Joe Kishore, the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in the US, recently addressed a public meeting at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. The meeting, sponsored by the university's Political Science Association, was attended by over 70 students, workers, and academics [84407fcd]. Kishore spoke about the importance of workers and youth basing their struggles on an international perspective and highlighted the ongoing genocidal attacks against Palestinians in Gaza by Israel's right-wing Netanyahu regime. He emphasized the resurgence of the working class and the need for revolutionary solutions on a global scale. Kishore also discussed the 100-year struggle of the Trotskyist movement for international socialism [84407fcd]. The meeting was part of a series of public meetings organized by the SEP and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Sri Lanka. Kishore will address another meeting on the same theme in Colombo on December 10 [84407fcd]. Attendees expressed their lack of knowledge about Trotskyism and the Trotskyist movement, and their belief in the necessity of socialism to address global issues and achieve peace [84407fcd].
In Australia, the Socialist Equality Party is also holding a public meeting titled 'Free Julian Assange! Oppose imperialist war!' in Sydney on May 26. The meeting aims to discuss the urgent struggle to free Julian Assange, oppose authoritarianism, and fight against imperialist militarism worldwide. Assange is facing 17 Espionage Act charges and a maximum sentence of 175 years imprisonment. The SEP and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) argue that the persecution of Assange is part of a broader attack on democratic rights globally. They believe that defeating the US attempt to prosecute Assange is crucial not only to save the life of a courageous journalist but also to counter the assault on democratic rights associated with new wars. The US and its imperialist allies, including Australia, are supporting the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, while in Europe, the US and NATO have instigated the largest military conflict since World War II. The conflict in Ukraine is escalating into an open war with Russia, posing the threat of a nuclear catastrophe. In the Indo-Pacific, the US is engaging in a massive military build-up in preparation for a potential war with China. The SEP and the ICFI argue that defending democratic rights requires the independent mobilization of the working class and the development of a new political leadership based on a socialist program to abolish the capitalist system, which is the source of militarism, war, and authoritarianism [e79be1ec].