Egypt
Mubarak goes - clear out the entire regime!

No trust in the military chiefs! For a government of the representatives of workers, small farmers and the poor! Immediate elections to a revolutionary constituent assembly supervised by committees of working and poor people and the youth!

www.socialistworld.net, 11/02/2011
website of the committee for a workers’ international, CWI

Less than 24 hours after he declared he would stay until September, Mubarak has been forced to resign as Egyptian president. The increasing size of the demonstrations, and especially the working class’s collective entry into the struggle through a nationwide strike wave, marked a decisive new stage in the revolution. Mubarak’s last TV broadcast enraged the more than six million who were then protesting on Egypt’s streets and the indignation spread to the military, as reports came in of soldiers going over to the side of the demonstrators.

This turning point is a tremendous victory for all those who courageously fought Mubarak’s police state - the youth, the working class and the fighters in Tahrir Square. It is a huge example to workers and the oppressed around the world that determined mass action can defeat governments and rulers no matter how strong they appear to be.

However the battle is not over yet, dangers still remain. The unelected vice-president Suleiman, the Mubarak police state’s former head of intelligence, announced that the former president handed over power to the “High Council of the armed forces to administer the affairs of the country”. The new head of state, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, has been defense minister and the armed forces Commander-in Chief since 1991, nearly two-thirds of the time that Mubarak was in power. A BBC correspondent commented that “The army takeover looks very much like a military coup … because officially it should be the speaker of parliament who takes over, not the army leadership”.

In answer to this, the mass of the Egyptian people must assert their right to decide the country’s future. No trust should be put in figures from the regime or their imperialist masters to run the country or run elections. There must be immediate, fully free elections, safeguarded by mass committees of the workers and poor, to a revolutionary constituent assembly that can decide the country’s future.

Now the steps already taken to form local committees and genuine independent workers’ organizations should be sped up, spread wider and linked up. A clear call for the formation of democratically elected and run committees in all workplaces, communities and amongst the military rank and file would get a wide response.

These bodies should co-ordinate removal of the old regime, and maintain order and supplies and, most importantly, be the basis for a government of workers’ and poor representatives that would crush the remnants of the dictatorship, defend democratic rights and start to meet the economic and social needs of the mass of Egyptians.

Eyewitness report from Cairo’s Tahrir Square
[see also: articles in Arabic]

Socialistworld.net

Following huge demonstrations in Cairo and Alexandria yesterday, President Hosni Mubarak stated that he would step down in September. Protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square vowed however to continue their demonstrations to force Mubarak to leave office. This afternoon saw dramatic clashes as supporters of the discredited dictator attacked protestors, including with firearms, mounted on horses and camels, in a last-ditch attempt to intimidate demonstrators off the streets. Armed forces have thus far remained “neutral”, issuing an order for the dispersal of the gatherings of both sides.

Below, we publish an interview conducted by socialistworld.net before this afternoon’s events, with a CWI reporter in Tahrir Square, central Cairo.

socialistworld.net

What is happening now in Cairo?

“In Tahrir square and the streets around it, there are thousands and thousands of demonstrators – I’ve never seen anything like it. The demonstration started early morning and its now late evening (1 February). Even though there is officially a curfew, there are still a huge number of people left in the square. The crowd is dense and it is difficult to move through. The whole city centre is controlled by the protesters and completely cleared of police. There are still soldiers around but they are not very visible. Order is maintained by cross-religious defense squads; they check the documents of passers-by, check that there are no banned items that could be used for provocations and hand out leaflets with instructions of how to behave on the square. The level of self organization and of discipline is impressive. Medical centres and a press centre have been set up. There are canteens operating.

“One of the volunteers told me that yesterday he was checking passports and discovered a policeman (in Egyptian passports, the holder’s occupation is stated). He passed him over to the army. Apparently, there is an agreement to do that, although it is not clear what the army do with those police handed over. The police, the “keepers of order”, even when they are out of uniform are not allowed on the demonstration, because people think that they are likely to cause provocations, which in the current situation could end in tragedy.

“The demonstration is made up of groups standing around orators with megaphones, who are shouting out slogans or reporting important information. There are meetings taking place around the stalls of the different political parties. Amongst the demonstrators, there is a huge number of very militant youth, prepared to go to the end. There are many women participating in the protests. Everyone is shouting we will not leave until Mubarak leaves. “Once someone turned up, probably a provocateur, shouting that Mubarak had resigned but he was immediately interrupted by the protestors who shouted, “Don’t believe the rumours, no-one should leave the square until the president officially resigns.” And it has to be said that the slogans are not directed at one person but against the whole regime.

