Amelia Robinson Takes Voting Rights Fight to Poland

uring the course of a two-day Dvisit to Warsaw, Poland at the end of May, American Civil Rights leader and Schiller Institute vice-chair- man, Amelia Boynton Robinson gave audiences a first-hand report on the election rigging in the U.S. Presiden- tial campaign. Mrs. Robinson’s first appearance was as guest speaker at a seminar at the Lech Walesa Institute, named for the former leader of Solidarnosc and the first post- communist Polish President. Her report to an audience of individuals who do business with the U.S., focussed on the i

elimination of the Voting Rights Act in e W the U.S. Presidential election campaign, a n n A /

and a description of her own decades- / S N

long struggle for voting rights in Alaba- R I ma. E While in Warsaw, Mrs. Robinson Schiller Institute vice-chairman Amelia Boynton Robinson in Warsaw. gave interviews to three newspapers, and did an hour-long radio interview. from challenging Al Gore’s nomina- the footsteps of Martin Luther King.” In these, she developed the key issues in tion; LaRouche’s proposal for a New the U.S. campaign: the Democratic Par- Bretton Woods monetary system to Questions About Dr. King ty’s trashing of voting rights in its reorganize the disintegrating world Mrs. Robinson also met one of Poland’s attempt to prevent Lyndon LaRouche economy; and LaRouche’s campaign “in leading bishops. An admirer of Martin

Italian Senators Probe Abuses of U.S. Voting Rights Act, LaRouche n June 14, a group of Italian Sena- recipient of the Martin Luther King cence of the condemned person; Otors from across the political spec- Medal for Freedom in 1990, informed Following the decision by the trum presented an inquiry in the Senate, members of the Parliament and govern- Supreme Court which nullifies, unbe- asking the Italian Foreign Minister to ment representatives of the incredible knownst to the public, 35 years of comment on the violations of the 1965 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, advancement by the movement for Civil Voting Rights Act in the United States. abolishing the Voting Rights Act, which Rights in the U.S.A., there have been a The initiative had been discussed with since 1965 has guaranteed the right of number of cases of violations of the right Amelia Boynton Robinson during her each American citizen to participate in to vote, and of the respect for the right to visit to Rome. What follows is the text of the election process, both as a voter and vote, against some American Presiden- the inquiry, and a list of its sponsors. as a delegate [for a Presidential candi- tial candidates, among them Democratic * * * date], declaring it “unconstitutional,” candidate Lyndon H. LaRouche, as doc- Inquiry requesting a written answer and upholding an earlier decision taken umented by Mrs. Robinson, as official to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the same vein by a local court; observer in the Democratic Party prima- Rome, Italy The Italian Parliament was already ry in the State of Michigan, and as WHEREAS: aware of a decision by the U.S. brought to the attention of the Office for Mrs. Amelia Boynton Robinson, col- Supreme Court, a decision equally Democratic Institutions and Human laborator of Martin Luther King in the racist and profoundly unjust, regard- Rights [of the Organization for Security movement for the right to vote of ing the death penalty, inclusively in and Cooperation in Europe (O.S.C.E.)] African-Americans in the 1960’s, and cases of doubt concerning the inno- in Warsaw, due to the fact that they vio-

112 Poland Arkansas Democrats Bar

Luther King and John Kennedy, the bishop asked Mrs. Robinson, who Elected LaRouche Delegates worked closely with Dr. King in Selma and Montgomery, many questions about n May 23, Democratic Presidential “bona fide” Democrat. In other words: King and the Civil Rights struggle. Opre-candidate Lyndon LaRouche total disenfranchisement of 53,000 A meeting at the Organization for won 22 percent of the vote in the Arkansans who had voted for Security and Cooperation in Europe Arkansas Democratic Presidential pri- LaRouche. (O.S.C.E.) Department for Human mary, to Al Gore’s 78 percent. Since On June 20, a lawsuit was filed in Rights and Democracy was next on the LaRouche had won 16-25 percent in Pulaski County Circuit Court on behalf agenda. A week before, O.S.C.E. repre- each of the state’s four Congressional of LaRouche and nine Arkansas sentatives had told a Schiller Institute Districts, he was eligible for seven to ten Democrats seeking to represent him at delegation that the U.S. vote-rigging of the 48 delegates Arkansas would send the Los Angeles Democratic Conven- was an internal affair of the Democratic to the National Democratic Convention tion. The lawsuit asked the court to Party. Now, Mrs. Robinson debunked in Los Angeles Aug. 14-17. order the Democratic Party to seat that by presenting the history of the Within one week of having filed as LaRouche’s duly elected delegates to the fight for the Voting Rights Act. National Convention delegates pledged state convention, and to allocate At a Schiller Institute event in down- to LaRouche, the Arkansas Democrats LaRouche his rightful delegates to the town Warsaw, Mrs. Robinson focussed who filed received letters signed by state National Convention. her attention on the young people, chal- Democratic Party chair Vaughn On June 23, Pulaski Circuit Court lenging them to become involved in pol- McQuary, informing them that they Judge John Ward ruled that the state itics to fight for justice. In response to a would not be seated at the June 24 state Democratic Party could proceed with its question, she said the secret of building convention, nor permitted to attend the convention, denying duly elected a successful social movement is the prin- National Convention as delegates LaRouche delegates their delegate seats, ciple “unity means strength.” One per- pledged to LaRouche. Attached was a and giving those seats, instead, to son compared her to the Polish mission- letter from Democratic National Com- unelected Gore delegates. The La- ary priest Tokarski, and called her “a mittee chairman Joe Andrew, in which Rouche delegates attempted to attend treasure of love for all of us.” he ordered state party chairs to “disre- the June 24 Arkansas state convention, gard any votes that might be cast for but were denied admittance by the Cre- LaRouche,” because LaRouche is not a dentials Committee. LaRouche late the fundamental principles of democratic right as stated in the O.S.C.E. Conference on the Human Dimension of 1990. WE ASK: Whether or not the government is informed of the extremely grave decision to abolish the right to vote for those Americans who are deemed undesirable by the leaderships of the parties, and what the Italian govern- ment thinks regarding this? —Rome, June 12, 2000 s g n i n

Signed: Sen. Giovanni Russo Spena, n e J

Sen. Ersilia Salvato, Sen. Fausto Cò, e o J /

Sen. Aurelio Crippa, Sen. Antonio S N R I

Carcarino, Sen. Francesca Scopelliti, E Sen. Athos De Luca. LaRouche Democrats rally at Texas State Democratic Convention against theft of Arkansas LaRouche vote, Fort Worth, June 9.

113