I say loudly: 
disponde of my life! " ---- (Adolph Fisher, one of the martyrs of Chicago)

Brief history of the origins of May 1st in the world:

The date of May 1 has its related events that occurred in 1886 in the United States of 
America, in Chicago origin. That year there were demonstrations throughout the U.S. who 
shared the struggle for the 8 hours of work. 35,000 people in Chicago were the streets in 
seeking such claim in 1886, resulting manifestation of this 6 dead and 4 wounded. On May 
4, amid a workers meeting that happened in Haymarket Square, a bomb is "mysteriously" 
thrown at police.

Unable to find a culprit by the police decide to arrest anarchists, activists highlighted 
the labor movement. Were arrested: George Engel, Adolph Fischer, Louis Lingg, August 
Spies, Samuel Fielden, Oscar Neeb, Michael Schwab, Wilian Lessinger, Jhon Most. Later, it 
occurred before the trial Albert Parsons, also wanted by the case, but Outlaw, would 
indulge in a sign of loyalty to his comrades. The trial takes place on August 28, 1887, 
this according to the researchers of the labor movement and Cardoso Araujo were aimed by 
the "(...) North American authorities saw this trial the opportunity to eliminate the 
influence of anarchism among the workers "(Cardoso & Ara?jo, 1986). The results of the 
trial are convictions the strength to Parsons, Fischer, Engel, Spies, Fielden to life 
imprisonment, Schwab, 15 years of imprisonment for Neeb and expulsion of Most U.S. Lingg 
committed suicide in prison-and Lessinger disappeared in the prison in which I was.

In memory of the "martyrs of Chicago," as they became known workers convicted during the 
"Haymarket Square massacre," the II Congress of the IWA (International Workers 
Association), occurred on June 11, 1889 declaring the 1st May day struggle for 8 hours. 
This Congress still had the anarchist militancy in their spaces (expelled in 1896). In 
1890 the U.S. approved the 8-hour workday in 1894 is revised judging the "Martyrs of 
Chicago" that came to be considered innocent, thanks to the struggle and organization of 
American workers.

The May 1st on earth Arauc?rias

The first genuinely working celebration of May 1 in Brazil is in Santos in 1892. In 
Paran?, the date was initially celebrated as a "compact" class, the authorities and the 
business media era stimulated the friendliness of the employees, they should receive date 
as "gift" from their bosses. We can see in the article published in the local media of 
Curitiba on 1st May 1900 ". Paran? At present workers today expressions of sympathy for 
our peaceful and dignified way that celebrate and glorify" (Apud, Daily Afternoon , 
Curitiba, 1 May 1900). In subsequent years it remained the "good behavior" until in 1907 
the League of Shoemaker calls a march and artistic activities that memorassem day of 
"mourning and struggle" in the Teatro Guaira. From this time the date would be subject to 
dispute by the working class and elites, as well as their right to free organization. That 
same year the article (No 1637) which allowed the expulsion of immigrants is approved. In 
later years we will have public acts of the working class: in 1908 in Curitibana Employees 
Association of Commerce is founded the Workers League 1 May 1909 and the act of May 1 
occurs in the Worker Protection Society, when the date passes the also be of mobilizations 
in several coastal cities driven by the demonstrations in the capital. Later in 1913 the 
date is cause for a massive demonstration against the famine that forces the municipality 
to negotiate with a committee of workers, the day becomes a time of exercise of direct 
action, such an element can be found in the May 1 1917, according to Cardoso Araujo and a 
harbinger of the General Strike of 1917.

Faced with a situation of strong rise of the organization of the working class, while it 
is a proletarian revolution in Russia, and similar attempts occur in Brazil as the 1918 
Uprising in Rio de Janeiro, the state through its government fulfills its role of defender 
of the ruling classes. President Arthur Bernardes would create in 1923 the 5221 law that 
allowed the closing of workers' associations, which actually regulate a practice, in that 
the Workers Union Paranaense, for example, had been closed in 1920. Anarchists, principal 
animators the labor movement at that time, has "special attention repression", having a 
law banning their advertising law enacted in 1921 to 4269. Years of 1929 and 1930 appear 
as moments of resistance where we see the date is celebrated by workers of unlinked form 
elites.