“The internet in Cairo is not working and sms messages do not get through, so there is a real information famine. At the moment, mobiles are working. The authorities have banned the broadcasting of Al-Jazeera. I met with the Head of the Cairo Bureau of Al-Jazeera who is living in a tent and co-coordinating the work of his correspondents and camera crews.

While I was walking through the crowds, I had an unexpected meeting. Some-one I didn’t know called out my name! He explained that I didn’t know him, but “I know you, you are my friend on facebook!” Apparently we had exchanged some comments about the situation in Egypt. It seems we “devirtualised ourselves”. Many people asked me what I was doing in Cairo and when I said that I had come specially to support their struggle, they were surprised and pleased. Tourists were also taking part in the protests; I heard people shouting slogans in Italian, in Spanish, other languages. I met two English people who had a placard pinned on them in Arabic – “Mubarak, it’s time to go, we need to take a shower!” Apparently there is no water in some of the hotels. Sometimes it was the Egyptians themselves who had written placards and leaflets in English, so that people passing by and watching television reports could understand what was going on. Because of the information blockade, people know little of the international protests in solidarity with their struggle, but when such reports got through they were warmly met.”

What are the demands of the protesters? What are their slogans?

“The demands are mainly social and democratic: the President should resign, demands for democracy and freedom of speech, for a new constitution, new elections at every level. I saw one woman with a placard saying “The army should defend us – yes. The army should rule us – no”. In other words, although the protesters are treating the army warmly, they have no desire for it to take over.

“Sometimes you can see progressive, if not very clear demands, such as “return what has been stolen from the people”, although there is no clear understanding of what this means or how to achieve it. I’ve seen slogans such as, “Tie wage levels to prices” and “For a $200 minimum wage”. But, in general, you do not see a thought-out programme or analysis. Another important demand is for the abolition of the emergency law, which has been implemented in Egypt for over 30 years and is used to repress any protest movements.

“All around, you can feel the mood rising, there is an explosion of protest energy which is reflected in all sorts of creative forms: the protestors are drawing placards, slogans on the tarmac, on the walls, on cars, on faces, clothes. All sorts of theatrical acts staged. There are thousands of leaflets distributed, as well as appeals, declarations - sometimes without signatures - just from individuals.”

What forces are involved in the protest?

“All sorts of different forces, Left, Rights and Islamist are involved. The Left and semi-Left groups are restricting themselves to democratic demands, that is, they are simply reflecting the demands of the masses. They call for the resignation of President Mubarak, new elections and a new constitution. But they are not carrying out any agitation around a socialist programme.

“The Islamists from the Muslim Brotherhood are, to all intents and purposes, were not participating in the protest. When it all started, they did not intervene. Now, under pressure from their rank and file, they have been forced to come out onto the streets. But they are having an almost insignificant influence on the slogans, demands and mood of the demonstrators. Once I witnessed a group of youth shouting democratic slogans and one of the “bearded ones” attempted to seize the initiative by shouting, “Allah Akbar”. But he got no response from the rest of the crowd - they just ignored him. Then he tried to get deeper into the crowd and continued to stubbornly shout until the crowd turned on him and told him to be quiet. “Allakh Akbar” is not a slogan, it does not call anybody to anything and it does not present any demands or programme. But when it came time for prayers, and the Islamists appealed to believers, a significant part of the demonstration participated. But straight afterwards the demonstration resumed by shouting democratic slogans. Nobody shouting for sharia law. There are also many women participating in the protests.

“I spoke with a number of Copts (Egyptian Christians), who are very numerous among the demonstrators. This is an important symptom. During New Year in Alexandria there was a terrorist bomb attack of a Christian church and this led to a very tense situation in the city and country. The Copts organized demonstrations, demanded security, and even shouted anti-Islamic slogans. But now the situation has been transformed. You can see how, literally over a few days, even hours, the united movement for democratic and social rights has united both Christians and Muslims. Unity in struggle is stripping away all superficial differences. I often see people wearing necklaces with a cross intertwined in a half moon – the symbol of unity between Copts and Muslims. When the church, in the form of the elderly patriarch, came out and publically supported Mubarak, even some of the Copts looked on this as a positive thing, arguing that now the Christians would have less faith in their holy figures and the church as a symbol of authority.

