Manifesto against war
George Padmore
:)
George Padmore :)
Published in October 1938, just days after Czechoslovakia rejected both France/Britain and Hitler’s proposals to annex part of its territory, “A Manifesto Against War” by George Padmore dutifully expresses the anti-war sentiments felt by Black working class people all over the world. Originally born in Trinidad, Padmore was an incredible writer, activist, and Pan-Africanist. He eventually went on to become a political advisor for Kwame Nkrumah who led the nation of Ghana into independence. This is a very very short piece, and addresses so many aspects of oppressive politics around the globe, the exploitation Black people especially face around times of western wars, and the false promises of “liberation” that imperialist wars bring.
Padmore’s words about the strategic propaganda around World War II, how it’s falsely positioned as a “fight for democracy,” echoes so vividly the anti-war sentiments we hear about today. As the war on Palestine is still raging, and as the US is directly engaged in proxy wars in Niger, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, under the guise of “intervention,” we are so often misled to believe that western powers and their allies fight for freedom and for “democracy.” But if you’re reading this - you likely know that isn’t true. Why would you go to war to save a country that affords you no rights or dignity?
If these democratic countries are so interested in saving small nations and preserving law and order, why did they stand aside and allow Mussolini to attack our defenceless brothers in Abyssinia and murder men, women and children with poison gas? It is to mislead you that our Imperialist masters and their black agents are trying to deceive you by calling you to join up and fight for Democracy against Fascism.
DEMOCRACY! Black brothers, what do we know of democracy? This is just a bait to catch us. In 1914 they also talked to us about fighting for Democracy and self-determination. Millions of us died on Flanders field, in Palestine, in East, West and South Africa. But what did we get? More slavery, more oppression, more exploitation.
This brief manifesto doesn’t only ask us to reconsider our support for war and for the illusion of spreading democracy, but it asks us to use war-times as an opportunity to organize against oppressive forces and fight back for collective independence.
But wait - (as always) there’s more!
Padmore was an avid writer, and because he saw publishing as a strategy for political change, there are so many articles, pamphlets, essays, and letters archived throughout the world that are attributed to him. I found this small article, titled, “American Capitalists Live in Luxury” originally published in 1928 on The Daily Worker. Padmore details the struggles Black people faced in America at the time while white elites thrived. In this article, he once again emphasizes the role of white working class people in the struggle against oppression. The last sentence of this excerpt is… badass.
Secondly, we have an excerpt from “At the Rendezvous of Victory” by the incredible revolutionary and theorist C. L. R. James where he paints a portrait of his childhood friend, George Padmore. They were childhood friends and worked closely together during their time in England and it is because of James that Padmore was introduced to Kwame Nkrumah and eventually went on to become his political advisor during Ghana’s fight (and victory) for independence.
Sources:
Transcribed Manifesto - Shout out to Marxists.org for their large and v well organized archives!
Clipped Article from The Daily Worker - Shout out to the internet archive always.
Excerpt from At The Rendezvous of Victory - Thank u libcom!