• Estado de la nación • Rebelión de Glenville 12

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 57, No. 6 Feb. 12, 2015 $1

After voting down austerity Madrid, 8 Greek masses expect change Maneuvers begin as bankers push back

By Fred Goldstein Bus drivers pack court despite blizzard The new left social-democratic government of the Syriza party was swept into office in on an an- ti-austerity program on Jan. 25. The party targeted the harsh neoliberal cutbacks, budget cuts and privatization imposed by the “Troika” — the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission. The new government immediately took concrete measures against the austerity program imposed by the banks. As the Jan. 28 British Guardian put it: “One by one [the austerity measures] were rolled back, blitz- krieg-style, mercilessly, ruthlessly, with rat-a-tat effi- ciency. “First the barricades came down outside the Greek parliament. Then it was announced that privatization schemes would be halted and pensions reinstated. And then came the news of the reintroduction of the 751- euro monthly minimum wage. … “After that, ministers announced more measures: the scrapping of fees for prescriptions and hospital visits, the restoration of collective work agreements, the re- hiring of workers laid off in the public sector, the grant- ing of citizenship to migrant children born and raised in Greece.” The measures that Syriza announced concerning an end to privatization and restoration of the workers’ stan- dard of living are estimated to cost 13.2 billion euro. Despite the fact that Greece owes the Troika 240 billion euro, the Syriza government did not ask permission to break the austerity pact, which these measures surely do. (As of Feb. 2, 1 euro equals $1.13) drivers and their supporters turned out en masse to defend fired leader. See story page 3. These acts sent a wave of hope through the broad masses and shock waves into the boardrooms of finance capital. DEADLY TOLL CONTINUES Austerity for masses equals aid to bankers 5 Previous governments had planned to raise funds by Protests of police killings in Baltimore, Atlanta selling off to private capitalists and developers Greece’s two biggest ports, several airports, its power utility, a refinery and other public facilities, along with layoffs and cutbacks in workers’ wages, pensions and health BLACK LIBERATION benefits. All this was going to be done to pay for the bank loans made to previous Greek capitalist governments. 6-7 It is worth noting that, in fact, the Greek government MONTH is not really sovereign. It has no control over its curren- cy, a vital function of any capitalist state. Control of the currency lies in Frankfurt, Germany’s financial center. • African Burial Ground The background to Syriza’s electoral victory is years of economic hardship, leading to years of mass struggle Continued on page 9 • Right to rebel • Louisiana slave revolt SUBSCRIBE TO • honored WORKERS WORLD n 4 weeks trial $4 n 1 year subscription $30 Sign me up for the WWP Supporter Program workers.org/articles/donate/supporters_/ POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER 4 Podemos in Spain 8

Name ______Oil train derails in Philly France detains children 8 Email ______Phone______Israeli attack on Syria 11 Street ______Editorials 10 City / State / Zip ______No arms for Kiev regime! Workers World 212-627-2994 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl, NY, NY 10011 workers.org Bratton and protests Page 2 Feb. 12, 2015 workers.org

BLACK HISTORY MONTH  In the U.S. MATTERS: Bus drivers pack court for union militant ...... 3 On the picket line ...... 3 SUPPORT Second near-disaster as shale oil train derails ...... 4 Oakland WWP hosts resistance fighters ...... 4 WW ‘Don’t privatize Oakland schools!’ ...... 4 Tribute held for MOVE 9 member Phil Africa ...... 4 Baltimore: Killings by police continue despite protests . .5 Atlanta cop kills 911 caller ...... 5 African Burial Ground exposes slavery in . 6

WW PHOTO: JOE PIETTE The case of Ahmed Evans ...... 6

ongoing protests in Ferguson and the national movement Louisiana’s African slave revolt of 1811 ...... 7 that exploded after grand juries failed to indict the racist Harlem march honors Malcolm X ...... 7 cops who killed Brown and unarmed Eric Garner in Staten  Around the world Island, N.Y. Our coverage of the Black struggle here and around Greek masses expect change ...... 1 The Black Lives the world is based on the principle of supporting national Mass anti-austerity rally clogs Madrid ...... 8 Matter movement, self-determination: Oppressed people have the right to Banks bailed out — themselves ...... 8 fight to end all forms of inequality and injustice — by any which started in response Anti-Islam frenzy in France targets kids ...... 8 to the killing of unarmed means necessary. Those words were first spoken by the Some basic facts about Greece ...... 9 Michael Brown by a racist great Malcolm X, assassinated 50 years ago on Feb. 21, Why Washington fuels Kiev’s war on Novorossiya . . . . . 10 cop in Ferguson, Mo., is 1965. the latest heroic chapter in If you appreciate this coverage, it’s time to join the Syria says Israeli attack helps al-Qaida ...... 11 the centuries-long struggle Workers World Supporter Program. Please help us continue to end the vile saga of racism to publish anti-racist, working-class truth and build the  Editorials and national oppression, struggles needed to make revolutionary change. Bratton and protests ...... 10 including slavery, that permeates the history For the past 38 years, WW subscribers have helped No U.S. arms for Kiev regime! ...... 10 and everyday reality of life in the United States. maintain the paper by joining the WW Supporter Program. We invite you to sign up today! Write checks to Workers Black History Month, founded in 1926, is in essence  Noticias en Español Black Liberation Month. As part of our commemoration, World Fund Drive. Send them to Workers World, 147 W. 24th Workers World will write about some of the many sacrifices St., 2nd floor, New York, NY 10011. Include your name and Lo que Obama omitió ...... 12 and struggles carried out by people of African descent to address. Or donate online at workers.org/articles/donate/ Cómo la Rebelión de Glenville ganó brevemente throw off their chains and end institutionalized racism. It’s also possible to contribute there by joining the Work- control comunitario en 1968 ...... 12 But WW doesn’t just cover the Black struggle in Febru- ers World Supporter Program and giving either a lump sum ary. We write about the struggle against racism in depth or a monthly donation. Be sure to check it out. all year, every year. WW has had continual coverage of the And thanks!

Workers World 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl. New York, N.Y. 10011 Phone: 212.627.2994 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.workers.org Vol. 57, No. 6 • Feb. 12, 2015 Who we are & what we’re fighting for Closing date: Feb. 3, 2015 Editor: Deirdre Griswold Hate capitalism? Workers World Party fights for a ­degrading people because of their nationality, sexu- Technical Editors: Lal Roohk, Andy Katz ­socialist society — where the wealth is socially owned al or gender identity or disabilities — all are tools the Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, LeiLani Dowell, and production is planned to satisfy human need. This ruling class uses to keep us apart. They ruthlessly Kris Hamel, Monica Moorehead, Gary Wilson outmoded capitalist system is dragging down workers’ super-exploit some in order to better exploit us all. West Coast Editor: John Parker living standards while throwing millions out of their WWP builds unity among all workers while support- Contributing Editors: Abayomi Azikiwe, jobs. If you’re young, you know they’re stealing your ing the right of self-determination. Fighting oppres- Greg Butterfield, G. Dunkel, Fred Goldstein, sion is a working-class issue, which is confirmed by future. And capitalism is threatening the entire plan- Martha Grevatt, Teresa Gutierrez, Larry Hales, et with its unplanned, profit-driven stranglehold over the many labor struggles led today by people of color, Berta Joubert-Ceci, Cheryl LaBash, the means of production. immigrants and women. Milt Neidenberg, Bryan G. Pfeifer, Betsey Piette, Workers built it all — it belongs to society, not to WWP has a long history of militant opposition to im- Minnie Bruce Pratt, Gloria Rubac a handful of billionaires! But we need a revolution to perialist wars. The billionaire rulers are bent on turning Technical Staff: Sue Davis, Keith Fine, Bob McCubbin make that change. That’s why for 56 years WWP has back the clock to the bad old days before socialist revo- Mundo Obrero: Teresa Gutierrez, Berta Joubert-Ceci, been building a revolutionary party of the working lutions and national liberation struggles liberated terri- Donna Lazarus, Carlos Vargas class inside the belly of the beast. tory from their grip. We’ve been in the streets to oppose Supporter Program: Sue Davis, coordinator We fight every kind of oppression. Racism, sexism, every one of imperialism’s wars and aggressions. Copyright © 2014 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of articles is permitted in any medium Contact a Workers World Party branch near you: workers.org/wwp without royalty provided this notice is preserved. Workers World (ISSN-1070-4205) is published weekly National Office Bay Area Cleveland Houston Pittsburgh except the first week of January by WW Publishers, 147 W. 24th St. 2nd Fl. 1305 Franklin St. #411 P.O. Box 5963 P.O. 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[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] New York, N.Y. 10011. workers.org Feb. 12, 2015 Page 3 On the picket line Despite historic blizzard By Matty Starrdust and Sue Davis U.S. oil workers strike Shell Bus drivers pack court The United Steelworkers called a strike on Feb. 1 at nine plants run by Royal Dutch Shell on behalf of several companies, including Exxon Mobil and Chevron. The re- for union militant fineries on strike account for 10 percent of U.S. refining capacity; they can produce 1.82 million barrels of fuel a day. This is the biggest walkout since 1980, an action which lasted three months. The union has rejected five offers by Shell since talks began on Jan. 21. Bloomberg reported Feb. 2, “While only one of the nine plants has curbed production amid the stoppage, a full walkout of USW workers would threaten to disrupt as much as 64 percent of U.S. fuel output. Shell and union officials began negotiations amid the biggest collapse in oil prices since 2008.” Analysts estimate that if the strike grows, it could negatively affect the price of oil worldwide. The USW represents 30,000 employees at 230 refineries, terminals, pipelines and chemical plants in the U.S. According to a Feb. 1 USW statement, Shell walked out of negotiations and refused to return to the ta- ble on Jan. 31 when the contract expired. The major issues include wage increases; “onerous” overtime; unsafe staffing levels; dangerous conditions like daily fires, emissions, leaks and explosions that threaten local communities; and “flagrant” contracting out that WW PHOTO: GERRY SCOPPETTUOLO threatens health and safety on the job. USW Vice Pres- Members and supporters of Local 8751 defy blizzard to pack court. ident Tom Conway noted, “The industry is the richest in the world and can afford to make the changes we of- By Tony Murphy with a dangerous weapon” (a table) — are 100 percent fered in bargaining. The problem is that oil companies Boston false. The nonexistent case is motivated by the desire ... continue to value production and profit over health of the Boston city establishment to break the fighting and safety, workers and the community.” Feb. 2 — A record-breaking snowstorm has shut school bus drivers union — a desire that also drove the down streets, schools and airline flights throughout the illegal firing of four union leaders in 2013. Northeast. With 34.1 inches of snow since Jan. 27, this The progressive, fightback record of this union was Delta flight attendants want union is now Boston’s snowiest week since modern weather re- shown by the many community supporters at the trial Almost 12,000 Delta Airlines flight attendants, cords began in 1891, according to the Weather Channel. and afterwards at an indoor courthouse rally. Long- approximately 60 percent of the workforce, have signed This did not stop 75 people from packing the court- time allies of Local 8751 — former City Councilmember union cards calling for representation by the Machin- room to overflowing at Dorchester District Court to- Chuck Turner; Sandra Macintosh, of the Coalition for ists union. If Delta’s more than 20,000 flight attendants day. It was another powerful show of support for the Equal Quality Education; and Lisa Owens, one of the elect to join IAM, they will have earned the distinction Boston School Bus Drivers Union and its founder Steve founders of the youth activist group Free My People — of leading the largest successful transportation indus- Kirschbaum. were joined by new supporters such as Jackson. He is try organizing drive in history. Getting around in Boston is not easy today. But the with a group of activists who shut down Boston’s I-93 Longtime Delta flight attendant Gabe Perez asserted: militant school bus drivers, 95 percent of whom are Hai- in protest of racism a few weeks ago. His trial will be on “We are the reason Delta is the world’s most profitable tian, Cape Verdean and African American, turned out, Feb. 20 in Somerville District Court. carrier and leads the industry in almost every financial along with community supporters. All wore bright yel- Martha Grevatt, a United Auto Workers supporter and operational measure. Yet, we lag the industry in low stickers supporting United Steelworkers Local 8751. who traveled from Detroit with three youth activists to wages, benefits and work rules. That will change once Members of the Disabled People’s Liberation Front attend the trial, spoke to the rally about growing nation- we win our election and negotiate the industry-best made the difficult trip through the snow via wheelchairs al support for the Boston School Bus Drivers Union. A contract we deserve.” (Workday Minnesota, Jan. 13) to support the union. recent resolution was passed by United Steelworkers Forced by subpoena to appear were the bosses of the Local 1299, representing workers at Great Lakes Steel. NYC retail workers’ organizing school bus company, Transdev (formerly Veolia), who This was on the heels of a resolution passed by the sat glumly waiting to be called for the frame-up case Alameda Central Labor Council in California and dona- pays off they are responsible for. tions from the Massachusetts Nurses Association and After eight months of organizing for better working However, the snow prevented jury selection from Food and Commerical Workers Local 1549. conditions, including more hours, advanced notifica- taking place today — leading the judge to postpone it to Veolia/Transdev and its Boston political backers tion of schedules, better pay and dignity, workers at March 3. But before that happened, 21 witnesses for the hoped in July that they could derail the growing sup- Zara stores, a clothing chain in Manhattan, are seeing defense were ordered to appear for the next court date. port for this community-based social union with the the results of their efforts. Zara announced in early The prosecution is calling two witnesses. repressive power of the state. Since then, the union has January that every one of its employees would receive The 21 witnesses were among over 100 people who not only continued to fight the attack on its members pay increases, some as much as $2.50 an hour. Manage- were present at an impromptu indoor union rally last but also jumped into the national uprising against police ment also promised workers more full-time positions. June 30. They will testify that the charges against brutality with both feet. The workers began organizing #ChangeZara last May Kirschbaum — trespass and a serious felony “assault Local 8751 formally endorsed and donated $1,000 to with the help of the Department Store union and the Boston . The two groups collaborat- Retail Action Project. (aflcio.org/blog, Jan. 6) ed on a January protest against Boston’s Mayor Martin Walsh. Today, both supporters and the union’s class FairPoint strikers are determined enemies could not help but be impressed that — in the McDonald’s serves up racist, sexist midst of a blizzard paralyzing much of the region — the Workers at the New England telecommunications union packed the court with rank-and-file members and provider FairPoint, represented by Communication discrimination political supporters. Local 8751 fights on. Workers Local 1400 and the International Brotherhood Ten former McDonald’s workers filed a civil rights of Electrical Workers Local 2327, have been on strike for suit in Virginia on Jan. 22 against the fast food giant over 130 days. Almost 2,000 FairPoint workers went on for alleged racial discrimination, wrongful termination strike in October after management threatened to cut and sexual harassment. According to the plaintiffs, 15 Thousands of workers sue wages and benefits and outsource union jobs to outside Black workers were fired in one day solely because of contractors. Despite a Dec. 30 NLRB decision to dismiss their race. The suit also accuses a manager of inappro- TGI Friday’s for wage theft the unfair labor practice charges filed by the union priately touching workers and offering “female employ- A massive wage theft lawsuit against restaurant against FairPoint, the workers are not backing down and ees better working conditions in exchange for sexual chain TGI Friday’s will forward as a collective ac- picket lines continue despite record snowfalls. Although favors.” tion suit, said the New York federal judge who granted both parties are under a gag order until negotiations are The lawsuit names both the McDonald’s franchise 42,000 workers conditional certification on Jan. 20. concluded, federal mediators say progress is being made and the global McDonald’s Corporation as defendants. Workers in Massachusetts, New York and Virginia ac- toward a mutually agreeable contract. This is among the first suits to be filed against the cuse the chain of paying less than the federal minimum corporation since the Dec. 19 National Labor Relations wage, withholding overtime pay and forcing employees Board decision determined that the corporation can to forfeit some of their tips and work off the books. Capitalism at a Dead End be held liable for the actions of its franchisees. The According to a 2014 study, nearly 9 out of 10 fast Job destruction, overproduction plaintiffs are seeking payment for lost wages, emotional food workers have experienced wage theft, but few re- and crisis in the high-tech era distress and other damages. The NAACP and “Fight for port it. It’s estimated that the amount of money stolen $15” are supporting them. annually from employees is more than $50 billion. And For more information and other writings by the author, The food industry is notorious for harassment. Some the problem is increasing. Complaints of wage theft Fred Goldstein, go to www.LowWageCapitalism.com 60 percent of women workers in restaurants say they rose 400 percent over the last decade. (thinkprogress. Available at major online bookstores. have been sexually harassed. (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 22) org, Jan. 23) Page 4 Feb. 12, 2015 workers.org Second near-disaster as shale oil train derails