“The opposition has already formed a coalition of different parties, from the Left, Right and Islamist. They support the general demands of the masses but also demand that during the six months of transition, until the moment of Mubarak’s departure, that a government of ‘national salvation’ should be formed. During this period, they promise to organize elections at every level, and to produce a new draft constitution. “The Left, by participating in this coalition, is in effect, helping to hand power to that section of the bourgeois that is currently kept at a distance from power by the Mubarak regime. The slogans and demands of this coalition are being widely distributed and are not being opposed by the mass of protesters, even though the actual leading figures of the opposition are met with scepticism. This is especially the case with the former head of the International Atomic Authority, Mohammed Al-Baradei, who has only just returned to Egypt. But, so far, no-one else is raising any alternative programme, even on the Left.

“In the political vacuum that exists, which has already begun to be filled by the Right, the Left needs to be very active, distributing leaflets, proposing their alternative and building an organization – although there are practical problems getting ideas across in printed form, as all the shops are shut.”

The CWI calls for:

For mass workers’ action, including a general strike, for the immediate overthrow of Mubarak and the whole rotten, brutal regime

For full democratic rights immediately, including the right to assemble, to strike and to organise democratic independent trade unions

For the creation of democratically elected committees of mass struggle, and defence against state repression, in the workplaces, communities, schools and colleges, linked on local, regional and national scale, to spearhead the resistance

For rank and file committees of police and soldiers - Side with the masses & purge the officers and hierarchy

No to sectarianism – For the unity of all workers across religious lines

No trust in any new ‘national unity’ regime based on the interests of the ruling class and imperialism

For immediate and free elections to a revolutionary democratic constituent assembly - For a majority workers’ and rural workers’ government

For a living minimum wage, guaranteed jobs, a massive programme of house building, education and health

End the Egyptian blockade of Gaza – For self-determination for Palestine and for workers’ unity and mass action to overthrow dictators across the region

For the nationalisation of Egypt’s big corporations, the banks and large estates and their democratic planning to meet the needs of the masses not an elite

For a socialist Egypt and a socialist confederation of the region, on an equal and voluntary basis

Tragedy in Arizona: A Socialist Analysis

by Alan Jones, (from www.SocialistAlternative.org)

Commenting on Jared Loughner’s assassination attempt against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords on January 8th, when he seriously injured her, killed six others and injured another 13 people, Andrew Sullivan, a conservative blogger wrote: “There is no way to understand the politics of this without Palin. She has long been the leader of the movement that drapes itself in military garb, that marinates in violent rhetoric, that worships gun culture, that has particular ferocity in the state of Arizona, and that never ever apologizes for anything” (Guardian 1/11/11).

Since January 2009, when Obama took the oath of office, there have been (excluding the attack against Giffords) at least seven separate cases of political murder and dozens of attacks by unhinged right-wing elements. The reason why there have been so many killing sprees can be attributed to the deep economic crisis, as well as the rise of extremist right wing rhetoric, in the mass media. It is important to note that during the recent midterm elections, sections of the Tea Party movement and at least one Republican senatorial candidate were calling publicly for a “Second Amendment solution” to the political issues – i.e. the use of firearms.

It should also be noted that the killing spree took place in Arizona, site of the extreme right-wing “deport them all” immigration bill, SB 1070. This law would target not only immigrants but also those who looked “suspicious” of being undocumented. This contributed to the atmosphere of racism and tension in this state.

In a period of unprecedented economic crisis and mass unemployment, right wing demagogues like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Michael Savage among many others, have used Rupert Murdock’s Fox News and the vast right wing network of corporate-funded radio programs and blogs to target immigrants, homosexuals, socialists, public sector workers, unions and progressive activists. The election of Bill Clinton in 1992 was also followed by a vicious upsurge of political tensions and polarization from the right wing that culminated in the Oklahoma City federal building bombing in 1995 with hundreds of deaths of innocent workers including children.

The Assassin
The New York Times and Fox News both reported that the 22-year old Loughner may have links to a white supremacist website (“Suspect’s Odd Behavior Caused Growing Alarm,” NYTimes, 1/10/11). Other evidence also point to connections between Loughner and extreme right wing influences, including references to “treasonous” laws by the government, currencies not backed by gold, the “second” US Constitution, government mind control, etc (NYTimes, 1/10/11).

It is true that many of Loughner’s ideas are delusional, deranged and more laced with conspiracy theories than overtly political. But that is not the whole story. Crucial to understanding these events is the political climate. Giffords, a Jewish, conservative Democratic Congresswoman, had just won a close election against a right-wing Tea Party extremist candidate.