In 1930 was elected Get?lio Vargas, a populist who sought to seal the pact classes. In 
1931 creates the Ministry of Labour, bringing the law of unionization, unions 
subordinating the granting of the state, a situation that remains today. This law 
ultimately destroy the freedom of workers to organize. As the prosecution was not enough 
to appease the spirits of the exploited classes in 1932 are adopted the first labor laws, 
under the tutelage of "father of the poor" of which sought to erase from history such 
measures the years of struggle of the working class, true responsibility the adoption of 
such laws. To have dimension of time: if you approve laws protecting labor on one hand, 
and forbade parades on May 1 of each other.

The crackdown would intensify in the years of the Vargas government, which would end up as 
a dictatorship during the Estado Novo (1937-1945). This period would destroy all 
autonomous labor movement. It follows this time a series of attempts to link the May 1 
date to a civic, festive, as well as already pointed out in 1919 with the transformation 
in this holiday, was adopted in 1943 CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws) this date, in 
another of Vargas efforts to demonstrate that the class struggle was not necessary.

Such a trend would consolidate the local movement, and even national, he could not react 
in the following decades. Throughout the 50 record was the "party of work", with the aim 
of memorar father of the poor. Would long years so, until around the year 60, reappeared 
street demonstrations of patient empowerment die. But such a move would not ripen in 1964 
and get a second coup, now military regime that would ban unions. From 1964 to 1968 we see 
a strong repression of the labor movement. The military regime would make the date a civic 
moment again for celebrations, sports practices, "order" anything but fight. In the late 
70s we would see an outline of reaction of the local workers movement, succeed-that year 
many demonstrations and strikes for democratic rights.

Throughout the 80s the movement of workers accumulate forces to overthrow the 
dictatorship. In 1983 the first direct elections demonstrations occur in Brazil, Curitiba 
as having a place of mass demonstrations around the agenda.

This movement forces accumulated throughout the period of democratic reopening, forging 
class organizations that would be responsible for playing the struggles of the exploited 
classes, among them the CUT (Central Unica Workers). This early identify much with the 
design of the PT (Workers Party), because this party is formed by those who were in the 
struggles for freedom and rights, and more, drives with his activism such organisms. These 
are replaced by "umbilical" connections. Throughout the decade of the 90 EN matures its 
electoral project. CUT follows as a support for such a project, culminating in victory 
Lula presidency in 2002. This puts us in a situation where the labor movement ultimately 
become of labor support applications.

At the present moment is a work-related party that runs the country. The State, however, 
has not changed its character, continuing to attack the rights of the working class. What 
has changed with all this was the attitude of the class and its organizations, today fully 
involved by the state agenda. If "yesterday" were the "representatives" of the ruling 
classes and cassavam repressed workers' rights today are from working class those who 
govern for the sake of exploration. The latest attack is led by trade unionists, applauded 
by government and employers, which is the ACE (Special Collective Agreement), which aims 
to make the union contracts (between employer and labor) law. Such a law would make for 
ending labor rights in practice, since currently the vast majority of unions is detached 
from the basis of their decisions, and that has easily cooptable directions.

In another May 1st we are on the verge of more attacks on the working class. Throughout 
the twentieth century, the ruling classes with support from the State sought to stop the 
movement of independent, combative and revolutionary workers. Today the movement is on the 
defensive, and more, the rule is the cooptation of workers for electoral projects, by the 
mere movement based "labor" applications, bringing workers to the hall of bourgeois 
politics (the State). Today those who sought to be "representatives" of the class are 
those who manage the operation. The ideological confrontation between the idea of a May 
1st day of "Party of work" or day of "mourning and struggle," it is increasingly 
necessary, see the big "festivities" funded by unions, political parties and state. You 
must recover not only the 1st of May, but the labor movement into the hands of these, 
after the "emancipation of the workers will be the workers themselves."

Download the version that was printed from Anarchist Opinion / CALC No. 1 here Anarchist 
Opinion 1-1 of May 2013