By Betsey Piette eling from Chicago jumped the tracks A little over a year ago, on Martin residential section of Philadelphia. Philadelphia around 3 a.m. on Jan. 31 in a South Phila- Luther King Day, seven cars carrying Both accidents were predictable. These delphia rail yard. It was near the Lincoln Bakken Shale crude derailed over the mile-long trains carrying oil to the Phil- For the second time in just over a year, Financial Field sports arena and the Phil- Schuylkill River here in what was de- adelphia Energy Solutions refinery in a train carrying Bakken Shale crude oil adelphia Naval Yard. The area is also near scribed as “a near miss from disaster.” South Philadelphia run 24 hours a day, derailed in Philadelphia, again in an Interstate 95, one of the busiest highways That derailment put several major insti- seven days a week. There is very little area where potential harm to surround- in the U.S., and close to waterways. tutions at risk, including the University regulation or oversight. ing communities could have been cata- While none of the derailed cars carry- of Pennsylvania medical complex, Chil- The trains carry crude from shale for- strophic for thousands of people. ing the crude oil ruptured, this second dren’s Hospital and the Veterans Admin- mations in North Dakota, Colorado and Eleven cars of a 111-car CSX train trav- near-miss has again raised concerns. istration, as well as a heavily populated Texas. With over 100 cars, each carrying 30,000 gallons or more of highly volatile oil, they have been described as “ticking OAKLAND bombs.” Crude oil from the North Dakota Bak- ken formation contains a high content of WWP hosts resistance combustible gas, making it more volatile than most traditional light crude. Chemi- cals used in the hydraulic fracturing pro- fighters cess are also thought to contribute to the PHOTO: BRUCE EMMERLING combustible nature of shale crude. A runaway train carrying Bakken By Terri Kay crude oil derailed and exploded on July Oakland, Calif. 6, 2013, near the village of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, killing 47 people and demolish- At a Workers World Party meet- ing the town center. ing here on Jan. 31, Imani Henry At least eight significant incidents in- asked the audience, “How do we PHOTOS: DANIEL ARAUZ volving crude-by-rail have taken place ratchet it up in 2015, the year of Gloria Verdieu, above. in the U.S. since 2013, resulting in over resistance?” Henry is a longtime one million gallons of oil spilled — more activist in the anti-police brutality, Imani Henry, left. than in the previous 38 years combined. anti-war and lesbian, gay, bi, trans (earthfix.opb.org) and queer movements in the U.S. ly discussion about the many Since Lac-Mégantic, fiery derailments He is also an organizer w ith the Peo- tactics being used in the fight of oil trains have occurred in the Canadian ples Power Assembly, which helped for justice against racist police province of New Brunswick as well as in to coordinate emergency day-of/ brutality. Alabama, North Dakota and Lynchburg, day-after actions in New York and Also on the program was Va. Major derailments of crude trains not nationally in response to the deci- Gloria Verdieu of the San Diego involving explosions have taken place out- sion by a Ferguson, Mo., grand jury not The meeting, titled “From NYC to Fer- Committee Against Police Brutality. She side Albany, N.Y., and in Greeley, Colo. to indict the cop who killed a young un- guson to Oakland: the Nationwide Fight emphasized the importance of speaking Whether this highly combustible fossil armed Black man, Michael Brown. Against Police Terror,” provoked a live- the names and showing the faces of all the people whose lives have been sto- fuel is transported by rail, barge or pipe- len by police terror. Verdieu also leads line, it will still pose a danger. More oil the San Diego Coalition to Free Mumia is released into the environment through ‘Don’t privatize schools!’ Abu-Jamal and All Political Prisoners. pipeline spills while explosions caused Cyndi Mitchell, sister of Mario Rome- by train derailments put major popu- ro, who was killed by the Vallejo police, lated areas at risk. It is not a question Oakland shared Romero’s story with the group. of substituting one method of transit for The meeting took place at the Alan another. All three methods have proven Blueford Center for Justice, a space dedi- to be destructive. They all attest to the cated to healing the community in honor hazards created by the capitalist system, of Alan Blueford, killed by Oakland po- where greed for profits outweighs all lice on May 6, 2012. other considerations. Tribute held for MOVE 9 member Phil Africa By Betsey Piette 1978 police assault on MOVE Philadelphia Phil Africa was one of nine MOVE members serving highly contested 30-to- A standing-room-only crowd gathered 100-year sentences for third-degree at the Kingsessing Recreational Center murder in the shooting death of a police in Philadelphia on Jan. 31 for a celebra- officer during the group’s Aug. 8, 1978, tion of the life of William Phillips, better confrontation with almost 600 Phila- known as Phil Africa. A MOVE 9 member, delphia police. Although much of the Several hundred Oakland Education fighting for the resources needed to cre- he died under suspicious circumstances evidence at the scene, including MOVE’s Association teachers as well as students ate stable schools and bottom-up school at Pennsylvania’s SCI Dallas prison on house, was quickly destroyed by police, it and parents rallied outside an Oakland transformation. Jan. 10 at the age of 59. is strongly suspected that the officer was Unified School District Board meeting Teachers were also demanding pay in- The special tribute shared messages killed by “friendly fire,” since the fatal on Jan. 28. After they went inside, they creases to match salaries paid in other of solidarity and support from people shot was to the back of his head. spoke out against proposals to privatize Bay Area districts, which would enable all over the world, including a number of MOVE, founded in the early 1970s by Fremont, Castlemont and McClymonds the OUSD to keep and attract the best current or former prisoners who came to a group of naturalist revolutionaries, High Schools, Frick Middle School and teachers. know Africa during his 37 years of con- had withstood a nearly year-long siege Brookfield Elementary. They also opposed This follows an action taken Jan. 8 by finement, as well as surviving MOVE 9 by police trying to evict them from their efforts to make it easier for charter schools students at Fremont High School, one of members Delbert and Debbie Africa. home in the Powelton Village section of to recruit public school families. those targeted for privatization. They shut Phil was described by MOVE member Philadelphia. The death by trampling of These measures are tied to changes the down and took over an OUSD communi- Sue Africa as a “man well loved by all he Phil Africa’s month-old son Life Africa by district is pushing to the teachers’ union ty engagement meeting at their school in touched; a true soldier who is gone, but police in 1976 was one of many incidents contract, which would make these turn- protest. whose spirit will never die or be forgotten.” of brutality that fueled the confrontation. arounds easier to implement. The OEA is — Report and photo by Terri Kay Many speakers remembered him for his During political prisoner Mumia skilled art work, often depicting nature. Abu-Jamal’s early career as a journalist, Others spoke of his witty sense of humor, he covered the MOVE organization’s fight MARXISM, REPARATIONS and his ability to put anyone in his company against notoriously racist Philadelphia the Black Freedom Struggle at ease and the positive impact he had on Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo in the their lives. He was described as a prolific 1970s. Abu-Jamal sent a statement to the An anthology of writings from Workers World newspaper. Edited by Monica Moorehead. writer who sent dozens of letters a day. tribute in which he described the heated Musical tributes were provided by trial that led to the conviction of the nine GRAPHIC BY SAHU BARRON Taina Asili, Fred Riley and young MOVE MOVE members as “nothing short of Available at major online booksellers. members in the Seeds of Wisdom. scandal.” He noted that “several days af- workers.org Feb. 12, 2015 Page 5 Baltimore Killings by police continue despite protests

