G20 Summit: Capitalism facing 'make or break'

AHEAD OF the G20 summit, tens of thousands of trade unionists, left wingers, environmentalists, NGOs and aid charities took part in the peaceful 'Put People First' demonstration through central London last Saturday.

Youth Fight for Jobs and NO2EU on the 'Put People First' demo, photo Paul Mattsson

Given the mix of protesters, the slogan of the organisers was an all-encompassing 'Jobs, Justice and Climate'. But as members of the Socialist Party explained to people on the demo, the single cause of mass unemployment, social inequality and environmental destruction is the profit-driven system of capitalism.

US billionaire speculator George Soros commented last weekend that the world capitalist economy is facing "make or break" as far as a new economic depression is concerned. As such, the Socialist Party argued that industrial action, including the question of generalised strike movements to defend people's livelihoods and developing a broad socialist movement against capitalism, was the order of the day.

On the Socialist Party stalls at the assembly and end rally points hundreds of people signed our anti-capitalist petition, with many filling in our join cards and expressing an interest in joining the mid-week 'Youth for Jobs' G20 protest march through London. Hundreds of copies of The Socialist were sold to demonstrators, including trade unionists from France and Germany.