American communists under attack

Party statement

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Proletarian writersParty statement

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The oppressed people of the world are striking out against imperialism. Blow after blow, they inflict defeat after defeat. Bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq, the vast resources of US and British imperialism are being squandered fighting a losing battle against the peoples of the earth and the tide of history.

Anti-imperialist struggles are being heroically waged in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, where the people have suffered at the sharp end of imperialism’s vicious assault on human dignity. But in their fight against imperialism, the oppressed peoples of the world are not alone; they are joined by many thousands of progressive and peace-loving people in the centres of imperialism, who understand that every blow against imperialism is a blow against their own ruling classes.

The British anti-war and anti-imperialist movement must stand in solidarity not only with those fighting imperialism at the front line, but with our fellow activists and internationalists in the imperialist centres. The murders aboard the Mavi Marmara serve as a profoundly stark warning to us all about what happens when imperialism is challenged.

In the United States on 24 September, FBI agents began an assault on leaders and activists from the growing anti-imperialist movement that has arisen there in recent years. Comrades involved with a variety of political groups, particularly those connected with Palestine and Colombia solidarity, had their houses raided and their possessions taken. Especially targeted were members of the communist Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The warrants that were issued attempted to brand those arrested as ‘sympathisers and supporters’ of ‘terrorist’ groups, ie, those that put up resistance to imperialist hegemony. Members of groups such as the Colombia Action Network or Students for a Democratic Society have had all manner of personal items seized, from computers and laptops, to photographs and passports.

Clearly, the US government wants to intimidate people away from joining anti-imperialist activity, and to find any legal technicality they can that will help them brand communists and anti-imperialists as criminals. This is especially important for the US ruling class at a time when the economic crisis is causing it to make tremendous attacks on its own working class, attacks which cannot but radicalise large sections of the population as they find their jobs, houses and social security taken away.

The CPGB-ML stands in whole-hearted solidarity with these comrades. We will do everything in our power to bring the issue to the attention of the British anti-war and anti-imperialist movements. As imperialism slides deeper into crisis, we can expect that the regularity and ferocity of these infringements upon civil liberties will increase.

We take the opportunity to send our comrades in the USA our heartiest congratulations at arousing the fury of the state forces, and we promise to redouble our own efforts here in Britain. As Marx rightly stated many years ago, “No nation that oppresses another can itself be free.” Our futures are bound together. Long live proletarian internationalism!

For more information see:

fightbacknews.org

workers.org

Read about how the US deals with internal anti-capitalists