International Women's Day

Ungdomshuset has been demolished. So what? This apartment and general-purpose building in Copenhagen was a hippy paradise. So what has that got to do with politics? Sure, there were a lot of police on the streets of Copenhagen, a few burning barricades, and it even made the 7 o’clock TV news in South Africa. But there will be no revolution in Denmark. So who cares?

CU cares. For one thing, the origins of International Women’s Day (today) were right in that building. See the linked article by Aniket Alam from Counterpunch for the whole, fascinating story and some good politics.

It’s time to have a proper women’s movement again, properly organised, with constitution, office bearers, individual membership, branches and an annual conference. It’s time to turn away from hippyism and back to the kinds of organisation that have served the working class best.

From the organised working class of South Africa comes the second item linked below, which is COSATU’s brief and to-the-point statement on International Women’s Day.

The pictures are of Alexandra Kollontai (above) and Clara Zetkin.

Click on these links:

Women’s Day, Lenin, Copenhagen riot, Aniket Alam, Counterpunch (789 words)

International Women’s Day, COSATU Media Release (429 words)