Workers World Baltimore Bureau investigation in the neighborhood where Darin Hutchins was killed and spoke to Within a two-day period in late Janu- eyewitnesses. Those who knew Hutchins ary, the Baltimore City Police Department explained that he had a history of men- shot two Black people, killing one of them. tal illness. PPA spokesperson Benjamin In response, the Baltimore People’s Power declared, “The police and the system Assembly held a protest in front of the Bal- criminalize Black people and stigmatize timore City Police Headquarters on Jan. people who have psychiatric illnesses.” 31 to demand justice for Darin Hutchins, The story the eyewitnesses told was whom the cops killed on Jan. 24. much different than the public relations Later the day of the protest, the Balti- story the police department handed the more County Police killed Edwin Bright Sr. media. Benjamin explained that the wit- All of the victims were African Americans. ness who stood next to Hutchins when he During the week before the protest, was gunned down by Officer Donald Gaff Sara Benjamin and Steven Ceci of the told her that before firing the two shots, PHOTO: BRUCE EMMERLING People’s Power Assembly conducted an the officer gave Hutchins zero time to drop a kitchen knife. Ceci, another PPA organizer, added, “We are angry that the news media has Atlanta cop kills 911 caller repeated the public relations story told by police spokespeople before they spoke to By Dianne Mathiowetz his gun from his bedroom. As he came only silence. Since it is common practice anyone in the neighborhood or to any of Atlanta out of the doorway, he was immediately to involve the Georgia Bureau of Investi- the witnesses.” He reported that the wit- shot several times by Pitts. gation in such police killings, the commu- ness who stood next to Darin Hutchins did Kevin Davis’ family and friends are in Edwards came running out of the bed- nity suspects a cover-up in this case. not feel endangered by him at any time; in disbelief and sorrow. room, screaming, “What have you done? At an emotional rally at the DeKalb fact, she put her arm around him. Instead, How could police have shot and killed Why did you shoot him?” She and other Courthouse steps on the one-month an- she was terrified by the police and “at this Davis, a hardworking, 44-year-old be- witnesses say Pitts never identified him- niversary of his shooting, Delisa Davis, moment has asked that her name not be loved brother and uncle, a “good guy,” af- self as a police officer or ordered Davis to one of his sisters, spoke of the unfeeling published for fear of reprisal.” ter he called 911 for help? drop his gun before shooting him. attitude of the police, saying her family Ceci also stated that the witness, a friend On the night of Dec. 29, Davis’ girlfriend, As Davis lay bleeding on the floor, he and Kevin were “dismissed like yester- of Hutchins, said, “The white cop who shot April Edwards, was involved in an alterca- was arrested, handcuffed and charged day’s garbage.” She appealed to the com- Darin moved the knife and put it on a ta- tion with Terrance Hilyard, a co-worker with aggravated assault on an officer. The munity to help, saying they can’t fight ble” even after she objected. She “had to whom Davis had befriended and who was popular restaurant worker was taken to this alone. scream at the cop to stop shooting.” staying at his apartment temporarily. Grady Hospital in police custody, which The large group walked a few blocks One of the youngest activists at the The argument escalated. According to meant his family was not allowed to be from the courthouse to the downtown Jan. 31 protest, Kira Lynae, concluded Edwards, Hilyard stabbed her in the arm with him in his hospital room. Family Decatur sandwich shop where Davis’ the PPA rally by calling for an end to de- with a kitchen knife and fled. While Da- members beseeched everyone in authori- friendly and personable manner had valuing Black lives: “Black lives matter, vis was rendering first aid to Edwards, he ty, from police to doctors, to let them visit made him a favorite with customers and as do the lives of all those marginalized called 911. him — to no avail. co-workers alike. Next door is a bike shop and oppressed, including the LGTBQIA DeKalb County police officer Joseph Davis died two days later, on Dec. 31. where he fixed up discarded bicycles to community, women and those with dis- Pitts came in through the apartment’s Only then did police coldly grant them give to neighborhood kids. abilities, who are many times forgotten.” front door, unannounced, and shot and permission to see their family member. The family is asking that people re- PPA organizers took note of the scores killed Davis’ three-legged dog Tooter, One month has passed since Kevin Da- quest a GBI investigation into Kevin Da- of police cars lined up during the rally, who had started barking. vis was killed by a DeKalb County police vis’s death by calling the DeKalb County plus the plainclothes police who were Edwards says that Davis, hearing gun- officer. Despite repeated requests for in- Police Department at 678-406-7929 and standing by ready to infiltrate the demon- shots in his living room, feared that Hil- formation about an investigation into this the DeKalb County District Attorney’s of- stration, a practice implemented at all re- yard had returned, armed. He retrieved officer-involved shooting, there has been fice at 404-371-2561. cent #BlackLivesMatter protests. Tribute held for MOVE 9 member Phil Africa ter the trial, Judge Edwin Malmed would Osage Avenue where MOVE members admit … he ‘hadn’t the faintest idea’… lived. Officials allowed the resulting fire who killed the cop.” to burn down an entire city block. Police The nine MOVE members were given were then instructed to shoot at MOVE the longest third-degree murder sentenc- members, including children, who were es in the history of Pennsylvania. Since attempting to flee the fire. 2008, MOVE members have been repeat- Ramona Africa, the sole adult survivor, edly denied parole on the basis that they charges that “police bombed us because refuse to “express remorse,” as required of our unrelenting fight for our family Phil Africa in the 1970s and last year. by law, for a crime they did not commit. members who had been in prison unjust- Another of the MOVE 9, Merle Africa, ly as a result of the 1978 police attack on The events leading up to and sur- and performers include Alton Maddox, died under suspicious circumstances in MOVE. rounding the 1985 bombing are the sub- Michael Coard, Ward Churchill, Cornel March 1998. “We tried to get our children, our ani- ject of the 2013 documentary “Let the West, Nancy Mansour, Chairman Fred mals and ourselves out of that blazing in- Fire Burn.” The MOVE organization and Hampton Jr., Glenn Ford, Amina Baraka, 30th commemoration of 1985 bombing ferno. The adults were hollering out that its supporters continue to fight the un- Rebel Diaz, Mmoja Ajabu, The Welfare On May 13, 1985, Phil Africa’s second we’re coming out, we’re bringing the chil- just incarceration of the MOVE 9 and de- Poets and more. For information contact son, Little Phil, was one of five children dren out,” Africa reported. “And we know mand justice for those who lost their lives [email protected]. burned to death along with six adults, that the police heard us. But the very in- in 1985. Pam Africa, minister of confrontation when police dropped a bomb on the roof stant we were visible to them ... they im- This May 13 will mark 30 years since for the MOVE organization, described of MOVE’s second home in West Phila- mediately opened fire. We were met with that blatant act of murder by government Phil Africa’s life as “an example of resis- delphia. The bomb ignited a fire that also a barrage of police gunfire ... and it forced officials. A commemoration rally and tance.” She ended the program with a call destroyed 61 homes in a predominantly us back into that blazing inferno.” march/car caravan will be held in Phila- for everyone to follow Phil’s example and African-American community. This act of terror, one of the most hor- delphia, with activists participating from be in Philadelphia on May 13 this year to The MOVE Commission, which in- rific examples of police brutality to occur around the world. Featured speakers help “shut the system down!” vestigated the events, described the ac- in the U.S., resulted only in a well-or- tions of government officials, including chestrated government cover-up. Not Philadelphia’s Mayor Wilson Goode and one of the city, state or federal officials THE CLASSROOM AND THE CELL: police and fire commissioners, as “reck- responsible was ever brought to justice. Conversations on Black Life in America less,” “ill-conceived” and “unconsciona- Not one of these officials has ever faced Mumia Abu-Jamal & Marc Lamont Hill ble.” A powerful, military-style bomb criminal charges. Ramona Africa was the This book delves into the problems of Black life containing C4 had been dropped from only person sentenced to prison as a re- in America and offers real, concrete solutions. a police helicopter on the row house on sult of the incident. Available at major online booksellers. Page 6 Feb. 12, 2015 workers.org African Burial Ground exposes slavery

By Dolores Cox The coffins left Wall Street in large New York horse-drawn, glass-enclosed carriages, Yes, slavery existed in the North, too. followed by a large procession through New York was one of the largest centers of the streets to the Burial Ground. slaveholding in the U.S. In 1991, a gravesite The next day’s ceremony at the Burial was discovered during a dig for the con- Ground began similarly, included spoken struction of a new federal building in New word and several readings of poetry by York City’s Lower Manhattan area. It was the late African-American poet Langston 300 years old then. An 18th century map Hughes. Several tributary statements of the area revealed the site was the loca- were made and others read, including one tion of a “Negros Burial Ground” from Nigeria’s President Chief Olusegun covering six acres, approximately New York City Obasanjo. Soil from the Burial Ground five city blocks. containing ancestral spirits was collected Africans began arriving in New Amster- to be taken back to Freedom Park, a final dam, a Dutch settlement, in 1625. They resting place of anti-apartheid fighters were forcibly brought there from the Carib- in South Africa. After closing remarks, a bean and Africa. In 1664, New Amsterdam benediction was given by an Indige- became the British colony of New York. nous community representative. Thousands of enslaved Africans and the The coffins were then lowered into small number of free Black people were the ground, with flowers and written new sidewalk nearby. Washington, D.C.; messages to the ancestors. Subse- buried in the Burial Ground. They were In the disintegrated coffins, some skel- Baltimore, Md.; Wilmington, Del.; Phila- forbidden to inter their dead in any church quently, all coffins, many in crypts, were etons were nearly complete; some were delphia, Pa; and Newark, N.J. where slave reburied in their permanent resting place. graveyard or within the boundaries of the buried with pins, beads, buttons and labor had been used to clear the land, settlement. Other restrictions were also The Schomburg Center for Research shells, in the African tradition. They were build roads and construct infrastructure in Black Culture in Harlem organized the placed on them. For instance, they could sent to a laboratory at the Historically for European colonization. not bury their dead at night, as was the ceremonies celebrating the heritage of Afri- Black College of Howard University in In New York City, the coffins arrived by cans in the U.S., their lives, culture and the African burial ritual custom; and no more Washington, D.C., where the federal gov- boat at the foot of Wall Street, the former than 12 people were allowed in a proces- role they played in building the country. ernment had contracted for anthropolo- site of an African Slave Market, where In 2006, the Burial Ground was de- sion or at the gravesite. In 1673, the burial gists, scholars and scientists to examine slave labor built an actual wall to keep out ground land was sold for house lots, and in clared a national monument; in 2007 a the bone fragments and relics. the Indigenous. Upon arrival, a ceremony permanent memorial sculpture was ded- 1795 the burial ground was closed. Their research indicated that nearly paid tribute to the ancestors with inter- When the African-American com- icated on the site. Project materials and half the graves contained children, suf- faith prayers, African drumming, singing records were transferred in 2009 from the munity became aware of the gravesite fering from malnutrition and many with and dancing, followed by a libation, the discovery, they and local politicians pro- National Park Service and Army Corps of bone deformities from physical labor. singing of the “The Negro National An- Engineers to the Schomburg Center. Sam- tested and demanded a halt to further Adult bone injuries were attributed to them,” a welcome and introduction. digging. They appealed to then Mayor ples of the Burial Ground remain at How- strenuous physical labor and brutality. African dignitaries, community orga- ard University. In 2010, following comple- David Dinkins, who ordered construction All bodies revealed short life spans. nizations, politicians, artists, groups of halted in order to investigate the findings tion of the new federal building nearby, school children, South African healers the African Burial Ground Visitors Center and preserve the site. Honoring the ancestors and spiritual leaders, New Yorkers and Excavation by archaeologists found was opened, which contains permanent In 1993 the African Burial Ground out-of-town visitors were present. High artworks and an installation about the the remains of 419 bodies of women, men was designated a NYC Historical Land- school students, including those from and children. It is estimated that many history of slavery and Black Americans in mark. On Oct. 1, 2003, the bodies were South Africa, participated in singing Lower Manhattan. thousands more bodies of African and returned to New York City in new wood- performances and shout-out calls for re- Indigenous peoples exist under buildings Sources for this article include “A Burial en coffins traditionally carved in Ghana. spect, honor and dignity. “A Letter for the Ground and Its Dead Are Given Life” and sidewalks throughout the area. In Concurrently, some of the coffins were Children” by South African Bishop Des- (New York Times, Feb. 26, 2010) and “The 1999, nine mostly intact African skele- ceremoniously received with “Rites of mond Tutu was read. Speakers included African Burial Ground” at gsa.gov/portal/ tons were found during construction of a Ancestral Return” commemorations in the South African Ambassador to the U.S. content/101077. The right to rebel PART 2 The case of Ahmed Evans

