On August 26, groups worldwide, led by the Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle (FFPS), rallied in support of the Philippine revolution.
“The liberation of the Philippines from foreign domination is not just an issue for revolutionaries in the Philippines, but for all anti-imperialists worldwide! Because the Philippine revolution and all national liberation movements are just and concrete expressions of peoples struggling to be free from exploitation and oppression. They spearhead the global anti-imperialist movement, striking the most significant blows against U.S. imperialist hegemony,” said Paul Evers, member of the Global Secretariat of FFPS during a demonstration at the U.S. consulate in Amsterdam.
The justness and urgency of the Philippine revolution against U.S. domination resonated throughout actions around the world:
- In the United States, members of FFPS in Baltimore, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Orange County held coordinated educational discussions and militant demonstrations in support of the Filipino revolutionary struggle. As a direct challenge to the U.S. the members reiterated the call “We support the Filipino aspiration: National Liberation against U.S. imperialism!” and launched two new FFPS groups, Tanod Lupa and Guerrero.
- In Canada, FFPS Vancouver and CPSO Toronto held educational get-togethers to discuss how to support the National Democratic Front (NDF) and its vision for a revolutionary future, and mass postering actions.
- In Europe, various FFPS member organizations held demonstrations and propaganda actions in various cities in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Greece, Austria and the UK in support of the Filipino people in struggle. These actions targeted Europe’s complicity in U.S. imperialist domination in the Philippines, as well as building links of solidarity with the peoples of Europe in support of the Filipino basic masses.
- In Asia Pacific, newly constituted FFPS groups in Asia and Australia, together with members in New Zealand held coordinated propaganda efforts to expose and oppose U.S. imperialist aggression in the region and bring the issue of the Philippines to the spotlight.
“The U.S. is currently in hyperdrive, inciting war against China, dragging the Philippines into inter-imperialist conflict, and the Filipino people’s war for national liberation is their main obstacle,” emphasized Izzy from POPS during their rally in Portland. They also highlighted the call to end US military aid to the Philippines as the US has already vowed to send an additional half a billion dollars in U.S. taxpayer money to fund the brutal counter-revolutionary war and to escalate their preparations for a war of aggression against China.
“European states and other allies of the US are likewise complicit in perpetuating imperialist oppression, as they continue to align with and support the US imperialist agenda, reinforcing systems of military occupation, exploitation and domination from Palestine to the Philippines. The war crimes and acts of warmongering committed by the US government and its allies are not isolated incidents but are part of a broader strategy to maintain global hegemony amid an increasingly multipolar world, “ said Coni Ledesma member of the NDF negotiating panel.
The various actions around the world included tributes to the martyrs of the Philippine revolution.
“It feels timely to be launching [our organization] on the eve of the Cry of Pugad Lawin, which marked the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish, and also so soon after the recent killings of revolutionary martyrs in Panay, whose existence and struggle show that the revolution for national liberation is unfinished, ” said Tanod Lupa during their launch event in Seattle. The event included a tribute to the martyred NDF peace consultant Ka Concha Araneta who would have celebrated her 74th birthday on this day.
These global actions, held in commemoration of the cry of Pugad Lawin – the historic spark of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonizers – underscore FFPS’ support for the ongoing struggle for genuine liberation in the Philippines.
Across continents, the unified voices of Friends and allies amplified that it is the NDF and the fighting Filipino masses that are struggling to liberate the Philippines from the evils of U.S. imperialism, domestic feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. To further strengthen the support for the revolution in the Philippines, Friends of the Filipino people in Struggle (FFPS) have called upon their members and allies to join the globally coordinated campaign to build widespread support for the Filipino people’s democratic revolution and its just cause against US imperialism, domestic feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism, dubbed as “Support the Filipino people’s revolutionary struggle for a just and lasting peace!” that will run until June 2025.
More pictures of the various events to follow