In August 1945, the Vietnamese people led by the Communist Party and President Ho Chi Minh won their independence putting an end to 80 years of French domination. However almost immediately the Vietnamese people were forced into a long, bloody and drawn out war that lasted for 30 years fighting off the French who were backed by the English army and finally a US invasion that caused the death of almost 2 million Vietnamese. This workshop will look at the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people, the lies used to justify the invasion, the motives of U.S imperialism and the ideology of the communist guerrilla's that were able to defeat the worlds most powerful military-industrial machine and regain independence for their country. It will also consider the historic significance of the victory in light of imperialism's current interventions in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Andrew Martin is a member of the RSP and an activist engaged in the refugee rights movement. He is also an active trade unionist and resisted the privatisation of Queensland Rail where he was a delegate for the AMWU. His first protest was M1 in 2001 where anti-globalisation protesters successfully shut-down the Sydney stock exchange despite the heavy handedness of the police. He currently resides in Perth and works as a Mechanical Fitter in the railways.
for workshop times: click here to download agenda
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