By Martha Grevatt ping charges, was instrumental in form- A 22-year-old Afri- Nevertheless, these ing the July 23 Defense Committee. The can-American bystand- weapons were purchased On July 23, 1968, a gun battle between 1961 charges had been leveled against er, James Chapman, was legally and, from Evans’ white Cleveland police officers and the her and Robert Williams, a leader of the said to have been aiding standpoint, for defensive Black Nationalist group “Republic of New Black community in Monroe, N.C., who police when killed by a purposes, as Black Nation- Libya” ended with an official death toll of supported the right of armed self-defense Black sniper. An organi- alists had been attacked three police, three Black snipers and one against the Ku Klux Klan. zation that aided widows by police in nearby Akron, civilian. The dispute began over ongoing Another lead activist in the Defense of slain police officers Ohio, and white Cleveland racist harassment of the group’s leader, Committee, Wilbur Grattan, was a Re- broke tradition by giving police had been harass- Ahmed Evans, by white officers. Police public of New Libya member who was $1,000 to Chapman’s widow. ing and threatening Evans since before accused Evans’ group of shooting first. beaten savagely by police after trying However, a forensic expert testified Stokes’ election in 1967. Independent journalists and investi- to attend to a wounded comrade on the that Chapman’s wound was caused by a Not only was Evans not involved in the gators uncovered facts to support Evans’ night of the shootout. Grattan was a sea- shot fired no more than 18 inches from shooting, but neighbor James Turpin tes- claim that it was the other way around. soned activist, having been involved with his head — meaning he had to have been tified that Evans was inside Turpin’s home Nevertheless, Ahmed Evans was the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in killed not by a “sniper,” but by the police from 20 minutes after the shooting began charged with four counts of first-degree his home state of Alabama. he was accompanying. Yet Chapman’s up until the moment he surrendered to murder in the deaths of the police and A year earlier, Ted Dostal, a retired death was blamed on the “conspiracy” police. The prosecution offered absolutely another person, dubbed a hero, who was steelworker, and Frances Dostal, a regis- that Evans was allegedly a party to. zero proof that the three deaths were the said to have been helping police. Evans tered nurse, had moved to Cleveland from Whether the three police officers were result of any conspiracy. also faced three additional charges, spe- Youngstown, Ohio, to start a branch of all killed by members of the Republic The phrase “prosecutorial misconduct” cifically for killing police officers, which Workers World Party. Understanding the of New Libya or by their fellow officers could not fully describe the racist behav- was automatically a capital offense in right of oppressed nations to self-deter- was never clearly established. The pros- ior of those determined to have Evans ex- Ohio then, unless the jury were to recom- mination, these white militants respected ecution based its case on the testimony ecuted. During his trial, his lawyers were mend mercy. the position of Mallory and others that of gun dealers who claimed to have sold called “boys” more than once. An Afri- Evans himself had not fired any of the the Defense Committee should be an weapons to Evans. With the aim of un- can-American defense witness was belit- fatal shots. He was charged under a state autonomous Black organization. So they dermining not only Evans’ defense but tled and intimidated with questions such law that allowed a person to be held ac- formed “Friends of the July 23 Defense the city administration, the prosecution as “You hate white people, don’t you?” countable for a crime stemming from par- Committee.” claimed the money used to buy the weap- The mainstream media, particularly ticipation in a “conspiracy.” ons came from a grant that Evans’ Afro the Cleveland Plain Dealer, made no ef- Mae Mallory, who came to Cleveland ‘Conspiracy’ charge buries truth Culture Shop and Bookstore had received fort to hide their bias against Evans and in 1961 when the state of North Carolina Truth was the first casualty of the pros- from “Cleveland Now!,” an empowerment in support of the police. attempted to have her extradited from ecution’s determination to send Evans to program initiated by the city’s first Afri- Evans’ supporters were targeted. The New York to face trumped-up kidnap- the electric chair. can-American mayor, Carl B. Stokes. Continued on page 11 workers.org Feb. 12, 2015 Page 7

By Abayomi Azikiwe LOUISIANA’S 25 were prosecuted in a show trial. After Editor, Pan-African News Wire a one-day investigation, 18 Africans were condemned to death and taken to their Some writers today note that an often so-called “masters’“ plantations, where hidden and misrepresented anti-slavery African slave revolt they were shot to death and decapitated. rebellion in 1811 along the German Coast The Africans’ severed heads were put on in Louisiana — located above New Orle- poles on the plantations for the purpose ans on the Mississippi River — was the of 1811 of terrifying other enslaved people into largest African uprising during the ante- submission. bellum period. colonialism and slavery in Haiti. It continues, “Maroon colonies in the Some of the Africans who had escaped Historiographical accounts of resis- Africans in Haiti rose up against slav- bayou operated as effective bases from to Orleans Parish were captured and tance to slavery among Africans in North ery in August 1791 and continued their which rebels attacked in the years leading also received a putative trial. A tribunal America have undergone many revisions. struggle for more than 12 years, defeating up to the German Coast uprising. Copies consisting of a judge and a panel of slave Early 20th century accounts of the slave not only the French but Spanish and Brit- of the French Declaration of the Rights holders tried them. period were crafted for academia by ish interventions. The formation of an Af- of Man were found in slave quarters. Significance of African resistance Southern historians who were sympathet- rican Republic in Haiti in 1804 sent shock Battle-hardened warriors from Ghana to slavery ic to the planters and business interests waves throughout the antebellum South. and Angola also make an appearance in that dominated the region. Enslaved Africans in the South were Rasmussen’s version, in which the rebels This important chapter in the history Reactionary white professors such aware of the Haitian Revolution and con- march in formation and in uniform with of African resistance to slavery is finally as Ulrich B. Phillips, a Southerner who sequently sought avenues of escape and cavalry support, not simply to ‘give us free,’ getting the historical attention it requires taught at the University of Michigan from revolt against the plantation system. Re- as Cinqué asked, but to take control of New — two centuries after these monumental 1911 to 1929, claimed that the Southern cent accounts of the Louisiana rebellion Orleans and establish a black state.” events took place. slave system was paternalistic, using of 1811 indiicate that those who planned There are parallels between the U.S. largely benign, coercive methods to en- the break with the slave system were con- ‘On to New Orleans’ ruling class’ suppression of information sure production quotas. Phillips attribut- scious of developments in Haiti and the From 200 to 500 Africans participat- about Africans’ resistance to enslave- ed acts of resistance to criminal activity ongoing struggle between Spain and the ed in the rebellion. Most of them were ment and their distortion of actual his- and refused to acknowledge the humanity U.S. over control of Florida. armed with knives, axes and other weap- torical accounts, and today’s nationwide of enslaved Africans. Newspaper accounts at the time of ons; some carried guns. movement against racist police violence. However, African and white progres- the 1811 rebellion claimed that the Afri- The revolt erupted on Jan. 8 at Manuel Official reports on the killings of African sive historians have sought to unravel the cans’ actions were unfocused and disor- Andry’s plantation in St. Charles Parish, Americans on U.S. streets provide legal recurrent rebellions and other forms of ganized. However, a study conducted by 36 miles from New Orleans. Charles De- rationalizations for them under the guise resistance against enslavement and na- Daniel Rasmussen, in the book entitled slondes — who was brought to New Orle- of “justifiable homicide” or “accidental tional oppression. Rather than being con- “American Uprising: The Untold Story ans from Haiti — was a principal figure in deaths” unattributed to law enforcement sidered an aberration in the slave system, of America’s Largest Slave Revolt,” looks the rebellion. He worked as a slave driver actions. the consistent acts of resistance to bond- deeper into the court records concerning on the Andry plantation and occupied a When the youth in Ferguson, Mo., rose age suggest they played a significant role the prosecution of the uprising’s African relatively privileged position within the up in rebellion in response to the brutal in shaping the character of the repressive leaders and the timing of the resistance system. killing of Michael Brown on Aug. 9, they mechanism utilized to maintain this ex- effort, which was aimed at seizing New Nonetheless, Deslondes utilized ac- faced condemnation from all quarters of ploitative system. Orleans and establishing an independent cess to the plantation house to organize the capitalist class — from local officials For example, the Fugitive Slave Act of republic. (HarperCollins, 2011) fellow enslaved Africans; they severely up to the White House. However, these 1850 was implemented at the beginning of In a review of Rasmussen’s book, Wen- wounded Manuel Andry and killed his acts of rebellion and mass demonstra- the decade that saw the economic decline dell Hassan Marsh writes, “The author sit- son. They further armed themselves and tions against state violence will continue of the plantation system. The increasing- uates the events in larger, international po- set off, chanting “On to New Orleans” and until institutional racism and national ly intransigent positions of the Southern litical and intellectual currents, revealing picking up recruits along the way. oppression are uprooted in the U.S. planters were, in part, a response to the the sophistication of his subjects that many Along the Mississippi River, as they There can be no justification for either economic and political crisis of the pe- histories of slave rebels fail to portray. By headed to New Orleans, the Africans the suppression of slave revolts through- riod — when resistance to slavery grew the author’s account, the 1804 Haitian rev- burned down several plantations and out U.S. history or the brutality used substantially. olution victory inspired slaves around the sugar mills. White slave owners and their against today’s struggles against racism colonies to rebel.” (The Root, Feb. 25, 2011) families fled ahead of the approaching re- and national oppression. Washington’s Origins of 1811 Louisiana slave revolt The review notes, “The timing of the bellion, alerting the authorities. emphasis on “human rights” around the A re-examination of historical docu- revolt — when there was little work and On the night of Jan. 9, a detachment of world rings hollow amid the atrocities ments related to the rebellion along the the white elites were preparing for Carni- U.S. regular troops and a planters’ militia being committed against African Amer- German Coast point to the high degree of val celebrations, paired with the absence attacked the Africans at the Jacques For- icans here at home, which in most cases organization and discipline exercised by of a significant force of order because of tier plantation in St. Charles Parish, halt- go unpunished and are often even re- the African leaders who were brought there American expansionism in Spanish West ing their advance toward New Orleans. warded by the state. from Haiti and the region now known as Florida — speaks to the slaves’ political During the clashes between the Africans Ghana in West Africa. The United States and organizational acumen. … A cosmo- and the plantation system defenders, 66 had acquired large swaths of territory in politan black republicanism seems to revolutionary fighters were killed and 75 1803, known as the Louisiana Purchase, have been ripe in the region at the time others were captured. as a direct result of the collapse of French of the revolt.” Of the 75 Africans who were detained, Harlem march honors Malcolm X