According to the New York Times, there had been threats of violence, including the smashing of the plate glass window of her Tucson office last March, because Giffords supported Obama’s health care bill, and opposed Arizona’s racist anti-immigrant profiling law. Due to the threats of violence, Giffords herself had said that she was armed and would defend herself if attacked.

At his first press conference, the sheriff of Pima County Clarence Dupnik spoke openly of the “the vitriol and rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from the people in the radio business and some people in the TV business,” which he said was related to the attack. Referring to racist measures against immigrants, he said that the state of Arizona has “become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” The sheriff was referring to the anti-immigrant hysteria and the activities of armed vigilantes along the border with Mexico in Arizona. In response to Dupnik’s comments about the circumstances that led to the massacre in Tucson, the state’s right wing media brazenly denounced him and called for his resignation!

Response by the Media and the Democrats
The New York Times commented that while it would be “a mistake” to attribute Loughner’s actions to Republicans or the Tea Party members, “it is legitimate to hold Republicans and particularly their most virulent supporters in the media responsible for the gale of anger that has produced the vast majority of these threats, setting the nation on edge.”

Commenting on the massacre, Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal wrote in an editorial that Loughner was “mentally disturbed,” “confused” and he targeted Giffords simply because she was “prominent.” Incredibly, another part of Murdoch’s media empire, the right wing Fox News which has been at the forefront of inciting demagogic, hateful and inflammatory rhetoric, denied any responsibility for the massacre. Fox News even demanded that Obama denounce those who want to blame anyone other than Loughner for the violence, as if Loughner had acted in a vacuum.

In their editorial the New York Times (1/09/11) wrote that Loughner “is very much a part of a widespread squall of fear, anger and intolerance that has produced violent threats against scores of politicians and infected the political mainstream with violent imagery.”

This “squall of fear” has given rise to a populist right-wing phenomenon within the Republican Party, as was shown in the gains they made in the last midterm elections on the basis of demagogic attacks. The right-wing propaganda by Fox News, the Tea Party, candidates like Michele Bachman and Sarah Palin against immigrants and unions became necessary as the ruling class looked to deflect blame for the crisis, create scapegoats and try to forestall united struggles of the working class.

While Obama and the Democrats call for unity and make appeals against violence, they are sending drones to kill civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are called on to salute the “bravery” of all politicians while they slash education and child care for our children and oversee a system that offers little hope for a decent future for people or the environment. Corporate domination and their political puppets are all to blame for a sick culture that creates isolation, alienation, violence and fear. The media fills the airwaves with stories about why you should be afraid of your neighbors while Glenn Beck says repeatedly that “the Republic is hanging by a thread.”

Far-Right Threat
According to the FBI, there was a 300% increase in threats against members of Congress in 2010, and over a 1,000 death threats a month against President Obama. In 2009, the Department of Homeland Security warned that “right-wing extremism” was increasing because of the economic downturn, the election of the first African American president, and pointed to the recruitment of returning vets into right-wing extremist organizations.

Bigoted, hysterical anti-Muslim attacks are now in the mainstream media and part of the Republican establishment. Just before September 11 last year there were several instances of arson, bombings and vandalism against mosques in Tennessee, Texas and Florida as well as the stabbing of a Muslim cabdriver in New York City.

The same could be said about the hysterical attacks against LGBT people from the right-wing mass media linking homosexuality with pedophilia, and even the calling for execution of gays by a series of far-right organizations, like the Traditional Values Coalition and the Family Research Council, that are all at the moment trying to enter the mainstream of the Republican party.

Hate crimes against Latinos increased 53% from 2003 to 2009 as right-wing demagogues like Lou Dobbs and Bill O’Reilly lied about the “illegal alien crime wave” and conspiracy theories about plans from Mexico to take over parts of the US. These ideas did not remain on the realm of rhetoric alone, but white supremacists and right wing militias like the Minuteman Project and the so-called Patriot groups started actively taking part in attacks against immigrants and their supporters across the country.

A Warning to Workers
The attack and serious injury of Gabrielle Giffords and the killing of six other people in Tucson was not a random event. It is a warning to working people about the serious political danger involved in the rise of the extreme right wing and the need to challenge their racist, militarist and anti-worker propaganda.

Because of the massive disappointment with the policies of the Democrats, there is a serious danger that the pro-corporate, well-organized, well-funded by billionaires, Tea Party will continue to build its forces across the country. Although the far right will initially become undermined by this event, they will become a battering ram against the interests of working class people who have suffered the most from the economic crisis.

