On this day, September 21, the International Day of Peace, it is for WFDY important to underline the true value of the word “peace”. In a world ever more marked by injustice, inequalities, misery, hunger, war, occupation, increase of military budgets and proliferation of imperialist military bases and high technology weapons, it is important to denounce those who, taking as excuse “peace-making”, are actually the roots of war and terror.On this day, where so many times the world peace will be emptily said and written by the imperialists and those who work in their favor as their puppets, WFDY calls upon its member and friend organizations to come to the streets and deepen even further their efforts for the mobilization of the peoples, in general, and youth in particular, for a true path for lasting peace.

When, on this day as in the others, the imperialist governments and their puppets use the world peace, may we struggle even more strongly to show that there can only be peace when:

- the construction of all new imperialist military bases is stopped and the more than one thousand existing (most of them from the USA) are dismantled;

- all occupations and maneuvers of provocation are stopped and the peoples’ rights for independence, sovereignty and self determination are finally respected, starting with the respect for the peoples of Palestine, Western Sahara, Cuba, Cyprus, Korea, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan

- there is a true commitment for worldwide disarmament, starting with nuclear weapons, that is based on equity of obligations for all countries, with no exceptions, and the political-military blocks such as NATO are dismantled ;

- all the political prisoners are released and the freedom of speech and political activism is ensured, unlike the unfair situation lived by thousands of people in our world as the Five Cuban Heroes, Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Saadat, and many many others;

- the relations between states is done within the principles of mutual cooperation, solidarity and full respect for the International Law, with implementation of the UN resolutions.

Without the accomplishment of these goals, mankind can celebrate many International Days of Peace but will never truly live in peace! Therefore, more than ever, it is important to continue our struggle, resisting the imperialist attacks and fighting back, putting in practice the slogan for the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students that will take place in South Africa, next December: “Let’s defeat imperialism, for a world of peace, solidarity and social transformation!”

The World Federation of Democratic Youth received with pain and sorry the news referring to the fact that comrade Michael Vanderborght has just passed away.We highlight the role of comrade Michael that throughout his life has been a brave and permanent fighter for the values of democracy, international solidarity, peace and cooperation among the peoples of the world.

Currently the President of the International Federation of Resistors, comrade Michael was a regular presence at the World Festivals of Youth and Students and attended historical moments such as the founding assembly of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, in 1945, in London, and the first assembly of the World Peace Council.

In these events, as in many others in which he participated as organizer or guest, comrade Michael was able to share his long experience of struggle and solidarity, started in his youth when he fought in World War II, helping to defeat nazi-fascism.

Despite his advanced age, comrade Michael fought until his last days against imperialism, and together with the role assumed in FIR, he was a member of the Flemish Peace Organization and an activist for the release of the Cuban Five Heroes.

In this sad moment, WFDY sends the family and friends of comrade Michael our condolences, underlining the example of a man that forever will stay in our memory and in our hearts as an inspiration for our struggle against imperialism.

WFDY has come to know with shock and indignation that the French President (Nicolas Sarkozy) has proposed several xenophobic and racist measures, as part of the strategy that will lead the country to a “national war”.The several measures announced, such as the loss of French nationality for the French “with foreign origins” if they have ever attacked a policeman and destruction of half of the Rom illegal camps within 3 months, are terrifying and establish a clear link with the darker period of this country the Collaborator and fascist government of 1939-1945.

Roms who are not in a regular situation are hunted, being them many of them have expelled to Romania by charters or “invited to leave” in exchange of a compensation. The presidential will of quick expulsions is fulfilling.

WFDY draws attention to the fact that, alongside with these measures, Sarkozy’s administration is taking ahead counter-reforms that clearly aim to destroy the rights of workers and youth, in line with the general measures followed by the European Union members’ Governments, and that are being rejected massive demonstrations of the French people.

As proof of our anti-imperialist thesis, that racism is nothing but a tool of the system to divide the workers to better rule and exploit them, these measures are being justified by the French Government as an initiative to eradicate the source of the problems of the French people: the foreigners.

These racist measures don’t acknowledge the vital contribution of the immigrants to the development of France and don’t recognize that the origin of the problems with the immigrants have a social origin, thereby being the state’s responsibility to solve them by eradicating poverty, exploitation and human trafficking.
WFDY is sure that the cause for the problems of the peoples, in France as everywhere else in the world, is the imperialist domination of the world and that the only measures that can ever answer to the needs and problems of mankind are those taken in a framework of the overthrown of imperialism, as part of an economic, social and political system in favor of the youth and peoples.

We call upon all our member and friend organizations to support MJCF and the whole progressive movement of France in the struggle against the attacks of the French youth and people, calling your attention to the important demonstration of September 04, as well as to continue the struggle against imperialism in their own countries.

No human being is illegal!