"International Student Movement"

The recent wave of austerity measures which has spread across the globe in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis is beginning to take effect in the United States. Public education has long been the “path to the middle class” for millions of Americans, but it is now in jeopardy. Across the United States, local governments are cutting funding for public education on a disturbing scale. As the cost of tuition has skyrocketed and overrun the meager limits placed on federal student aid, an entire industry of private student loans has sprung into existence. Variable interest rates as high as 20% are only making education all the more difficult to attain for the less affluent in America.

Here in Wisconsin the attack on public education has been thrust into the limelight. Governor Scott Walker and the Republican Party are attempting to consolidate their power by attacking public employees on a scale not seen in decades. In a recently passed piece of legislation which is presently being challenged in the courts, the Republican Party is attempting to strip collective bargaining rights from nearly every public employee in the state. They are attempting to remove the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the finest schools in the world, from the broader system of UW schools. At a time when college is already unaffordable for many in our society, they are attempting to raise tuition even higher. The cuts in funding for public education are already inducing layoffs of teachers across the state.

While these attacks are nakedly political in nature, they could result in the dismantling of one of the finer public education systems in the country. The struggle of students across Europe, Northern Africa, and the rest of the world is also our struggle.

The Autonomous Solidarity Organization is a coalition of activists which formed following the 18 day occupation of the Wisconsin State Capitol during the protests over the aforementioned legislation. We share the values of the International Student Movement and offer our full endorsement of the International Joint Statement.

One World. One Struggle.

Thomas M Bird
Co-Chair, Communications
Autonomous Solidarity Organization

-> asolidarity.org