By Chris Saltmarsh

Indonesia’s occupation of West Papua is based upon a widely ignored genocide that should concern those of us on the British left far more. Since Indonesia invaded in 1962, following the end of Dutch colonisation, it has deployed military violence to impose a regime of ecological destruction. Western corporations mine West Papua’s oil, gas, copper and gold resources with profits offshored.

As West Papuans continue their valiant struggle for independence, their freedoms are severely restricted with cultural and political expressions banned and often met with imprisonment. International media and political observers are also banned as the Indonesian state seeks to hide their crimes from global civil society.

To counter this example of contemporary colonialism, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULWMP), led by Benny Wenda, has developed a Green State Vision to articulate a plan for an independent West Papua. The vision combines traditional Indigenous knowledge, modern political systems and radical ecological ambitions to provide genuine leadership to the global climate justice movement.

Labour Friends of West Papua was launched in 2023 to provide support to the ULWMP’s struggle through the structures of the Labour Party. To complement this initiative, Workers for West Papua is now being launched to advance solidarity with West Papua across the UK labour movement more widely.

Supporting West Papua should sit comfortably alongside British trade unions’ pre-existing commitments to solidarity with the people of Palestine as they resist genocide in Gaza and occupation more widely. So too is West Papuan solidarity consistent with our support for the Cuban and Venezuelan revolutions, and for those fighting imperialism, for example, in Colombia and Nicaragua.

Workers for West Papua aims to raise consciousness among British workers about the situation West Papuans face such that it is understand on a par with these other contexts. To do so, Workers for West Papua can provide speakers for union events, meetings and conferences. Furthermore, we can draw on our organising experience to help supporters pass motions to formalise solidarity between their union and West Papua.

Workers for West Papua is a new initiative and we need your help to grow. You can start by attending our inaugural event in London on Tuesday 27th February 2024 (6pm at May Day Rooms, 88 Fleet Street). If you aren’t London-based, but are keen to be involved, you can get in touch to help organise an event where you live. You can also help by building support in your own union branch and beyond, including taking a model motion which we can provide.

Chris Saltmarsh is a co-founder of Labour for a Green New Deal and a member of Workers for West Papua & Labour Friends of West Papua. Get involved in Workers for West Papua by emailing: lfwp@freewestpapua.org