On the dawn of June, 12th, an armed man entered the gay club Pulse in Orlando, Florida, and shot at the crowd, killing 49 people and injuring more than 50. The American Omar Mateen was the perpetrator of the most heinous individual attack in the history of the US. He was killed by police.
Of Afghan origin and Islamic religion, he claimed the attack to ISIS. Despite this, his own father declared Omar was profoundly homophobic. Two months before, he showed repulsion at the scene of two gay men kissing each other in Miami.
The centrality of this crime is not in the fact of being related to a reactionary organization as ISIS but in the facto of being a hate crime based on homophobia against LGTB and demands the strongest repudiation of every political and social democratic organization.
Workers and left parties must reject this crime, express solidarity with victims and families, and denounce the capitalist governments, in particular Obama’s. These governments marginalize, exclude and discriminate against LGTB. Obama denied this was an Islamic terrorist attack. But in the end he will try to use it as a terrorist attack to justify and strengthen his repressive policies carried out inside and outside the country. Hillary Clinton, the Democrat candidate for next presidential elections, asked for a reinforcement of national security. Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, a well known anti immigrant, anti Muslim, anti Hispanic, anti women and gays fanatic wrote on Twitter: «Thanks to all those who recognized I was right about Islamic terrorism». This horrible crime against gays is a result of the monstrosities generated by the capitalist-imperialist global system.
Catholic and Protestant churches as well as other religious institutions develop permanent campaigns against gays and against the recognition of their rights. There’s a systematic constraint in their democratic rights and an ideological apology of homophobic aggressions. This context permeates these hate crimes in which thousands around the world are victims. There’s no recognition of equality or rights for gay couples, no protection against labour segregation and social stigmatization. In US gay males cannot become blood donors, a 1980’s anachronism due to AIDS crisis. This regulation was suspended in Florida for the massacre. This attitude is not based on scientific proof but sheer bigotry.
We hold responsible for the massacre in the first place, the American imperialism, in the second place, all the capitalist governments, the Vatican and the other religious institutions for creating the conditions for these crimes to take place. These crimes are part of the abominations of contemporary capitalism.
IWU-FI repudiate once more this massacre and we summon the people to organize demonstrations and unified campaigns (workers, youth, women and LGBT and revolutionary left to stop this. To fight for equal rights for LGTB as part of a program against all forms of oppression and exploitation, towards the defeat of the capitalist-imperialist system and a socialist world.
International Workers Unity – Fourth International (UIT-CI)
June 13th, 2016
