[Bloquez l'empire!] May 1st: May Day Action [4 PM at PHILLIPS SQUARE, METRO MCGILL]

[sophie schoen]

May 1st : Action and Demonstration 

When?: Meet at 4pm, Tuesday, May 1st, 2007
Where?: Philips Square, corner of Ste-Catherine and Union, metro McGill

Every year, for the last 100 years, workers, the poor and oppressed across
the world demonstrate their hatred of capitalism, the system by which a
small minority profits by exploiting the vast majority of men, women, and
children.

Humanity has never been as productive as it is now in all of its history. 
We produce much more than necessary, we have an extraordinary level of
knowledge, and almost endless means.  But still, there has never been as
much misery, poverty, and destruction.

A few hundred thousand capitalists maintain a few million people,
mainly in the West, in relative comfort, while the rest of the population lives in poverty.
The strong growth of the global economy results in the unprecedented concentration of wealth in the hands
of a few.  In Canada, the annual average salary of the 100 most important
CEOs is $9 million, while the average salary of workers is $38,000.  The
richest 20% of the population have raised their fortunes by 19% since
1999, and 64% since 1984.  They now hold 75% of the wealth (according to
Statistics Canada).  In the U$A, 1% of the population keeps 40% of the
wealth to itself.  They want what’s ours, and they get it! 

Miserable work, horrible living conditions, the extreme commodification of
women’s bodies, exacerbated racial and religious tensions, absurd
over-consumption, wars, and the total destruction of nature :  what a nice
program!  And they try to make us believe that sham elections can change
anything.  No, this isn’t what life is about!  Life can, and must be
better!

We can organize, we can struggle, and we can win!  Let’s take
the occasion on May 1st to join our voices to those across the world, to
cry out loud and clear that we’ve had enough of this rotten system!

An initiative of the Comite des sans-emploi (“Committee of the
unemployed”) Montreal-centre.