Today marks the 39th anniversary of the cowardly assasination of Bayan Secretary General Lean Alejandro. His killing starkly underscored and further exposed the continuing dominance of fascist forces even after the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship. It highlighted the fact that the brutal machinery that propped up the Martial Law regime was never dismantled. Those who enforced the draconian rules laid down by the tyrant were never held to account for their grave crimes against the people.
Today, we remember and honor the young Lean and many others who were killed because they defied the dictatorship and then stood fast against successive puppet fascist regimes.
We hail the revolutionary activism of Lean and the generations before and after him, who fought for genuine freedom and democracy against all odds. They continue to inspire us today as we confront another Marcos in Malacañang and the scourge of impunity and tyranny enabled by the entrenched rule of political dynasties, big landlords, the comprador class, and their foreign patrons led by US imperialism.
The best tribute we can give to Lean and the unsung heroes of Martial Law and the fascist state is to continue the unfinished struggle for national and social liberation. Their legacy is reaffirmed in every protest denouncing feudal oppression, foreign plunder and intervention, and widespread bureaucratic corruption and abuse. The mass struggles they initiated and led continue to guide the people’s movement demanding accountability and justice.
On September 21, we will march again in Manila and across the country to denounce the puppet fascist Marcos Jr. regime. Then and now, Marcosian tactics are used to quell protests: weaponization of laws, overkill deployment of police, spreading fear and harassment in urban poor communities, and demonization of those who protest against anti-people policies and programs. These state terror tactics will fail to stop our people from carrying forward the continuing struggle for nationalism and democracy.
Long live the legacy of #LeanAlejandro!
Raise high the banner of patriotic Filipino youth!
Makibaka, huwag matakot!
Panagutin ang papet, pasista, korap, at pahirap na Rehimeng Marcos Jr!