The Democrats and the liberal left have shown that they are incapable of solving problems like mass unemployment and cuts in services which are fueling the “squall of anger.” Furthermore, the Democrats are incapable of taking on the Tea Party by exposing its corporate backing because they are also funded by the same corporate system.

Serious workers and young people recognize the danger that the rise of the Tea Party represents and the need to confront its ideas. The Democrats cannot do this. It is urgent to call on unions, immigrant workers organizations, antiwar groups, anti-cuts coalitions, and socialists to organize rallies and demonstrations against the Tea Party, exposing their true backers and their racist and militaristic, pro-corporate propaganda.

This should go hand in hand with serious mass campaigns to oppose the avalanche of budget cuts in education, health care and services coming on the state and city level. We need to prepare to run independent left candidates to put forward an independent working class, fighting program of good jobs, full benefits and an end to wars and racist scapegoating. In this way, we can start to deal with the real source of the enormous social discontent that is increasing in the US because of the devastation in the lives of tens of millions of ordinary people as a result of the crisis of capitalism.

The 4^th Annual New England Socialist Conference is entitled “We Won’t Pay for Their Crisis!”

*Featuring* Cindy Sheehan and Steve Early

Also: Socialists Debate the Tea Party

Saturday and Sunday, October 16^th and 17^th

UMass-Boston, Wheatley Building’s First Floor

Main sessions will be held in the Snowden Auditorium, and workshop venues will be clearly marked at the event.

Schedule Below

Saturday’s event will begin at 1pm with opening remarks and move on to the first main session on “The Economic Crisis and Working People.”

Speakers will include Alan Jones, a founding member of Socialist Alternative and regular writer for socialistworld.net.

Genevieve Morse, a shop steward in the Classified Staff Union at UMass-Boston, will also be speaking.

Saturday’s second main session will begin roughly at 3:30pm. This session will feature Cindy Sheehan, and it is entitled “Socialism: Why We Need It.”

Speakers at 3:30:

Cindy Sheehan is the country’s most prominent antiwar activist. Her courageous stand after the loss of her son in Iraq has continued as she strongly stands up against empire today.

Bryan Koulouris is an editor of Justice newspaper and a member of the Committee for a Workers’ International Executive Committee.

Sunday, October 17^th

With coffee and bagels, Sunday’s first main session will kick off at 10am. It is entitled “Labor’s Struggles in a Time of Crisis.”

Speakers at this session:

Steve Early will facilitate the discussion. Steve is a labor journalist, organizer and lawyer. He has written for the Boston Globe, Labor Notes, Counterpunch and many other notable publications.

John Harris recently helped spearhead a successful organizing drive at his job, getting a new bargaining unit of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers formed.

Marty Harrison is a nurse in Philadelphia. She recently helped lead a successful hospital strike at Temple University.

At around 11:30am, we will break out into a few small group discussions happening simultaneously in separate rooms.

1. Single Payer Health Care Isn’t Dead! — Ashley Fox, Architect of the Single-Payer bill in Vermont.
2. Why Unions Matter – Rob Mirabito, Carpenters Local 33 (personal capacity)
3. Racism in the age of Obama – Eljeer Hawkins, Bronx, NY author of “The State of Black America”
4. Socialism and the Environment – Joshua Koritz, member of AFSCME Local 3650 (personal capacity)

From 1pm to 2:30pm (on Sunday), we will have lunch on the site of the event.

From 2:30 to 2:45, we will gather in the Snowden Auditorium for announcements.

At around 2:45, we will begin another round of small group discussions, again happening simultaneously with four options.

1. Linking Labor and Immigrants’ Rights – Dorotea Manuela, activist with the Boston May Day Coalition.
2. Defending and Extending Public Education — Tom Crean, Chapter Leader in Brooklyn, NY for the United Federation of Teachers.

3War in Afghanistan and Pakistan — Mike Russell, a school site representative in Roxbury.
4. The Media and Capitalism – Jeff Booth, member of AFSCME Local 3650 and host of Socialist Alternative Radio on WMFO.

Around 4pm on Sunday, we will begin the debate between Socialist Alternative and the Tea Party.

Jesse Lessinger, a campaigner against cuts in higher education and a writer for socialistalternative.org will debate…

Loren Spivack, a prominent right-wing writer and lecturer known as the “Free Market Warrior.”

There is a suggested $10 donation for this event, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.