New  York City, July 20—While the Colombian government promotes speeches to celebrate the country's presumed independence today, young workers living in New York City, including a Progressive Labor Party (PLP) member, PLP supporters and other organizers, denounced the oppression and subjugation of the working class in Colombia by multinationals, corporations and the rulers of imperialist countries like the United States. We marched from Times Square to the consulate of Colombia to Bryant Park and finally to Flushing Meadows. Two months ago the organizing of these young people began, as they met protesting in the streets. The process of organizing has cost them time, debate, discussions and tears. PLP members are struggling to strengthen this international working class solidarity while building a movement for communist revolution where the working class runs the world.
Devastating capitalism
These workers, ranging from 19 to 50 years old, have recognized that the reason they are moved  to protest is the sad and cruel suffering caused by devastating capitalism. However, this collective suffering has called for the creation of a community. It has promoted solidarity among workers from different regions of Colombia and even with the struggle of other workers in Palestine, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, South Africa, Cuba, Peru, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
The march began with a speech in English and Spanish written by two communists, one of them a member  of the PLP. In this speech, 10 reasons why Colombia is not independent were listed, among them: capitalism and the accumulation of wealth that prevails over life; the colonialism that still displaces thousands of indigenous and Black workers, destroying their communities and culture; the decisions about the so-called Colombian territory that are made from the economic interests of Washington, Ottawa and other international powers. The official numbers of victims of police terror in all its forms during the last two and a half months were also listed, highlighting the violation of the right to protest.
No independence for workers under capitalism
The speech continues saying that we will only celebrate independence when there are no more people starving, there is no more unemployment, lack of opportunities and sexual assaults; no more displacement, environmental destruction and an inefficient health system.
The visual and performative structure of the march included five people with shields and helmets representing the front-line who, almost three months after the social outbreak, still continue to daily confront the oppressive and rapist Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron (ESMAD).
There was a second line composed of five weeping women, dressed in black and veiled, carrying signs and mutilated and bleeding body parts. They intervened throughout the march with cries and voices of lament, which were interwoven with the voices that led the march to tell the story of their children and neighbors mutilated and found in the river, at the doors of their homes or still missing. The open fascism that has existed in Colombia throughout its history is reflected in these devious practices to silence denouncing voices, making this territory the number one country in assassinations of social leaders in the world.
Subsequently, came the tombstones with the names of the recent 73 police homicide victims, two large coffins and behind these, other signs and a distorted Colombian flag stained with red ink representing the blood of the victims.
During the march, a stanza from the Milonga del Fusilado composed by the Uruguayan writer Carlos María Gutiérrez was shouted to denounce the violent repression of the Tupamaros in his country, (national liberation movement) in 1973.
"My voice, the one that is screaming / My dream, the one that is still whole / And you know that I only die / If you are listening / Because the one who died fighting / Lives in each partner." The slogan says: For our dead: Not a minute of silence! Not a minute of silence for the disappeared, raped women, starving children, massacres, displaced Afro and indigenous communities.
The march continued on the train to Queens where artistic performances were displayed and people from other countries interacted, explaining the situation in Colombia and establishing similarities with their governments. Mexican, Ecuadorian and Cuban workers joined the chants. In Flushing Park, the anti-imperialist speech and the denunciations of the oppression of the working class in South America continued as people clapped, raised their fists and shouted along with the march.
The march ended in a sit-in by joining an abolitionist group that was waiting for the protesters to share food, dance, and speeches.
The speech that opened the march and accompanied the denunciations in the streets, concluded that we need to get rid of the capitalist system, end imperialism and get rid of all the rulers, multinationals and corporations that oppress us to organize, join forces and fight back.
Workers will only be independent when everyone in this world, including Mexico, Congo, Haiti, Palestine… Everyone is independent! That means workers all around the world run all aspects of society not for profit, but to meet all our needs. That’s communism. Power to the working class!