The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Students for Social Equality (ISSE) in Sri Lanka will hold a May Day meeting in Colombo on May 1 to mark the international workers’ day.

This May Day comes as the world economy enters its deepest crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Millions of jobs have been destroyed around the world. As the major powers turn to beggar-thy-neighbour policies, the dangers of militarism and war intensify.

The entire South Asian region has been hard hit. In Sri Lanka, the government has intensified its criminal war in the North, producing a human tragedy. The conflict has been used as a political weapon to divide workers along communal lines and impose the burdens of the economic crisis on working people.

The message of May Day—workers of the world unite—is a matter of practical necessity. Only by unifying on the basis of a socialist perspective can the working class put an end to the profit system, which is the root cause of war, poverty and the abuse of democratic rights. We invite workers, youth and intellectuals to attend and participate in the discussion.

Date and Time: May 1 at 3 p.m.

Venue: New Town Hall, Green Path, Colombo 7

Main Speaker: Wije Dias, SEP general secretary