“Black Lives Matter” movement activists marched and rallied Feb. 1 in Harlem, N.Y., to usher in Black Liberation Month by honoring the memory of Malcolm X. Their goal is to launch a campaign to create a day that notes Malcolm’s important role in the Civil Rights/Black Libera- tion movements. A rally near the statue of Adam Clayton Powell outside the State Office Building on 125th Street was followed by a march two miles up Broadway to the Audubon Ballroom on 165th Street, where Malcolm X was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, a half-century ago. The protest also took up current struggles against police brutality. Demonstrators chant- ed, "Push back! Now push harder! We're doing this for Eric Garner!” "Hands up, no turning down! We're doing this for Michael Brown!'' and "Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!" Nicholas Heyward, father of Nicholas Hey- ward Jr., spoke at the rally. The younger Hey- ward — he was only 13 years old — was gunned down by a New York City police officer. Heyward and others called for the removal of Police Com- missioner William Bratton from his post. — Workers World New York Bureau WW PHOTO: ANNE PRUDEN Page 8 Feb. 12, 2015 workers.org Mass anti-austerity rally clogs Madrid

By John Catalinotto

The specter of anti-austerity is haunt- ing Europe’s ruling bankers and boss- es. Excitement over Syriza’s victory in Greece’s parliamentary election jumped westward along the Mediterranean Sea to Spain as a massive demonstration on Jan. 31 clogged central Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square. According to the march’s organizers from the new political party “Podem- os,” 300,000 heeded their call to march. They shouted: “Tick-tock, tick-tock, now is the time for change!” The change they want is to reject the establishment par- ties that have cut social security, medical care and education in order to make pay- ments on a $1.2 trillion debt, mostly to German banks. Podemos grew out of protests by the “indignant ones,” who filled the large squares of cities all over the Spanish state starting May 15, 2011. Although founded as an electoral party just a year ago, in January 2014, Podemos won 8 percent of the vote last May for the Euro- pean Parliament and already has attract- ed 320,000 members. More recently Podemos has been lead- ing in the electoral polls, ahead of the two PHOTO: PODEMOS parties that have alternately governed King Felipe VI, rather than completely break with European Union domination Red Network are urging mass mobili- since 1978: the People’s Party (PP) — a discredit the monarchy. and austerity. zations and preparations for a general right-wing party now in office — and the Many Podemos voters and supporters Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias had cam- strike. These groups see an electoral Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) — which, come from the historically left parties, paigned for Syriza in Greece. The Syriza campaign in Spain as only one part of a despite its name, is a pro-capitalist center like the United Left (IU). Other had been victory in the Jan. 25 election gave a boost struggle against austerity. Last March party. National elections are scheduled PSOE voters. Others had abstained. Now to those in Spain seeking an electoral al- 22, organizers of a “March for Dignity” for November. millions who hope an electoral change ternative to the current situation of unem- gathered over a million people in Madrid After the 2008 capitalist economic can relieve the overall crisis are looking ployment and disappearing social benefits. to protest austerity. They plan a similar crisis broke out, living standards for the to Podemos, whose program promises a Revolutionary organizations like the protest this March 21. working class in Spain nosedived. Even now, after a supposed recovery, there is a 24-percent general unemployment rate, but double that for workers under 25 years of age. Some 20,000 homeown- Banks bailed out — themselves ers are scheduled to lose their homes to the banks this year. Popular anger over By Jerry Goldberg Only 27 billion euros, 11 percent of the forthcoming election” by Tim Jones, Se- the worsening conditions turned into op- Detroit total, went to Greece’s governmental op- nior Policy and Campaigns Officer, Jubi- position to the governing parties and to erating needs. By contrast, 122 billion eu- lee Debt Campaign, January 2015.) anyone considered part of the capitalist Feb. 1 — When the Troika — the In- ros, or more than half the funds, went to However, the study by Mouzakis, cited establishment. ternational Monetary Fund, Europe- debt servicing. Some 81 billion euros were above, notes that beginning in 2013 and Both the PP and the PSOE enforced the an Commission and European Central paid in maturing debt obligations and 40 continuing until today, Greek govern- austerity program. Many people within Bank — disbursed 226.7 billion euros to billion euros in interest. Some 94 billion ment revenues have exceeded expenses, the Spanish state consider these two par- Greece between May 2010 and the pres- euros went to replace nonperforming with no financing needed to cover state ties and other government institutions ent, European capitalists and politicians bank loans through new bond exchang- operations. If Greece did not pay off its corrupt tools of the ruling class. The peo- spoke of these funds as if they were a gift es, buybacks and other forms of restruc- debt to the Troika — and through the ple also rejected the royal family, which to the Greek people. In reality, the funds turing — in other words, to make up the Troika to the banks and financial institu- is steeped in corruption. The unpopular went almost exclusively to bailing out the losses on worthless bonds issued by the tions — it would be able to maintain its King Juan Carlos I, for example, chose to banks, provided little benefit to the peo- banks. An additional 9.1 billion euros was operations and likely increase services to abdicate last June in favor of his son, now ple and increased Greece’s public debt. paid back to the IMF, and 2.3 billion eu- the people, which have been devastated ros were paid in capital to the European to provide the funds to pay off the banks. Stability Mechanism. (“Where did all the Canceling the debt to the banks, instead money go?” by Yiannis Mouzakis, tinyurl. of hobbling Greece, would likely raise the Anti-Islam frenzy in com/oxku48g.) people’s standard of living. Especially significant is that the banks Wall Street played its own role in cre- and financial institutions which held the ating the Greek financial crisis, while France targets kids Greek debt before 2010 were essentially profiting from it. In 2001, the investment paid off and bailed out. As a result, 65 banking firm Goldman Sachs engineered a deal with Greece that allowed the By G. Dunkel France who has been suspended for four percent of Greek debt was shifted to the country to mask its real deficit in order months while he’s being investigated for public sector, making other eurozone to adopt the euro as its currency. Gold- An 8-year-old boy in Nice, a small city charges of “defending terrorism.” These governments now liable for it. Another man Sachs engineered a “derivative” — a on France’s Mediterranean coast near It- charges carry a penalty of five years in 20 percent is in the hands of the ECB and cross-currency and interest rate swap — aly, was hauled out of school to the police jail and a 10,000 euro fine. Despite the IMF. (“The troika saved banks and credi- in which it advanced 2.8 billion euros to station. The boy’s father was called, televi- atmosphere of reaction, colleagues have tors — not Greece,” tinyurl.com/kbxvzt9.) Greece to eliminate 600 million in euros sion crews were summoned and headlines filed notice of a one-day strike Feb. 5 in This is very similar to the U.S. bank owed by Greece at the time. blared about the boy allegedly not respect- his support. (Libération, Jan. 30) bailout that began in 2008, in which By 2005, when Goldman Sachs sold ing the minute of silence for Charlie Hebdo Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the newly ap- the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve the swap to the National Bank of Greece, victims. An atmosphere of frenzied over- pointed minister of education, claimed bought up several trillion dollars in bad the amount owed by Greece had mush- reaction was created. (TV2, Jan. 28) the 8-year-old Nice boy’s father had been bank debt, particularly mortgage securi- roomed to 5.1 billion euros. In addition, A report from Agence France Presse “charged with promoting terrorism.” But ties, and backed them up with U.S. tax- Goldman Sachs pocketed a $300 million of a 9-year-old boy being charged with Radio Beur FM, a French chain directed payer funds through Fannie Mae and fee for engineering this deal. (New York “supporting terrorism” in Aisne, a small by and to the North African community Freddie Mac. Times, Feb. 14, 2010) city northeast of Paris, is yet another sign in France, called that “the sad reflection Wall Street’s role in Greek ‘debt’ Goldman Sachs underwrote similar of this government- and media-manufac- of a state lie draped in virtue.” (Oumma. swaps for the city of Detroit, which cost tured frenzy that especially targets Mus- com, Jan. 30) As a result of the Troika’s “bailout,” the city $365 million in termination fees lims. (Jan. 30) According to his lawyer, the boy, named Greek government debt has grown from on swaps tied to pension obligation cer- Another example is the high school Ahmed, had been playing in a sandbox 133 percent of the country’s gross domes- tificates, and $537 million on swaps tied philosophy teacher in Poitiers in western tic product in 2010 to 174 percent today. Continued on page 11 (“Six key points about Greek debt and the to water infrastructure bonds. workers.org Feb. 12, 2015 Page 9 Greek masses expect change Maneuvers begin as bankers push back

