I think there are many good points here:
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September 14, 2001
IN THE WAKE OF THE TERROR ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001
A statement from the Campaign for Labor Rights, based largely on a statement
issued September 13 by the Black Radical Congress (BRC).
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Terror Attacks of September 11, 2001
During this intensely sad and traumatic time, we extend our sincere and
heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those who lost
their life on September 11th. We also wish for the speedy and full recovery
of those who were injured, and we hope that in the aftermath of the attacks,
rescue crews can find as many people still alive as possible.
Campaign for Labor Rights condemns the horrific terrorist attacks of
September 11th, 2001 in New York and Washington, D.C. The brazen murder of
countless thousands of civilians cannot be supported or condoned. An
unknown number of our union sisters and brothers have been lost to the
combined attacks–Campaign for Labor Rights will rally support, beginning in
Washington, D.C. this weekend, for their families.
Here in Washington, D.C., we are experiencing something like nothing we’ve
ever felt before. It’s as if the fabric of our community has been torn, and
the smaller tasks of normal day-to-day life no longer seem important. From
talking with some of you from across the country and around the world, we
know that many of you feel similarly. Yet we are sending this Labor Alert
to let you know that we see hope and potential in these painful moments. We
know that sitting on the subway or walking around on the streets, we have
something deeply in common with people we may never have spoken to before.
This newfound common ground provides an opportunity to reach out to each
other, and to forge real, human connections with our neighbors and fellow
community members.
We also understand that there are many ways in which the tears in our
communities can be sewn back together. Our communities could be put back
together in reactionary ways, demanding a violent response from the US
government. Communities could rebuild themselves exactly as they existed
before, largely unquestioning of the way the US interacts with (and acts
upon) the rest of the world. Or we could stitch the fabric of our
communities back together in a way that pulls us all closer together. We
could build something out of this moment. We could talk to our neighbors
and community members about how they’re feeling, and we could create
something from this moment that won’t allow us to simply fall back into
“business as usual.”
It is without question that US imperialism has brought genocidal levels of
death and destruction to people around the world. Whether one looks at the
situation in Iraq with the continual blockade and air bombardments, the
situation in Palestine where the US continues to give virtually uncritical
support to the Israelis in their national oppression of the Palestinians, or
the low-intensity economic warfare against the vast majority of Central
America or any number of other places which perpetuates labor exploitation,
one clearly sees the callousness and evil intent with which US imperialism
treats the lives and property of others, especially non-white peoples around
the globe.
Yet, even with a firm understanding of the causes of the desperation, fury,
and hatred of US imperialism, turning to terrorism to fight global
oppression and exploitation is not an acceptable strategy. A clear and
unambiguous distinction must be made between radical/revolutionary political
action on the one hand, and terrorism on the other, regardless of whether
the causes that appeared to inspire the terrorist action(s) are just. Open
and unmitigated attacks on civilian targets do not advance
radical/revolutionary causes and must be repudiated. Rather, such attacks
inevitably antagonize the populace, weaken any existing popular support, and
help legitimize heightened levels of repression by the imperialist state
against all progressive/radical/revolutionary political activity,
including increased restrictions on the civil rights of the people.
We already hear, in the voices of those in power, calls for war and
vengeance. War and vengeance without a precise target, but striking out
blindly against civilians, is nothing more than self-serving egoism, and it
is exactly what has just happened in New York and Washington, D.C.
Given the track record of the US, this vengeance could include
indiscriminate bombings or missile attacks, such as the attack against the
Sudanese pharmaceutical laboratory two years ago, which was later found
not to have been connected with any sort of terrorist activity.
The dangers presented by the September 11th terrorist acts do not restrict
themselves to the external threat. We hear on television and radio calls for
changing the laws and regulations in order to make it easier to conduct
surveillance and to carry-out covert operations against potential opponents
of the US. Rather than accomplishing anything in terms of reducing the
threat of terrorism, such steps will eliminate basic civil liberties and
strengthen the existing tendency toward a racist and classist police state.
The police are already out of control and on the rampage in communities
across the country. We cannot afford to further unleash their undemocratic
and frequently racist and murderous behavior in the name of national
security.
We should add here that the terrorist attacks have also brought potential
damage to the growing anti-capitalist globalization movement. The ruling
class has been making noise for months about the demonstrations that
accompany the gatherings of capitalist globalizers. They have inferred that
these demonstrations will get increasingly out of control.
There is no question that the events of September 11th will be used as a
pretext to both discourage activity, as well as to clamp down on any and all
popular outrage with neo-liberal globalization. Campaign for Labor Rights
has heard that this crisis will be used to push forward that neo-liberal
agenda. Specifically, we have heard that Republican leaders intend to pass
a “broad economic stimulus package,” which will most likely include some
form of Fast Track, giving President Bush the authority to negotiate trade
deals with other countries with nearly no input from congress.
This is undoubtedly a crucial moment. We must not let the atrocities that
have already occurred to continue. We must demand that there be no violent
retaliation on the part of the US, and also that there be no violent,
undemocratic legislation pushed through in the haste to get “back on track.”
It is also critical in moments such as these that we as human beings fight
and resist popular impulses toward
scape-goating and racism. From almost the moment of the first attack on the
World Trade Center, there has been an assumption floated within the media
that Arabs or Muslim fundamentalists were behind the attacks. The reaction
to the attacks is reminiscent of what we witnessed immediately after the
Oklahoma City bombings. There was a widespread assumption that Arabs or
Muslims were behind the attack on the Federal Office building. Few
establishment observers expected, or led any of the public to expect, that
the terrorist could be – and was – a homegrown, white American
right-winger.
Therefore, it is important to reserve judgment until a more thorough
investigation is conducted. This is particularly important given the
anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab/anti-Muslim bias of the media. The automatic
assumption of the US media is that Palestinians specifically, and Arabs
generally, are animals, or at best, fanatics with no concern for human life.
The just Palestinian cause is rarely given credible time, and when offered,
generally dismissed by allegedly objective (but really pro-Israeli)
commentators.
Therefore, in the current situation of horror following these criminal acts,
we must actively oppose any and all “witch-hunting” and stereotyping which
is bound to emerge.
Yet another danger we currently face will be xenophobia and, general
anti-immigrant sentiment. This will almost inevitably be directed at
immigrants of color and particularly those who “look” like they might be of
Middle Eastern (North African) origin. The attacks on immigrants and the
condemnation of entire communities must be stopped before they escalate out
of control. We already see some of this happening with numerous reports of
anonymous death threats sent to Arab and Muslim institutions, as well as the
spray painting of racist slogans and direct, personal threats and attacks on
individuals who are assumed to be from the Middle East (North Africa). We
call on all clear-thinking people to be especially vigilant at this time in
making sure that in the aftermath of this tragedy, another tragedy born of
pain, anger, and hatred does not occur. True anti-racism may require us to
put ourselves at risk physically in order to defend Arabs and Muslims from
unwarranted attacks.
Lastly, we must not condone or be indifferent to the horrendous loss of
human life resulting from this tragedy, nor can we allow these horrific acts
to be used as an excuse to further repress Arab-Americans, Muslims, or those
perceived to be opponents of capitalist globalization.
As labor rights supporters, we understand the bloody history of the labor
movement in the US, and we understand that violent repression of workers and
organizers around the world persists today. Because we understand this
suffering, some of us more directly than others, we must show our full and
unqualified support and compassion for all those suffering as a result of
this horrible tragedy.
In Solidarity,
Campaign for Labor Rights
~please send any comments or feedback on this statement to: CLRDC@afgj.org
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