rgent statement – Workers against Sectarianism

For many years, the Iraqi people have been fighting for a country with health institutions that are free from corruption and sectarianism serving all the people of Iraq equally. This includes the raising of Iraq’s standards of health care to global health standards.
The neoliberal, sectarian system in Iraq has violated these institutions as well, privatising them and turning them into opportunistic and profitable institutions that are concerned with making money and not concerned with the health of their citizens. This is also due to the political, islamist parties in power who together with the merchants have meant worsening conditions, especially for Iraq’s poor. This situation becomes more obvious during today’s global health crisis of the corona virus spreading all over the world.

However, the ongoing protests are proof to the fact that the Iraqi people are fighting for a better Iraq with solid health care system that provides for all people. In these days activists of the protest squares are making awareness campaigns to fight the corona virus. Therefore, the Iraqi people, especially poor families in this global health crisis, are standing united to eliminate the corona virus. Just as we have triumphed over several crises, such as the sectarian disease, we will triumph together over this corona virus even in the absence of state interest and care.

As the group of workers against sectarianism, we call on ourselves and we invite all of the Iraqi people to:

1- Share food and vegetables within your neighbourhoods.
We have done this in the past crises as our history of social solidarity shows. Today, we should not forget that there are working class families that only have daily wages and live day by day and cannot afford to buy food for a week or month.

2- We must follow the instructions of the World Health Organization regarding the virus and its prevention. This includes sterilising hands with sterilisers, not touching things in public places, avoiding gatherings, not giving handshakes, kisses etc.

3- The state should intervene in the market to stop the greed of merchants who raise prices extremely. The state should also pay an unemployment insurance and improve the
“food ration card”, especially for unemployed families and precarious workers to protect them from the threat a hunger crisis.

4 – We call upon landlords to not take rents from tenants, such as families, restaurant- or shopowners for at least one month. For shopowners, rents might be be cut in half. We call on landlords to act humane as we live in difficult and harsh conditions in the world in general and in Iraq in particular.

5- We call on our heroic civil volunteer youth teams to carry out awareness campaigns in poor areas in particular. If possible, sterilisers and masks shall be distributed for free to citizens. You have always been present in all crises and ready to face all dangers.

6- We call on private companies to not cut the wages of workers who will be absent due to the curfew. This violates Iraqi labor law. If the state does not punish you today, workers will do one day!

Finally, we are a strong people in the face of crises. Whenever a crisis strikes us, we fight it off through our social solidarity, generousness, unity and steadfastness. Just as we have faced great crises such as ISIS, war, sectarianism and corruption, we can face this pandemic with optimism, hope and love for life.

We wish safety to all people in Italy, China, Iran, Germany, the rest of the world and in our dear country.

Workers against sectarianism