Continued from page 1 to give Greece respite from austerity and in the streets and workplaces. from a harsh loan repayment schedule in order to allow the economy to grow. Greece in depression There are two parts to their demands. Greece has been in depression for the The first, and most fundamental, is that last five years, with the official unem- they want Greece’s debt to be cut in half. ployment rate at 25 percent, 50 percent Second, they are trying to loosen the pay- youth unemployment and an estimated ment regime — lower interest rates, more half of the population living in dire pov- time for payment, tying payment to eco- erty. People have been forced to forage in nomic growth and so forth. Both Finance garbage dumps for food and household Minister Varoufakis and Prime Minister supplies, seek firewood and food in the Tsipras have said they intend to honor forests, and subsist on food banks that the debt, but they want the amount and have been set up in towns and cities. the terms of payment to be modified. This is the result of the global capital- Within hours of the Syriza victory, ist financial crisis. But it is aggravated German President Angela Merkel ruled by the fact that Greece has been in the out any debt reduction. German Finance vise-like grip of the predatory bankers in Minister Wolfgang Schäuble warned Europe, led by German bankers and the Greece about its negotiation tactics on of the original 227 billion euro received historically has fascist sympathies. This government of Angela Merkel, with the writing off debt. In an interview with the in the Troika bailout of 2010, only 27 bil- position gives the military a listening support of the entire banking establish- London Guardian on Jan. 30, Christine lion euro went to the Greek government post at Syriza cabinet meetings. ment of the continent. Lagarde, head of the IMF, said that it is to cover its expenses. The rest, 200 bil- It would be much better, if without “payback time” for Greece and “parents lion euro, went to the banks in loan re- joining the government, the Greek Com- Years of struggle against austerity must pay their taxes.” payment, bailouts, interest payments, munist Party and other left parties could But there has been fighting resistance. Syriza’s strategy is to use the antago- etc. Meanwhile, Greek workers were pledge a united front in voting for genu- Mass anti-austerity demonstrations have nism against the Merkel government to losing their jobs and services and being ine anti-austerity measures in the parlia- rocked Greece since May 5, 2010, when garner sympathy in other European capi- plunged into depression-level poverty as ment as well as unity in the streets. Then two people were killed. tals. Varoufakis immediately went to Paris conditions for the loans. Syriza would be assured of a parliamen- From May to July 2011, the “indigna- to press this case. The French finance min- Finance capital is always aggressive tary majority on its anti-austerity pro- dos” (“indignant ones,” a term originat- ister said he was sympathetic to Greece on and voracious when it comes to extract- gram, even if it ruled as a minority gov- ing in Spain) occupied squares all over the question of loosening loan payment ing money from the people. German fi- ernment. Then it would not have to rely Greece, and on June 5 of that year up conditions — but ruled out any debt relief. nance capital is notoriously aggressive on the Independence Party. to 500,000 people gathered outside the Varoufakis is scheduled to make the same and intransigent. In fact, German finance On the other hand, it is very encourag- Greek parliament. The movement was vi- pitch in Rome and London. capital is the adventurous power that ing that the new Podemos Party in Spain, olently suppressed by the police. triggered two world wars. Now, instead of an anti-austerity party, was able to rally Need struggle in streets to cancel debt On Feb. 12, 2012, some 500,000 peo- sending tanks into southern Europe, they several hundred thousand people in Ma- ple demonstrated outside parliament. On So long as this struggle remains within and their fellow bankers are sending debt drid in the wake of the Syriza electoral June 9 of that year, there was a 24-hour the financial constraints set by the bank- collectors to crush the people. victory. This points toward the need to general strike against austerity. On Nov. ers, which means trying to negotiate to This struggle must not be lost. No one broaden the struggle to all of southern 17, 2014, tens of thousands demonstrated loosen the chains around the necks of the can afford to stand aside. Fascists like Europe, as well as Ireland — to every- on the anniversary of the fall of the Greek people, the bankers have the overwhelm- Golden Dawn are waiting in the wings to where the working class and the popula- dictatorship in 1974. The demonstration ing advantage. see if the masses will be left in the lurch. tion are living in a state of debt slavery to turned into an anti-austerity outburst. This must be turned into a mass po- Then Golden Dawn and the right wing the banks. Over the years there have been nu- litical struggle against the debt. In order can move in to capitalize on the suffering The bankers have been threatening the merous mass demonstrations, sit-ins, for Syriza to have any leverage at the ne- and rally the forces of fascism and an- Greek people with being put out of the occupations, strikes and general strikes. gotiating table, cancelling the debt must ti-immigrant pogroms. eurozone if the government defaults or There were two general strikes in 2014, become a battle cry in the streets and the the agreements are violated. They hope Opening for revolutionary left in April and November. Many have been workplaces. All the forces in Greece who that threatening conditions of financial called by the Greek Communist Party, have demonstrated against austerity and All the more reason that the left, espe- chaos and economic ruin will force ev- which has a long history of class struggle suffered under its harsh conditions must cially the revolutionary left, must be in the eryone to fall back in line. and militant resistance and a strong base mobilize to come out into the streets and forefront of the struggle and win over the But should Greece have to exit the in the organized working class. Syriza’s send a clear message to the bankers. The masses. If Syriza should falter or succumb eurozone — should the bankers try to base is more general, among unorga- financiers need to know that unless they to imperialist pressure on the implemen- plunge the country into a state of eco- nized workers, the youth and pauperized cancel the debt, they are not just dealing tation of austerity, then the left must be nomic dislocation and strangulation — small business people. It also made gains with arguments about accounting and fi- prepared to step in and give leadership. that would be the signal for the working among the suffering rural population. nancial matters but with a threat to their Syriza, in order to obtain a parliamen- class to combat the crisis by seizing con- This is the background to the Syriza very system. tary majority, has made an unsavory alli- trol of the economy and reorganizing it electoral victory. The demonstrations, as No one should abstain from active par- ance with the anti-immigrant, homopho- on a socialist basis. frequent and strong as they have been, ticipation in this struggle, regardless of bic right-wing Greek Independence In the long run, an international were not able to force the Greek political historical or present-day differences. The Party. This party has been given the post struggle to overturn capital altogether is establishment to back off austerity. The masses must be imbued with the idea of heading the Defense Ministry, which is the only permanent way out of the pres- parties and politicians of the two main that the debt is illegitimate. For example, extremely dangerous. The Greek military ent crisis. parties are tools of the bankers, the devel- opers, the ship owners and the big busi- ness media. Mass resistance so far has been unable to end the cruel “economic Basic facts about Greece waterboarding,” as Yanis Varoufakis, the new Syriza finance minister, calls it. By Gene Clancy Balkan countries. Between 1995 and University) Some 70 percent of Greek So the Greek masses turned to a par- 2005, testifying to a sharp labor short- children live in jobless households. liamentary solution, voting out the tra- The austerity program imposed on age, workers in Greece put in the most (Greece Reporter, May 29, 2014) ditional capitalist parties and voting in Greece in 2010 by the European Com- hours per year of any European nation. Unemployment: In 2010, the IMF Syriza. mission, the European Central Bank (Groningen Growth and Development predicted that unemployment would Syriza’s contradiction: trying a ‘new deal’ and the International Monetary Fund Centre, Oct. 6, 2008) peak at nearly 15 percent by 2012. But has had a devastating effect. It has also attracted refugees fleeing one year later official unemployment But having won office, Syriza is now Greece is a developed European war and repression in the Middle East. had climbed to 25.6 percent and by faced with an enormous contradiction. country of some 11 million people, in- The 2008 capitalist recession and the 2014 it stood at 27.7 percent. On the one hand, the leadership, headed cluding 1 million immigrants. As in the austerity program imposed on Greece Economic growth: The IMF in 2010 by Alexis Tsipras, has challenged auster- U.S., 80 percent of its workers are in have had major impacts on the rates of also predicted that the economy would ity. But ending austerity requires funds. service industries, especially tourism poverty, unemployment and economic “follow a V-shaped pattern” — a short On the other hand, European finance in Greece. But it has a significant indus- growth. sharp contraction (depression) followed capital has control of the funds; they are trial sector and its merchant navy is the Poverty: In 2009, one year before by a quick recovery and steady growth the ones who imposed austerity in the largest in the world, followed by Japan. the imposition of austerity, less than 3 after 2012. Instead, Greece’s gross do- first place. They are now taking a hard Greece, which occupies the south- percent of the population had incomes mestic product had declined by nearly line on any form of debt relief. This is the ern part of the Balkans, has the largest below the poverty line. By the end of one third by the end of 2014. This is on basis for future struggle. economy in that region and has attract- 2013, 44 percent were living in poverty. a par with what the Great Depression of The Syriza government is seeking to ed many economic migrants from other (Public Policy Analysis Group, Athens the 1930s did to the United States. negotiate a “new deal” with the banks — Page 10 Feb. 12, 2015 workers.org

