European Communist Action (ECA) expresses its unreserved support and solidarity with the massive demonstrations by school pupils, students and young workers in France, Italy,Greece, Albania and elsewhere; the mass strike action in Belgium; the huge demonstrations in Spain, as also in Portugal, centred on the explosive housing crisis.
ECA condemns the brutal repression and the plans of governments, employers, and bourgeois parties to impose a wartime “graveyard silence”. However, it is becoming clear that they cannot break the fighting spirit and coordination of the workers and young people who are bringing workplaces and educational institutions to a standstill. They are flooding the boulevards of Europe’s major cities and demanding to work with rights, education with adequate staffing and infrastructure that is free from class barriers, and access to housing. They are also opposing war-driven and ‘green’ energy price hikes, as well as the rising costs of fuel, food and stagnant wages and pensions, all of which are being sacrificed on the altar of military preparedness.
European Communist Action welcomes and supports the major international strike on 30 October, which constitutes a significant act of struggle being organised in over 100 ports across the world, on four continents: Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, under the slogan ‘Dockers do not work for war’.
This strike and international mobilisation is not confined to ports, but now encompasses an even greater number of workers in every country. More and more sectors are adopting militant initiatives in the form of various types of mobilisation, coordinating their efforts against imperialist wars, the involvement of capitalist states and governments, and the sacrifices imposed on workers for the sake of capitalist profits.
This escalation of strike action follows the militant protests and strikes at several ports, including Piraeus, Marseille, Le Havre and Genoa, which hindered the unloading and transportation of military cargo belonging to NATO or the occupying state of Israel. This cargo was intended for use in the genocide of the Palestinian people and the killing of others. A similar initiative, which served as the “seed” for the current mobilisation that has taken on multiple dimensions, preceded this on 6 February 2026 in the form of a major mobilisation across twenty ports in seven countries.
Dockers, seafarers, railway workers and others are turning against the interests of corporate groups and the war plans of their governments, of the EU, NATO and the US, by effectively halting shipments used in war crimes, thereby giving strength and courage to the peoples suffering under imperialist war, as well as to all those from whom the bourgeoisie demands sacrifices for war preparations.
Every day it is demonstrated that capitalism, which is based on the power of monopolies and capitalist ownership of the means of production, with profit as its driving force, is historically obsolete, and stands in complete opposition to the interests of the working class and the popular strata. It tramples on their needs, intensifies exploitation and oppression, exacerbates their problems, worsens their situation, and undermines the future of young people, whilst big business increases its profits and economic power and becomes ever more aggressive.
At a time when the EU is forcing people to choose between freezing and going hungry, the bourgeoisie is becoming increasingly concerned about securing a change of government to ensure the stability of the political system. With the prospect of a new capitalist crisis becoming more visible, workers in ports, on ships and in other sectors are making it clear through their struggle that they are not willing to make any sacrifices for imperialist wars; they are fighting for their rights. This is why they are demanding satisfactory collective labour agreements, health and safety measures, and effective measures to provide relief against the exorbitant cost of fuel, energy and food, as well as against involvement in imperialist wars and the exploitation and profiteering of monopolies.
The militant action of the dockworkers demonstrates that the working class can play a leading role in these developments. In the face of nationalist and other bourgeois rhetoric, and the rivalries between monopolies, bourgeois classes and imperialist centres, the workers have nothing to divide them; they must not choose sides amongst the imperialist camps. Through their struggle they have the power not only to bring capitalist production to a standstill, but also to claim power for themselves and build a new socialist society to meet their needs, based on mutually beneficial relations between peoples.
We stand in solidarity with workers across the world and demand: ‘Ports for the people and for peace, not launching pads for the capitalists’ wars!’
