We live in a perilous moment, one when the specter of a new Red Scare
looms closer by the day. But we cannot allow state repression, whether
threatened or realized, to achieve its intended aim of demobilizing or
disorganizing our social movements and political organizations. To
counter these attacks our only option is to build a solidarity that is
both broad and principled. ---- Over the last several years the
Palestine solidarity movement has borne the brunt of repression brought
down by the federal government. High profile student organizers like
Mahmoud Khalil have been imprisoned and are now fighting deportation
while the state works to compile a blacklist of other movement participants.
More recently, as efforts to defend communities from ICE occupation have
ramped up, so too has the repressive reaction. Organizations such as
Unión del Barrio, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as well as
other left and anti-war groups have been made the target of an
escalating 'investigation' by the House of Representatives. Despite our
deep political and practical criticisms of some of these organizations,
we recognize that an attack on them today only paves the way for attacks
on the rest of us tomorrow.
The latest pretext for crackdowns has come in the wake of Charlie Kirk's
assassination. It does not matter that the alleged shooter had no ties
to the organized left or social movements. No sooner had the shot been
fired than was the right promising to use the state's repressive arm to
indiscriminately 'go after left-leaning organizations'. Similarly, the
aim of Trump's executive order declaring 'antifa' a domestic terrorist
group is not to break up any specific organization, but to create a
legal pretext that enhances the prosecution of any individual or group
the state argues fits their ambiguous definition.
The overriding purpose of these attacks, investigations, and bluster is
to create a climate of fear and demobilization. The reactionary right
understands that in our deeply atomized society, these tactics can
effectively convince people that keeping their heads down will guarantee
safety. We know this could not be further from the truth. Not only does
individualized silence make us more vulnerable, history has shown time
and time again that vigorous and public solidarity is our most powerful
means for collective self-defense.
What this looks like in practice will depend on the specific kinds of
repression used. In general it means that we commit to standing
shoulder-to-shoulder with different formations of the organized left
when they are facing state-directed attacks. We can maintain our
criticisms and independence from one another while recognizing that we
are dramatically weaker when driven apart.
We affirm our commitment to organizing towards our ultimate objective of
libertarian socialism and to defending the interim gains our movements
have won. We will meet the state's efforts to silence us, or to compel
us to keep quiet, by becoming louder. When the state tries to chill us,
we will turn up the heat. Instead of demobilizing, we will redouble our
efforts to build strong social movements and a culture of mass
resistance. Only through active solidarity and organized self-defense
will we counter the repressive tactics of the state and ruling class.
Black Rose/Rosa Negra Anarchist Federation
https://www.blackrosefed.org/solidarity-shield-anti-repression/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
looms closer by the day. But we cannot allow state repression, whether
threatened or realized, to achieve its intended aim of demobilizing or
disorganizing our social movements and political organizations. To
counter these attacks our only option is to build a solidarity that is
both broad and principled. ---- Over the last several years the
Palestine solidarity movement has borne the brunt of repression brought
down by the federal government. High profile student organizers like
Mahmoud Khalil have been imprisoned and are now fighting deportation
while the state works to compile a blacklist of other movement participants.
More recently, as efforts to defend communities from ICE occupation have
ramped up, so too has the repressive reaction. Organizations such as
Unión del Barrio, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as well as
other left and anti-war groups have been made the target of an
escalating 'investigation' by the House of Representatives. Despite our
deep political and practical criticisms of some of these organizations,
we recognize that an attack on them today only paves the way for attacks
on the rest of us tomorrow.
The latest pretext for crackdowns has come in the wake of Charlie Kirk's
assassination. It does not matter that the alleged shooter had no ties
to the organized left or social movements. No sooner had the shot been
fired than was the right promising to use the state's repressive arm to
indiscriminately 'go after left-leaning organizations'. Similarly, the
aim of Trump's executive order declaring 'antifa' a domestic terrorist
group is not to break up any specific organization, but to create a
legal pretext that enhances the prosecution of any individual or group
the state argues fits their ambiguous definition.
The overriding purpose of these attacks, investigations, and bluster is
to create a climate of fear and demobilization. The reactionary right
understands that in our deeply atomized society, these tactics can
effectively convince people that keeping their heads down will guarantee
safety. We know this could not be further from the truth. Not only does
individualized silence make us more vulnerable, history has shown time
and time again that vigorous and public solidarity is our most powerful
means for collective self-defense.
What this looks like in practice will depend on the specific kinds of
repression used. In general it means that we commit to standing
shoulder-to-shoulder with different formations of the organized left
when they are facing state-directed attacks. We can maintain our
criticisms and independence from one another while recognizing that we
are dramatically weaker when driven apart.
We affirm our commitment to organizing towards our ultimate objective of
libertarian socialism and to defending the interim gains our movements
have won. We will meet the state's efforts to silence us, or to compel
us to keep quiet, by becoming louder. When the state tries to chill us,
we will turn up the heat. Instead of demobilizing, we will redouble our
efforts to build strong social movements and a culture of mass
resistance. Only through active solidarity and organized self-defense
will we counter the repressive tactics of the state and ruling class.
Black Rose/Rosa Negra Anarchist Federation
https://www.blackrosefed.org/solidarity-shield-anti-repression/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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