Statement of Solidarity with Black Liberation
Progressive Filipino youth and student organization, Anakbayan Toronto, condemns the brutal attacks and murder on Black lives. We join concerned community members to demand justice for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, George Floyd, and all Black lives. We extend our deepest condolences and mourn with their loved ones and communities.
On May 27, Regis Korchinski-Paquet died after Toronto police visited her home. According to her family, the Toronto police told news outlets to refrain from visiting the scene as they deemed Regis’ death a “suicide”. The death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet comes two days after the killing of George Floyd, a 46 year old Black man who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis, United States.
Filipinos in Toronto are no stranger to the state violence purported by the police. May 21, 2020 marks the 16 years since the fatal shooting of Jeffrey Reodica. Jeffrey, an unarmed 17 year old Filipino from Scarborough, was shot three times by plainclothes Toronto Police. The Special Investigations Unit cleared the constable, citing the shooting as “justifiable”.
Back in our homeland, the US-backed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) enforces the US imperialist agenda by executing the urban poor, indigenous peoples, unionists, and activists with no remorse.
For centuries, the bourgeois State emerged to protect the interests of the ruling class’ imperialist agenda by employing militarization against the people. The State uses these weapons to harass, attack, murder and systemically oppress Black, Indigenous, Brown, poor, low-income, marginalized, and working class communities.
The State founded itself on the backs of enslaved Black people and the genocide of the Indigenous peoples of this land, made possible through exploitation and usage of anti-Black racism. We acknowledge we must address anti-Black racism as part of our anti-imperialist struggle – by working to educate our community, mobilize and organize our community for the liberation of all oppressed peoples of the world.
Today, we join the thousands of people around the world to uplift the revolutionary standpoint and people power of the Black community to demand an end to this unjust, exploitative system. Anakbayan Toronto calls on and invites other Filipino youth to join the national democratic movement to rise in solidarity for Black liberation. None of us are free until we are all free.
Resist the colonial, imperialist state force together!
Stop the killings!
Black lives matter!
Long live international solidarity!
#JusticeForRegis
#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd
#JusticeForBreonnaTaylor
#BlackLivesMatter
Anakbayan Toronto 