LAST WEEK STRUGGLE REPORT (Seoul, 9.07)

First of all, the undisputed highlight for a long while: before yesterday’s migrant workers rally and following demonstration! According to several eyewitnesses (because of a crazy accident - really a not funny one, not at all - the writer of that lines was not able to join) around 1.000 people, about 60 per cent migrant workers participated!!! A great victory for our struggle!!
But let’s start with the beginning! Last Monday, August 30, some activists, who are defending downtown’s Jeongshin-dong residential area, we already reported here about their struggle. And of course as a representative MSSC the writer of this lines joined.
Last week’s “Every Monday Solidarity Concert” was not an ordinary – just it was Park Joon’s birthday! So because of that fact also the program of the concert was a little different. Beside the great first performance of Tujaeng-kwa Sul Band more than usual culture workers – yeah you read right, like that they call themselves – performed their songs and revolutionary expression dances, also called “mime”. The audience, beside all in Myeong-dong at that time present MSSC members, the construction union sit-in struggle collective many “ordinary” by-passers. And of cause following the birthday was celebrated – perhaps you can imagine how!?

Photos and design by Ha-su

The following days the most of the MSSC members spend the in organizing migrant workers in the different industrial zones around Seoul for preparing the rally planed for following Sunday.
Wednesday some MSSC members joined the weekly rally of construction union sit-in struggle collective. And the next day, Thursday we’d our own weekly rally in Myeong-dong – about 70 students joined the event.
Meanwhile video activist “Hong Gil-dong from the forest” produced as a kind of “birthday” present a beautiful new video about the last few days of our struggle - here you can watch it.
Sunday: our great day - celebrate 300 struggle days jubilee! As already initially written at least the double number of demonstrators as on our last rally joined the event. But also the number of students supporting our struggle got double, about 400 joined the protest.
On the opening rally in downtown’s Jongmyo Park beside MSSC’s expression dance group “Jon Tae-il”, Park Joon and Eom Gwang-hyeon, lead singer and guitarist of Heaven, Earth, Man Band performed some of their program.

Photo by Ha-su

The rally was followed by a mass demonstration to Myeong-dong, MSSC’s struggle site. Of course riot police, possibly more than 2.000, including all the front line combat troops (from unit 1001 till at least 1011, trained to kill, just by using their shields) and also immigration forces were on the spot – just to scare the demonstrators (especially migrant workers), but without any effect – and followed the demo until Myeong-dong.

Here on the finishing rally, the whole area was full with demonstrators, student expression dance group "Deul-bul" filled the audience with enthusiasm. Here you can see impressive pictures about the rally. Here and here you can read reports (in Korean) about the event.
After all a really great event and probably a new begin of a new chapter in the history of migrant workers struggle in S. Korea!
And finally this week begun as the last week: with "Every Monday Solidarity Concert”.

URGENT APPEAL

The Human Right Center for migrant workers in Incheon wants to create a public library for migrant workers. So if someone has English (also Mongolian, simplified Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese… language are welcome) books and don’t need them anymore, just donate them and bring to Myeong-dong!

Here some impressions from Sunday’s rally, shot by “Saebyeori”

RELEASE ALL MIGRANT WORKERS FROM DETENTION CENTERS!
FREEDOM FOR ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS IN S. KOREA!
LET’S FIGHT TOGETHER FOR A WORLD WITHOUT EXPLOITATION AND OPPRESSION!
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE, ONLY IF YOU WANT AND FIGHT FOR IT!