Chris Saltmarsh explains the background to the launch of an important new labour movement campaign

The decades-long indigenous movement for freedom in West Papua is totemic. It represents protracted resistance against one of the last vestiges of brutal colonial occupation. In the face of genocide and ecological destruction, Papuans struggle for a vision for a peaceful and ecologically harmonious society free from military repression.

Supporting West Papua should sit comfortably alongside our solidarity with the peoples of Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela and others struggling for freedom from international capital and imperialism. Why, then, is this case so poorly understand on the British left?

West Papua is the western half of the island of New Guinea, the eastern half being Papua New Guinea. As Dutch colonisation was ending in the middle of the twentieth century, preparations were made for independence. However, this was short-lived as Indonesia invaded and has been the occupying power since 1962. Despite promises and a sham referendum, there has never been a democratic say over West Papua’s sovereignty. Instead, Indonesia occupies using military force.

A key element of the occupation is that international media and monitoring are banned. Although there have been some valiant efforts at reporting, this situation has limited the supply of information to the West compared to other freedom struggles.

Benny Wenda is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua’s (ULWMP) exiled leader and has lived as a refugee in the UK since the early 2000s. However, he is part of a tiny diaspora. As such, the movement has much less capacity to build solidarity in the West.

The relative lack of attention given to this occupation is perverse given the severity of genocidal and racist violence that Papuans are subjected to. It is estimated that over 500,000 people have been killed during Indonesian rule. Extrajudicial killings are a common response to uprisings and resistance. Raising the Morning Star Flag – the movement’s symbol of freedom – is illegal and results in imprisonment. Many elements of indigenous Papuan culture are criminalised, including growing dreadlocks.

On the ground, Papuans continue to experience military violence. Mass displacement serves to facilitate a regime of colonial extraction by Western corporations mining for oil, copper, gold and gas and conducting mass deforestation. American mining company Freeport is responsible for one of the world’s largest gold mines and the world’s third largest copper reserve. Fossil fuel company BP also profits from the operation of gas fields.

In 2020, the ULMWP announced an interim government with Benny Wenda acting as interim-President. Its stated aim is for a UN-supervised referendum on independence resulting in the establishment of a future Republic of West Papua. However, the Papuan vision is not to become just another capitalist state continuing the violence and extractions of their occupiers under new leadership. Instead, they have put forward a vision to become the world’s first green state.

A free West Papua would be a modern state based on green philosophy, green economics, green development policy and green life values. Economic growth and ‘development’ will be deprioritised in favour of combating climate change and making ecocide a criminal offense. On this basis, for leftists and environmentalists alike, the Papuan liberation movement should serve as a source of hope and inspiration. It should be a rallying point for internationalist solidarity as we profess our commitment to peace and global climate justice.

Labour Friends of West Papua (LFWP) is a new grouping within the Labour Party and labour movement aiming to take up this mantle. By engaging with Labour Party policymakers and organising through the Party’s policymaking process, LFWP will seek firstly to cement the place of West Papua in Labour’s foreign policy and general election manifesto.

In 2019, Labour’s manifesto pledged to “uphold the human rights of the people of West Papua”. As the occupation continues, we should go beyond this to call unequivocally for self-determination. As well, LFWP will seek to build the prominence of the West Papuan case across the labour movement so that it takes its rightful place and receives appropriate solidarity alongside other struggles for international justice.

LFWP is a grassroots formation and needs the support of many to achieve these goals. Activists can register their support by emailing lfwp@freewestpapua.org with the subject line ‘Expression of interest’.

Most imminently, you can attend the LFWP launch event in London at 6pm on 26th April. To help spread the word, you can invite Benny Wenda or another member of the LFWP team to speak at your branch or constituency Labour Party meeting, or your union branch, meeting by emailing the above address. Finally, activists can pass the LFWP Labour Party Conference motion which will be released soon.

Register to attend the launch event of Labour Friends of West Papua at 6pm on 26th April here.

Chris Saltmarsh is co-founder and National Coordinator at Labour for a Green New Deal. His book Burnt: Fighting for Climate Justice is available from Pluto Press.