editorials Bratton and protests No U.S. arms New York Police Commissioner Wil- Bratton sought to clarify his statements. liam Bratton, in a speech to the Police ‘I may have in my remarks or in your in- Foundation on Jan. 29, announced the terpretation of my remarks confused you for Kiev regime! formation of a new unit to combat “ter- or confused the issue,’ he told reporters. rorism and protests.” The plan, he said, is to have protests and The U.S. government says it is discuss- but those pushing hardest for weapons Here’s the New York Times report on antiterrorism duties handled by different ing — if it is not already a done deal — aid are unelected, active and retired offi- his speech: “The new unit, to be made up types of officers, in different corners of sending $3 billion in heavy arms to the cials — mercenary war-mongers. A Feb. 2 of roughly 350 officers and to be called the the department.” (Feb. 2) Kiev government in Ukraine, which was New York Times article reports that Joint Strategic Response Group, will be created Bratton’s weasely words — “different installed by a U.S.-inspired coup last Chiefs Chair Martin Dempsey and NATO in the coming months, Mr. Bratton said. corners of the department” — shouldn’t February. Sending these weapons will, at military commander General Philip Officers assigned to it would be equipped set anyone’s mind at rest about what this a minimum, bring more suffering to mil- Breedlove are now urging military aid. with heavy protective gear and machine police honcho intends. He and the su- lions of people in Ukraine. Apparently the military brass are now guns, and receive advanced training in per-rich Wall Street class he serves want Ukraine used to be a republic of the So- openly making U.S. foreign policy. counterterrorism tactics and ‘advanced to terrorize potential protesters with viet Union and most of the people in the Add to the two generals eight “think- disorder control,’ he said. ‘It is designed threats of extreme violence. Yes, the rich east speak Russian. At a maximum, more tank” militarists in the Chicago Council, for dealing with events like our recent and their cops are the terrorists. U.S. intervention could provoke a war who have just released a report demand- protests or incidents like Mumbai or what Protests against what? Police killings of with Russia, with the unspeakable suf- ing weapons for Kiev. Led by Strobe Tal- just happened in Paris,’ Mr. Bratton said.” unarmed youth? Starvation wages? Pollu- fering and destruction that could entail. bott, the eight are all anti-communist In New York City! Where the streets are tion of the planet? Bratton didn’t say. This must be stopped. intellectuals who built Cold War careers densely packed with people. The cops are The police mindset reflects the despot- Workers World has supported the resis- battling the Soviet Union. Unsatisfied by threatening to use machine guns on pro- ic tendencies of those paid to defend an tance movements of the Lugansk and Do- the collapse of the USSR and the privat- testers, lumping them in with “terrorists”? increasingly unpopular capitalist society netsk People’s Republics, located in south- ization of the economy that followed, they Bratton was appointed by Mayor Bill that is wracked with unsolvable contra- eastern Ukraine. The working people in now advocate U.S. policies to destroy de Blasio, who was endorsed by the dictions. New York City has the greatest the resistance are volunteers, defending Russia as a potential competitor. unions, whose spouse and children are income gap in the country. Luxury con- their territory from the Kiev regime’s of- We call upon all progressive and an- African-American, and who campaigned dos, limos, even private helicopters are fensive. They have popular support and ti-war people in the United States to re- largely on ending the police terror tactic at the disposal of the super-rich, while have recently been making gains. ject these warmongers and fight against of stop-and-frisk, which over the years hunger and homelessness spread like a The Kiev government was put in pow- any delivery of U.S. military aid to ensnared hundreds of thousands of cancer through the working class — espe- er by a coup backed by U.S. and Euro- the Kiev regime’s conscripted army in young people, almost all from the Black cially its oppressed sectors, the Black and pean Union imperialism and depends Ukraine. Demonstrate this opposition and Brown communities. Brown internal colonies of imperialism. on openly fascist and neo-Nazi militias. in social media, in assemblies and in the The published report on Bratton’s Are there protests? You’d better believe This regime plans to join NATO and ac- streets. Spread these opinions and publi- speech must have kicked up quite a it. Will they grow stronger? Absolutely. cept NATO bases that would provoke cize these actions to progressive and an- storm, because four days later another But Bratton’s words teach us something Russia. This is a threat to working peo- ti-war forces in all NATO countries. article appeared in the Times “clarifying” else, too, about who wields the power in a ple in both Ukraine and Russia, and the Don’t let them put your world at risk. Bratton’s remarks. capitalist society. Bratton represents the people of southeastern Ukraine know it Tell Obama if he wants to spend $3 bil- “The idea of equipping officers with state, the “body of armed men,” in the and will fight. lion, use it to bail out and rebuild Detroit. heavy weapons and protective gear to words of Russian revolutionary V.I. Le- Bad enough that the U.S. Congress For starters. monitor protesters drew immediate nin. De Blasio, although elected by the has voted for sanctions against Russia, No U.S. arms to Ukraine! criticism last week, and on Monday, Mr. people, has no “army” of his own. Why did he bring Bratton back in the first place, when this top cop supports what de Blasio claims to be against? (See Why Washington fuels Kiev’s war “Bratton’s Endorsement of Stop-and- Frisk,” The New Yorker, Dec. 5, 2013) Because the ruling class wanted Brat- on Novorossiya ton — and they got him. Elections may show to some degree what the people want, but making progressive change By Greg Butterfield fourth in Ukraine in less than a year. passed the so-called “Ukraine Freedom happen takes a much, much bigger strug- Novorossiyan forces reportedly lost Support Act,” providing millions of dol- Based on a talk at the Workers World gle by the whole working class. The pro- 300 to 350 killed and wounded soldiers lars in additional military aid to Ukraine, Party Forum in New York on Jan. 23. tests are a good beginning. during Jan. 15-22. The Kiev junta lost opening the door to directly arming the At least 100 civ ilians were killed on Jan. 1,200 killed, wounded, prisoners of war Kiev junta and approving additional 21 alone in the Ukrainian terror-bombing and missing in the vicinity of the Donetsk sanctions against Russia. of cities in the Donetsk and Lugansk Peo- airport alone. Even before President Barack Obama existed in the 1990s under Boris Yeltsin. ple’s Republics of the Donbass mining re- signed it into law on Dec. 18, airports in These forces could be kept in check when gion, also known as Novorossiya. Pentagon to train neo-Nazi troops southeastern Ukraine were shut down to there was relative prosperity. Now they Since Ukraine announced the resump- The same day the trolley bus passen- receive planeloads of U.S. weapons, vehi- are raising their heads more forcefully. tion of hostilities Jan. 18, Gorlovka has gers were massacred in Donetsk, Jan. cles and ammunition. During the Gorbachev period before been shelled nonstop, and cluster bombs 22, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, head of the U.S. Other preparations followed in quick the collapse of the Soviet Union, Workers were dropped in the Lugansk city of Army in Europe, was in Kiev. There he succession. Ukraine’s parliament revoked World Party chairperson Sam Marcy was Stakhanov. met with wounded Ukrainian soldiers the country’s nonaligned status and offi- fond of using the term “full-court press.” The United Nations reported Jan. 22 and thanked them for their service. cially declared its intention to seek NATO By this he meant the U.S. was using all that the official death toll of Ukraine’s Hodges also met with the commander membership. A NATO mission opened in means of pressure — financial, military, “Anti-Terrorist Operation” is now 5,086 of the Ukrainian armed forces and the Kiev Jan. 1. propaganda, cultural, etc. — to exacer- — although the U.N. admits this is seri- head of the fascist National Guard, which In mid-January, U.S. financier and an- bate the internal contradictions in the ously undercounted. reports to far-right Interior Minister Ar- ti-communist George Soros flew to Kiev USSR and bring about its destruction. As horrible as this is, it’s important to seny Avakov. He announced that U.S. to help cook up a refinancing deal with Today Washington is employing a sim- know that the Novorossiyan people’s mili- troops will soon be deployed to Ukraine the International Monetary Fund to save ilar strategy aimed at Russia, including tias are fighting back strongly. Once Kiev to train National Guard troops. Ukraine from defaulting on its debt. millions of dollars earmarked to increase cast aside the last pretense of a ceasefire, To mark Hodges’ visit, the U.S. Em- the influence of U.S.-backed nongovern- the militias took the long-contested Do- bassy gave the first prototype of a new Why now? mental organizations and political oppo- netsk airport, moved to the outskirts of armored vehicle, the Kozak, to Ukraine’s We know the U.S. was the driving force sition loyal to imperialism. occupied Mariupol, and now are taking Border Guard. behind last February’s coup and every- This development has big ramifications the fight to Ukrainian forces all along the The Kiev regime’s attacks on Donbass thing unleashed since on the people of for Syria, Iran, China, Venezuela, the front lines. have been escalating steadily since the Donbass and Ukraine. But why is Wash- BRICS alliance (which includes Brazil, Donetsk Prime Minister Alexander New Year, but we can trace this aggres- ington pushing even harder now? Russia, India, China and South Africa) Zakharchenko has declared their inten- sion to Dec. 4. What’s changed is the economic crisis and many other countries. But Donetsk tion to expand the people’s republics’ Many people will remember Dec. 4 as in Russia brought about by the collapse and Lugansk are literally the front line. control to the full territory of Donetsk the night of the first big demonstrations of the global oil market. U.S. and Europe- This struggle is not going away and and Lugansk, beyond the rump area they in solidarity with Eric Garner, who had an sanctions that could be laughed off or could escalate into the dominant world were restricted to under the Minsk Ac- been choked to death by New York cops. circumvented six months ago now have issue. Now is the time to raise solidarity cords last September. That night the U.S. House of Represen- real bite. with Novorossiya and push it out into the In January Zakharchenko, a former tatives passed a resolution condemning There’s never been unanimity among broader movement, finding ways to link militia leader, has appealed to the fami- Russia and supporting the far-right junta Russia’s capitalist ruling class or govern- the struggle against war and fascism in lies of Ukrainian soldiers with a message in Ukraine by 411 to 10, showing truly bi- ment about Donbass. Many in the Rus- Ukraine with the new, dynamic move- urging them to resist the new wave of the partisan imperialist unity on this issue. sian ruling class want to return to the ment against police killings and the racist highly unpopular military draft — the On Dec. 11, both the Senate and House neoliberal relationship with the U.S. that capitalist system. workers.org Feb. 12, 2015 Page 11 Syria says Israeli attack helps al-Qaida

By Chris Fry

“How can you say that al-Qaida doesn’t have an air force? They have the Israeli air force,” Syria President Bashar Assad told an American reporter. (“Assad: Is- raeli strikes in Syria benefit al-Qaida,” jpost.com, Jan. 25) President Assad’s comments came a week after an Israeli airstrike on Qu- neitra, Syria, killed six Hezbollah soldiers and six Iranians, including Hezbollah Commander Jihad Mughniyeh and Ira- nian General Mohammad Ali ­Allahdadi. In retaliation for this unprovoked at- tack, on Jan. 28 Hezbollah forces from Lebanon fired anti-tank rockets at an Israeli column in northern Israel, killing two soldiers and wounding seven. In the ensuing battle, a Spanish U.N. soldier was also killed. Also in response to the Israeli attack, Hamas in Palestinian Gaza organized a strong solidarity demonstration with Hezbollah. Some demonstrators even breached the walls of the U.N. compound in Gaza. Hamas officials said their action “reaffirms Hezbollah’s right to respond to the Israeli aggression, especially fol- Israeli soldiers stand next to a mobile artillery unit near the border with Syria in the Golan Heights. lowing the attack in Quneitra.” (CNN. com, Jan. 28) complain when Israel attacks Hezbollah, At first glance, it may seem strange an ally of the Syrian government. that Israel, supported and armed to the Of course, this attack also meshes with teeth by the U.S., would launch an attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya- on allies of the Assad government in Syr- hu’s re-election campaign in the Zionist ia when Syria is waging a fierce defense garrison state. Continued war against its against invading forces of the Islamic Arab neighbors and the Palestinian peo- La Rebelión de Glenville State (ISIL). The U.S. is waging its own ple is the foundation of Israel’s existence. This war, which has cost so many lives air campaign against ISIL in both Syria Continua de la página 12 and Iraq. Hundreds of U.S. troops are and caused 9 million people to flee their Por una noche las calles fueron patrul- being sent to the region to train Syrian homes, according to the U.N., is not in ald, hermano de Nondu Bey, y les dije- ladas por fuerzas de paz negras. La rebe- anti-government militias to fight ISIL. the interest of the Jewish people, but it ron “Dejen que ese ……… muera aquí”. lión duró cinco días, con la expropiación But of course there is nothing strange has won the enthusiastic support of Wall Dick Peery, en ese entonces reportero del generalizada y quema de negocios blan- about it at all. The U.S. still sees the Assad Street and its minions in Washington. periódico semanal afro-americano Call cos, pero no hubo más víctimas. government in Syria as an obstacle to its It is time for all progressive people to and Post, observó que las/os asistentes “Las circunstancias que engendraron dominion over the oil-rich Middle East. stand in solidarity with the Arab people de la cercana taberna Lakeview fueron la violencia racial en Cleveland en el ver- Regime change in Syria is still a top item in the Middle East against these U.S.-Is- maltratados; los hombres fueron empuja- ano de 1968 no han cambiado significati- on Washington’s agenda. So it doesn’t raeli criminal attacks! dos a culatazos mientras que las mujeres vamente desde entonces”, Masotti y Corsi tenían su ropa rasgada. Un hombre negro concluyeron en su informe que fue publi- que manejaba por la zona fue sacado de cado en mayo de 1969. su coche, golpeado e insultado, según ¿Cuán diferente son las cosas en 2014? Anti-Islam frenzy in France Peery. Un camarógrafo blanco que cubría “Créalo o no, es peor ahora” dijo Free- la situación fue golpeado malamente. man, quien todavía vive en Glenville. “No Continued from page 8 U.S. film about a CIA plot to assassinate La estrategia del alcalde Stokes para hubo ningún asesinato de niños de 12 when the school’s principal slapped him Kim Jung Un, leader of the Democratic evitar más pérdidas de vida sin embargo, años como Tamir Rice. Ha tomado tres on the back of his head and said, “Stop People’s Republic of Korea. In the re- fue un ejemplo único de control comu- muertes — Michael Brown, Eric Garner y digging. You won’t find a machine gun to views by Le Figaro and Le Point, there nitario. El 24 de julio, después de discu- Tamir Rice — para llevar la ira del pueblo kill us all.” Although Ahmed is diabetic, wasn’t a word about this crude film ex- siones con líderes negros, ordenó a todos afroamericano y nuestros aliadas/os a las he was deprived of his insulin. He was tolling terrorism. los policías blancos y gente blanca no res- calles para decir ¡Basta! Si hace una dif- taken to the police station, and then his For the French and other imperialists, idente, además de a la Guardia Nacional erencia o no dependerá de que continúeel father was notified. (Libération, Jan. 28) “terrorism” only flows out of the resis- que estaba en guardia, a salirse de la zona movimiento”. A report claims the French ministry of tance of the oppressed. donde tuvo lugar el tiroteo. education is investigating 200 reported cases of “supporting terrorism” through- out France. (AFP, Jan. 14) geous one-year sentence. Dostal was sent These cases suggest widespread resis- to the workhouse on a six-month sentence. tance to the current campaign of promot- The case of Ahmed Evans He was released early when he was about ing French imperialism and an anti-Islam to play a lead role in a strike of inmates. frenzy under the guise of advancing “the Continued fron page 6 ic observer. Both were charged with con- No one was ever charged in the killings republican values of the French state.” July 23 Defense Committee held a demon- tempt of court. of Amer Iber Katir, Malik Ali Bey or Non- Given all the heavy state artillery di- stration outside the courthouse during On May 12, 1969, jurors returned a du Bey, the three Republic of New Libya rected against an 8-year-old who dared the trial. At the time, picketing a court- verdict of guilty on all counts and with- members shot to death. to say, “Je ne suis pas Charlie” (“I am not house was illegal. Mae Mallory was ar- out mercy. Before being sent to death Ahmed Evans’ death sentence was lat- Charlie”), it was interesting to look at rested, along with Ted Dostal, who was row, Evans stated, “The electric chair er commuted to life in prison, where he French reviews of “The Interview,” the standing on the sidelines as a sympathet- or fear of anything won’t stop the Black died of cancer in 1978. He was a commit- man of today.” ted revolutionary to the end. Just as today there is widespread an- Mae Mallory left Africa when it was ger everywhere over the police killing safe to return to activism in her home of 12-year-old Tamir Rice of Cleveland, town of Brooklyn, N.Y., where she spent WAR WITHOUT VICTORY “There was outrage all over the country her last years. Wilbur Grattan, a frequent by Sara Flounders when the Evans verdict was announced,” driver on the Pastors for Peace Cuba Car- “By revealing the underbelly of the empire, Flounders sheds recalls Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the avan, and Ted Dostal and Frances Dos- insight on how to stand up to the imperialist war machine Pan-African News Wire. “I was in eighth tal, fixtures of the Cleveland progressive and, in so doing, save ourselves and humanity.” grade in Detroit and students walked out movement, stayed in the struggle to the – Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, when they got the news. They were at- end. The four remained lifelong friends President, U.N. General Assembly, 2008-2009; tacked by Detroit police.” and all would have been in the streets Foreign Minister of Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. Both Dostal and Mallory were also with the youth of today, blocking high- Available online at major booksellers. found guilty. Mallory moved to Tanzania ways, staging die-ins and getting in the PentagonAchillesHeel.com to avoid being forced to serve an outra- faces of the racist cops. Correspondencia sobre artículos en Workers World/Mundo Obrero pueden ser enviadas a: [email protected]

