Socialist Party

  |  Updated: 9 February 2010  |  
Alternative search
Youth and workers demonstrate - Youth fight for Jobs demo, Visteon occupation, Birmingham council workers strike, photos P Mattsson, S O Neill
Youth Fight for Jobs demo in Barking, 13 March 2010, photo Aleksandrs Ivanov

Home|Join|Contact|Donate|Subscribe|Campaigns|News|Policy|Marxism|Videos|The Socialist|Socialism Today|Books|Links

Join the Socialist Party Join us today!

Printable version Printable version

email to friend email to friend

Share tools Share

Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/529/4005

The Socialist 16 April 2008

Global food prices: Anger erupts into mass protests

HUNGER AND malnutrition are getting far worse due to rising food prices. Even those fortresses of global capitalism, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, are worried about food prices rising around the world. Wheat prices went up by 130% in the past year, while rice prices rose by three-quarters.

By Jon Dale and Jan Rybak

World Bank president Robert Zoellick warned that spiralling prices could push a further 100 million people in poor countries into poverty and hunger.

It has been the mounting anger of working-class and poor people that pushed these big business representatives into statements of concern. There have been riots and protests in Egypt, Haiti, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and others of the countries suffering most from this food crisis.

In Egypt, 20% of the 78 million population already lives below the appalling poverty line of US$2 a day, with another 20% hovering just above. Around 4% of Egyptians live in extreme poverty.

Striking workers and youth fought with Egypt's police in the city of Mahalla al-Kubra on 6-7 April. At least two were shot dead. The largest factory in the Middle East, Misr Spinning and Weaving, (and with well-organised and militant workers) was occupied by hundreds of police.

Average household expenditure in Egypt on basic foodstuffs and services has risen by 50% since January. Families are lucky if they eat meat once a month. The staple diet of bread has soared in price despite subsidies, due to the higher cost of imported wheat and corrupt profiteering. In an attempt to reduce prices, President Hosni Mubarak cut custom duties on some imports on 2 April.

In the West African state of Ivory Coast, hundreds of thousands of people, mainly women, demonstrated in the streets of Abidjan against the massive price rises of food and fuel. Police baton charged the crowd and shot live bullets into the demonstration killing one woman.

After two days of mass protest, however, Ivorian president Gbagbo was forced to give in and reduce the price for staple foods and petrol.

There is no 'natural' shortage of food worldwide. In fact, last year's global grain harvest of 2.1 billion tonnes broke the previous record by 5%. Poor weather had an effect on some foods but many food prices are more affected by the taking over of agricultural land for biofuels, by spiralling oil prices and by the grossly unequal distribution of land and wealth.

The growing world economic crisis will hit hardest at the poor, both within nations and globally. The World Bank's emergency measures will at best only relieve the immediate effects of this crisis.

The victory for the workers and poor in the Ivory Coast and the potential strength of protests such as in Egypt worried the World Bank and IMF. They could see that there could be growing demands not just for protests but for wider movements, such as general strikes, against the price rises and the capitalist system that produces them.

Fuller reports on struggles in Egypt and Ivory Coast can be found on www.socialistworld.net

In this issue

'We're striking against low pay'

Birmingham strike

Editorial: 24 April strikes: step forward in pay battle


Unison witch-hunt

Unison witch-hunt: Defend 'the four'

Stop the witch hunts!

National Shop Stewards Network


Workplace news and analysis

Re-elect a fighting PCS leadership

News in brief


Global food crisis

Global food prices: anger erupts in mass protests

How the other 0.01% live


Socialist Party election campaign

Elections 2008

Health campaigners fight council cuts

Standing up for socialism: candidate list

Campaign for a New Workers Party - conference 2008


Socialist Party feature

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill: why all the controversy?


Socialist Party news and views

Housing crisis: Britain's house of cards

Tax attack hits low paid workers

Water 'regulators' hide real prices


International socialist news and analysis

Rising class struggles across Europe

Italian election: new Berlusconi victory will provoke mass opposition

France 1968: 10 million workers occupied factories

France 1968: month of revolution by Clare Doyle

The radical life of Martin Luther King


Socialist Students

Portsmouth Activists Academy day of debate


 

Home   |   The Socialist 16 April 2008   |   Join the Socialist Party

Subscribe   |   Donate   |   Bookshop

Related links:

Food:

Food for thought

Haitians abandoned, bankers rewarded

Haiti - disaster compounded by capitalism

Education: 'Try your best' is not enough

Tamil refugees in desperate situation

Global:

Copenhagen climate change talks: World powers reject urgent action

Fast news

More evidence of climate change: Socialist planning needed

Ivory Coast:

Imperialism in new occupation

Egypt:

Swine flu: The real issues behind the headlines

Egyptian regime: 'Scared that independent unions will succeed; scared a revolution will happen'

World Bank:

Bush's man at the World Bank in corruption scandal

Prague anti-capitalist protest Fight For Socialism

Poverty:

Haiti: Survivors shackled by huge debt and poverty

Haiti earthquake kills thousands - Impoverished masses face new disaster

Haiti:

Fast News

Haiti Earthquake - Natural Disaster, Unnatural consequences?

Capitalism:

Can Socialism Be Achieved Through Parliament?

Capitalism Is Killing The Planet

Biofuels:

Stop big business polluting our environment

Cameroon:

Support Francis Tienga Ngale

Policy

3/2/10

Capitalism

Weak growth - the best that capitalism can offer

3/2/10

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

TUSC - Trade unionist and socialist coalition: important step towards a new workers' party

Latest Posts

Press release: Sussex occupation gets bigger after mass demo

PCS ballot over Civil Service Compensation Scheme has begun

Over a hundred students occupy conference room at Sussex University

Leaflet: Defend the Civil Service Compensation Scheme - PDF

Defend free speech: mass campaign stall to challenge council clampdown

'Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil'

More ...

What's On

10 Feb Barnsley Socialist Party - Public Services Not Private Profit

13 Feb Leeds Youth Fight For Jobs Demo

13 Feb East Midlands Socialist Party regional conference

14 Feb Yorkshire Regional Socialist Party Conference 2010

16 Feb The 1930s depression - What happened after the Wall Street crash?

17 Feb The Role Of Trade Unions

More ...

On this site

News and views

Socialist news

Socialist policies

Marxist analysis

What we stand for

Online publications

The Socialist

Current issue

Previous issues

Subscribe to The Socialist

email The Socialist

Anti-capitalist cartoons

Socialism Today

Current issue

Back issues

Subscribe

Contact Socialism Today

Video and Audio

Current campaign videos

Historic struggles on video

You can

Join the Socialist Party

Learn more about joining

Donate: help us campaign

Send your comments

Subscribe to The Socialist

Young socialists

Youth Fight For Jobs

Youth and Students

Visit the ISR website

Socialist Students website

Campaign

Anti-capitalism

Anti-war campaign

Anti-privatisation

Campaign for a new workers party (CNWP)

Election campaigns

Environment

NHS campaign

Socialist women

Workplace campaigns

Youth and Students

More ...

International

Africa

Americas

Asia Pacific

Europe

Middle East

South Asia

Socialist Councillors

Socialist Councillors

Election campaigns

Coventry

Huddersfield

Lewisham

 Socialist Party groups

Black and Asian

Socialist Party LGBT

Socialist women

Socialist Party in Unison

Socialist Party PCS news

Questions

What is Socialism?

What About Russia?

Socialism and Terrorism

What is Marxism?

Which Countries are Socialist?

Bookshop

Buy socialist books online

Read online publications

Index of books

 Socialist Party docs

Perspectives for Britain and the world 2009

British Perspectives 2008

British Perspectives 2007

British Perspectives 2006

 Members' resources

Pay in The Socialist sales

Pay in Fighting Fund

Leaflets

Bulk book orders


Categories

1-9 

1-9 


Select articles from month:

February 2010

January 2010

December 2009

November 2009

October 2009

September 2009

August 2009

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

April 2009

March 2009

February 2009

January 2009

December 2008

November 2008

October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

July 2008

June 2008

May 2008

April 2008

March 2008

February 2008

January 2008

December 2007

November 2007

October 2007

September 2007

August 2007

July 2007

June 2007

May 2007

April 2007

March 2007

February 2007

January 2007

December 2006

November 2006

October 2006

September 2006

August 2006

July 2006

June 2006

May 2006

April 2006

March 2006

February 2006

January 2006

December 2005

November 2005

October 2005

September 2005

August 2005

July 2005

June 2005

May 2005

April 2005

March 2005

February 2005

January 2005

December 2004

November 2004

October 2004

September 2004

August 2004

July 2004

June 2004

May 2004

April 2004

March 2004

February 2004

January 2004