European slavery: "The Polish workers were paid EUR 5 an hour instead of the standard EUR 25 an hour. They worked 12 hours a day and the wages for a portion of each shift were allegedly not included in the agency's bookkeeping. The rest was paid at the standard rate for a seaman.''

27 March 2006. A World to Win News Service. Every year on 16 March, there is a ceremony in the town of Halabja in the eastern part of Iraqi Kurdistan in memory of the 5,000 people killed in 1988 when Saddam Hussein sent aircraft to drop poison gas in an effort to deter Kurds from rebelling against his regime. Saddam was supported by the US then, and Washington prevented the UN Security Council from denouncing this crime, even though the US was later to use this incident as one of its pretexts for invading Iraq.

From March 12-27, throughout neighborhoods across Tijuana, San Diego, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, and San Francisco—covering over 241 miles—the Caminata por la paz (March for Peace) is protesting the war and bloodshed in Iraq and the escalating attacks on immigrants.

On March 7, 30,000 to 40,000 Latino immigrants streamed out of subway trains and dozens and dozens of buses from every corner of Washington, DC, and the surrounding area. Groups from workplaces came in uniform. Day laborers, hotel workers, construction workers, church congregations, high school and college students, and families from Maryland and Virginia were there.

In the last few weeks, immigrants and their supporters have launched a nationwide wave of resistance against the repressive attacks on them. Last issue we covered both the massive march in Chicago on March 10 and militant streetcorner, grassroots resistance in L.A. In this issue we bring you news of a demonstration of 30,000 to 40,000 in DC and an anti-war march that went from Tijuana to L.A., crossing more borders than just the physical one in doing so. On this page we bring you excerpts from a statement by the Chicago branch of the RCP which puts the struggle in the larger context of revolution, communism, as well as a basic and brief analysis of what is up with the anti-immigrant bills.

A great upsurge is taking place across the United States! Hundreds of thousands of immigrants are stepping out of the shadows, into the sun. In Chicago, up to a half million filled Daley Plaza, shutting down the city, chanting "¡se siente, se siente, el inmigrante esta presente!" ( The immigrants are here, you can feel it!) In Milwaukee—home of Congressman Sensenbrenner, author of the cruel bill that set off the protests—25,000 marched. Tens of thousands went into the streets in Washington DC. In Phoenix, over 20,000 demonstrators marched to the office of Republican Senator Jon Kyl, co-sponsor of a bill that would give illegal immigrants up to five years to leave the country. In Georgia, tens of thousands of immigrants stayed away from work in protest against a new state law there that would deny state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5 percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegal immigrants. As we go to press, students have walked out of schools throughout Southern California, and hundreds of thousands are filling the streets of Los Angeles.

Franc-Parler reproduit un article écrit au lendemain des élections fédérales 2006. Dans le cadre du discours du trône du nouveau gouvernement du Parti Conservateur le 4 avril, la désinformation s'intensifie à propos du résultat des élections et de l'annexion du Canada aux États-Unis. La récente visite de Stephen Harper en Afghanistan en est un exemple frappant.

Dans le cadre du dossier sur la "crise nucléaire" en Iran, Franc-Parler publie, à titre d'information, une intervention de la délégation cubaine à la réunion extraordinaire des gouverneurs de l'AIEA.

Le 18 mars 2006 marque le 135e anniversaire de la proclamation de la Commune de Paris, noyée dans le sang par la suite.