¡Proletarios y oprimidos de todos los paises unios! workers.org Vol. 57 Núm. 6 12 de febrero, 2015 $1 Ahmed Evans Lo que Obama omitió

Editorial Workers World-Mundo Obrero votantes emitió su voto por un presidente personas con más probabilidades de estas cosas útiles constantemente son so- del 26 de enero negro, lo que indica que quieren ver el fin morir en el trabajo, entonces Obama cavados y subvertidos con el fin de poner de la brutal historia racista de este país. debió haber mencionado a los pescado- más recursos en lo que la clase dominante El “Estado de la Unión” es el discurso Ser partidario de la justicia racial y fre- res, leñadores, obreros de la construc- – la décima parte del 1% – considera que presidencial anual que supuestamente nar la brutalidad policial es popular aquí ción, colectores de basura, mineros, tra- es la función real del estado: la represión. informa sobre cómo van las cosas para la en Estados Unidos. bajadores agrícolas, pilotos, techadores, La policía, la Guardia Nacional y el gente de este país. Entonces, ¿cómo explicar que Obama trabajadores del hierro y conductores de complejo industrial de prisiones son una En miles de manifestaciones y mar- mencionara Ferguson y la policía sólo camiones quienes llevan sus vidas en sus parte vital de la represión interna, así chas de protesta en los últimos meses, una vez en su discurso de 28 minutos, y manos cada vez que van a trabajar – y como el Pentágono, la CIA y otros organ- sobre todo desde los acontecimientos en eso al final? He aquí lo que dijo: generalmente ganan mucho menos dine- ismos — algunos de cuyos presupuestos Ferguson, Misuri, la gente ha ventila- “Podemos tener diferentes perspectiv- ro que la policía. son totalmente secretos — llevan a cabo do su ira y su dolor sobre los asesinatos as sobre los acontecimientos de Ferguson Todos debemos saber que los discur- la represión externa. La mayor parte de policiales de jóvenes de color y los encu- y Nueva York. Pero ciertamente podemos sos presidenciales son cuidadosamente nuestros impuestos se gasta en la violen- brimientos oficiales que han seguido. Las entender a un padre que teme que su hijo analizados por las personas que ejercen cia estatal contra quienes tienen más ra- principales carreteras han sido cerradas no pueda caminar a su casa sin ser acosa- el poder político real. La decisión de tra- zones para rebelarse porque son explota- y un sinnúmero de protestas simulando do. Y ciertamente podemos entender a la tar el tema de la violencia racista de la das/os y oprimidas/os por el capitalismo cuerpos muertos han sido convocadas esposa que no descansará hasta que el policía de esta manera minimalista rev- dentro del país y por el imperialismo en en lugares públicos. Asombrosamente, policía con quien se casó llegue a su casa ela mucho sobre el verdadero carácter del el exterior. un gran número de transeúntes, incluy- al final de su turno”. gobierno de EUA. En muchos sentidos, Ni siquiera a un presidente se le per- endo a las personas directamente afecta- Él ni siquiera mencionó los asesinatos los funcionarios electos, tanto la presi- mite criticar a estos cuerpos, no impor- das por los inconvenientes causados por brutales de tantos jóvenes negros por la dencia como el Congreso, son sólo una ta cuán descaradamente realizan terror los atascos del tráfico, han vitoreado las policía. Sólo el “acoso”. Pero en cuanto a fachada para el Estado y su brutal papel sistemático – ya sea en los calabozos de protestas dando su aprobación. la propia policía, el mensaje es que las vi- de supresión. Abu Ghraib y Guantánamo, en la isla de Un historiador de este período sin das de éstos están en grave peligro. Debido a las muchas batallas libra- Rikers y en las prisiones “supermax” de duda esperaría que de todas las prome- Hay que recordar que, según las pro- das por las/os trabajadores y los pueb- EUA o en las calles de Ferguson y Oak- sas hechas por el presidente, traer justi- pias cifras del gobierno recopiladas por los oprimidos durante siglos, el gobier- land, California. cia a las víctimas del terrorismo policial, la Oficina de Estadísticas Laborales, ser no realiza una serie de servicios útiles: Eso deja en manos de las/os traba- sería lo primero en su discurso sobre el policía ni siquiera aparece en las 10 ocu- Medicare y Medicaid, servicio postal, in- jadores y oprimidas/os el organizar y estado de la Unión. paciones más peligrosas. spección de carne y productos alimenta- realizar los cambios revolucionarios que Además, en las últimas dos elecciones Si la Casa Blanca está realmente rios y creación de parques y escuelas, por nunca serán realizados por la maquinar- presidenciales, una mayoría de las/os preocupada por proteger la vida de las nombrar sólo algunos. Pero los fondos de ia política de la clase multimillonaria. Cómo la Rebelión de Glenville ganó brevemente control comunitario en 1968

Por Martha Grevatt lado relaciones con varias personas en el ción de Stokes, amenazando repetida- para tender una emboscada a la policía. Lado Este, gente del vecindario negro,” mente con cerrar su librería. La elección Hechos que contradicen la versión ofi- La práctica de la policía de asesinatos, explicó Freeman. “De hecho, Cleveland de un alcalde negro intensificó el antag- cial salieron luego a la luz por Luis Ma- brutalidad y hostigamiento de las comu- fue una de las pocas ciudades en el país onismo de la policía hacia la comunidad sotti y Jerome Corsi en su informe a la nidades negras no es un fenómeno nuevo. que no se rebeló. Los líderes de la comu- negra y hacia Evans en particular. Evans Comisión Nacional sobre Causas y Pre- Tampoco lo es la resistencia a ésta. nidad sabían que esto era la mejor mane- y su grupo, República de Nueva Libia, vención de Violencia, que más tarde se El 23 de julio 1968 – en la noche cono- ra de salvar vidas”. se sentían amenazados por la vigilancia convirtió en el libro “Tiroteo en Cleve- cida como la Rebelión de Glenville – rev- El río Cuyahoga divide los altamente periódica de su casa por policías blancos land”. olucionarios negros lucharon en defensa segregados lados este y oeste de la ciu- y compraron armas para su autodefensa. “Nosotros fuimos objetos de una em- propia. dad. El alcalde pudo llamar voluntarios Informes del FBI — basados en la pa- boscada, no la policía”, dijo Evans a Ma- Glenville es parte de Cleveland, y como para patrullar las calles después del ase- labra de un dudoso informante — ex- sotti y Corsi. Según su versión, los Nacio- en 1968, es un punto fulminante en la lu- sinato del reverendo Martin Luther King pusieron que el grupo de Evans estaba nalistas no dispararon a la policía hasta cha contra el racismo y la policía. Jr. planeando asesinar a líderes negros que la policía mató a Amer Iber Katir. Algunos de quienes se unieron ahora Las corporaciones — a través de sus moderados el 23 de julio. Se convirtió en Otros testigos coincidieron en que Katir a las/os jóvenes en las calles exigiendo brazos “filantrópicos”, por los cuales un tema candente en el Ayuntamiento. fue la primera víctima mortal. Malik Ali justicia para Tamir Rice estaban en el devuelven una pequeña parte de la rique- En la tarde del 23 de julio, el conce- Bey y Nondu Bey murieron más tarde en movimiento de Liberación Negra en el za creada por las/os trabajadores a aquel- jal George Forbes y el ex jugador de los la pelea. momento de la rebelión. WW/Mundo las/os a quienes empobrecen — tenían Cleveland Browns, Walter Beach, se reu- Después de la balacera, tres policías Obrero habló con Don Freeman, co-ed- un interés en mantener a la ciudad libre nieron con Evans para tratar de calmar y un espectador que supuestamente los itor de la revista “Vibration”. Ahora en de rebelión. Dieron financiación ma- la situación y atender sus quejas sobre la ayudaba también murieron y otros 15 — su 47º año, Vibration “se centra en la siva para Cleveland Now!, que el alcalde policía. Mientras hablaban, dos vehículos policías, nacionalistas y los atrapados en explotación y la opresión de los pueblos Stokes inició para combatir la pobreza, sin identificar se estacionaron frente al el fuego cruzado — resultaron heridos. oprimidos de la tierra, especialmente los fomentar el orgullo cultural negro y pro- apartamento de Evans desde direcciones El periodista independiente Roldo Bar- afroamericanos en EUA”. mover un sentido de empoderamiento. opuestas, ambos llenos de policías blan- timole que cubrió los acontecimientos, En 1967, Carl Stokes fue elegido al- Uno de los líderes comunitarios que cos. Los intentos de Forbes para que se cita una cifra superior de muertos civiles, calde de Cleveland, convirtiéndose en el recibió fondos de Cleveland Now!, habi- fueran no tuvieron éxito. ocho o posiblemente diez, puesto que no primer alcalde negro de una ciudad de su endo sido parte de las fuerzas de paz de Horas después comenzó el tiroteo en- se encontraron nunca a dos individuos. tamaño. Un año más tarde, el hermano la alcaldía tras el asesinato de King, fue tre miembros armados del grupo de Ev- Para las 11 p.m., Ahmed Evans se había del alcalde, Louis Stokes, fue elegido a la el líder nacionalista negro Ahmed Evans. ans y la policía. rendido. Cámara de Representantes. Antes de la La librería y Centro Cultural Afro de Ev- El relato de la policía diciendo que Nue- La policía se comportó despiadada- elección de Stokes, Flint, en Michigan, y ans recibió un subsidio de $10.000 para va Libia inició la pelea al disparar sobre mente con la comunidad. Los activistas Gary, en Indiana, eligieron sus primeros un programa de artesanía africana. los vehículos de vigilancia y un camión Wilbur Grattan y Albert Forest fueron alcaldes negros. El período fue uno de as- de remolque, fue presentado como ver- golpeados severamente cuando intenta- cendencia de afroamericanas/os a cargos Evans: ‘Nos tendieron emboscada’ dad indiscutible por el periódico Plain ban rescatar al malherido Lathan Don- políticos. La policía de Cleveland sin embargo, Dealer. Evans y sus colaboradores fueron “El alcalde Stokes ya había desarrol- había acosado a Evans antes de la elec- acusados de haber pedido un remolque Continúa en la página 11