Statement from the leadership of the Communist Party of America after initial news of the ‘Banana Massacre’ of perhaps 2000 workers striking United Fruit by the U.S.-backed Colombian military.

‘With Colombian Plantation Workers Against United Fruit’ from the Daily Worker. Vol. 5 No. 291. December 8, 1928.

SUPPORT STRIKE OF COLOMBIAN BANANA PLANTATION WORKERS OF THE UNITED FRUIT COMPANY

Don’t Let the U. S. Government Do to Colombia What It Did to Nicaragua

(Statement of the Central Executive Committee of the Workers (Communist) Party of America)

While Hoover is touring Latin America to pave the way for more conquests of American imperialism, American capital is preparing to drown in workers blood the strike of 12,000 virtual slaves on the banana plantations of the United Fruit Company in Magdalena, Colombia.

The United Fruit Company, a big American corporation and other powerful American oil and banking “interests” in Colombia are dissatisfied with the slowness of the Colombian Government to crush the strike. Wall Street has already appealed to the State Department in Washington and to Commander Collins, in Charge of the U.S. Navy in the Panama Canal Zone to prepare to send warships and land marines to kill strikers, destroy their homes and establish more firmly the rule of U.S. imperialism in Colombia.

This is American imperialism at work. This is the practical meaning of Hoover’s expansion policy in Latin America.

The Colombia Workers Are Fighting For the Right To Live.

The 12,000 or more slaves of the United Fruit Company on its banana plantations in Colombia are fighting for the right to live. They are demanding that the United Fruit Company abide by the law of Colombia which provides for the employers insuring their workers against injury and accident. The Colombian plantation slaves of Wall Street, who are working for starvation wages in a regime worse than slavery, are demanding that their wives and children be provided for at least to some extent when their husbands and fathers are killed or crippled in the making of profits for Wall Street.

The existing insurance law is very inadequate for the protection of the workers, but the U.S. exploiters of the Colombian workers will not abide even by this law. No laws are written for Wall Street in its search for profits and power.

The present struggle is the culminating point of a long series of persecutions and attacks upon the workers and peasants, the labor organizations and the Communist movement of Colombia. For a period of time the Colombian bourgeoisie, hand in hand with U. S. imperialism, have been waging war against the standards of living and the organizations of the toiling masses of Colombia.

Frightened by the increased discontent of the workers and peasants with the oppressive rule of U.S. imperialism in Colombia and its agents, the native bourgeoisie, the Colombian government has initiated a series of legislative measures, known as the “Social Defense Laws,” in order to crush the rising movement of the workers and peasants. The Colombian government, upon the bidding of Wall Street, has outlawed the existing unions, is preventing the organization of new unions, has outlawed strikes, has outlawed the Communist Party which is mobilizing and leading the masses in struggle against their native and foreign exploiters. These so-called “Social Defense Laws” are making it a crime, punishable with from 3 to 20 years imprisonment to express discontent with the rule of foreign imperialism. Under cover of struggle against so-called anti-patriotic propaganda, anti-religious propaganda, etc., the Colombian government uses these so-called “Social Defense Laws” to further enslave the workers and peasants of Colombia for the greater profit and power of the U.S. imperialism and their agents, the Colombian bourgeoisie.

Some Socialist leaders, not the revolutionary Socialist but the Opportunist, in reality middle class liberals, have collaborated with the Conservatives and Liberals in Colombia to put across these atrocious laws against the workers and peasants.

The working class of the United States knows from its own experience the brutality of the American ruling class. The workers of the United States are themselves suffering under the effects of the so-called rationalization drive of American capitalism. The American workers must therefore come to the assistance and support of their brothers in Colombia.

The Colombian Government Wants To Win Wall Street Favors.

The Colombian bourgeois government wants to win the favors of Wall Street. Although the Colombian Government at first made a pretense of desiring to enforce its own insurance law, nevertheless it immediately capitulated to Wall Street. The Colombian Government has authorized the declaration of martial law in the province of Magdalena and has dispatched troops to do the bidding of Wall Street and to crush the strike.

The Colombian workers are fighting for the enforcement of the Colombian insurance law–the law of the land. The Colombian Government, controlled by the Colombian capitalists, is uniting with Wall Street to destroy the insurance law and to crush the strikers by military force.

The Colombian workers, in fighting for their existence against the terrific oppression of the U.S. imperialists, are fighting at the same time for the national independence and freedom of Colombia. The Colombian bourgeoisie hesitates, wavers and then gives in to U.S. imperialism, joins with it to destroy the national independence and freedom of Colombia. This has happened in Nicaragua, is happening in Mexico and other countries of Latin America. It is the workers and oppressed masses generally under the leadership of the Communist Party, that are fighting the domination of U.S. imperialism in Latin America.

Hands Off Colombia.

Powerful Wall Street “interests” are already entrenched in Colombia. The United Fruit Company not only controls tremendous banana plantations, but it also holds miles of railroads in Colombia, telegraphic lines, sewer and water works and electric plants. The Gulf Oil Corporation and the Carib Oil Syndicates, U.S. corporations, control 1,300,000 acres of oil land. The Standard Oil Company, a Rockefeller concern, has large interests in Colombia. Several large U.S. banking institutions, such as the Equitable Trust Company, Leman Brothers, etc., have already spread their tentacles into Colombia through investments totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. All these powerful capitalist concerns are squeezing life-blood out of the workers and peasants of Colombia. In order to protect their privileges and extend them still further, it is now being planned to invade and take full possession of Colombia for American imperialism.

The American naval forces in the Canal Zone have already been appealed to by Wall Street and are being kept in readiness to. send warships to Colombia, to land marines and do to Colombia what American imperialism did to Nicaragua.

The American toiling masses, the workers, the working farmers and the oppressed Negro masses must raise their voice of protest against these outrages of American imperialism. We call upon the toiling masses, oppressed by capitalism and the imperialists in the United States, to join in the struggle against Wall Street and its executive committee, the United States government.

The exploited masses in the United States must come to the assistance of their Colombian brothers and render all moral and financial support to the strikers on the Magdalena banana plantations. Collect and send strike relief to the Colombian strikers. Help win the strike against the United Fruit Company.

Protest against the sending of United States warships and marines to Colombia.

Hands off Colombia. Don’t let U.S. imperialism do to Colombia what they did to Nicaragua.

Fight against the big navy proposals now before the Senate. Condemn the demand of President Coolidge for 15 more cruisers submitted by him to the Congress in his message. Fight against the war preparations, Hoover’s imperialist trip to Latin America. Fight against the war danger.

Demand the unconditional independence of all colonies, semi-colonies and protectorates of the United States.

CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

WORKERS (COMMUNIST) PARTY OF AMERICA.