PDC & ‘Petty Sectarianism’A New Spartacist ‘Principle’The following is the complete email exchange between organizers of the 17 May united-front demonstration for Mumia Abu-Jamal in Toronto and the Trotskyist League (TL—Canadian affiliate of the Spartacist League/U.S.) and the Partisan Defense Committee (PDC). The TL/PDC ultimately refused to endorse the event, but did mobilize a contingent that accounted for almost a third of the 75 participants. May 9, 2007 Hi, I have attached the draft text of a poster for an emergency demo for Mumia on Thursday 17 May at 6pm (the day his appeal is being heard in the federal court in Philly). So far we have five endorsements and expect more. We would be happy to have the TL listed, and would also welcome any practical assistance you think you could provide. The poster will not be produced until we have had a chance to get around to as many groups as possible. Please get back to me and let me know what is possible from your end. [A.] for ARA Subject: Re: Can TL endorse emergency Mumia demo 17 May?
Dear [A.] for ARA, Thank you for your email. However, we did not receive the document you attached. Could you please cut and paste the text into an email or resend the document with a different extension (i.e., something other than .doc or .zip)? Thank you, [May 9] My apologies, I’m using a boilerplate to invite groups to endorse this event and, obviously, I failed to modify it appropriately with my last email. [A.] Draft poster text: EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATIONMumia is Innocent![MUMIA PICTURE] On Thursday May 17th, arguments will be heard in U.S. federal court in Philadelphia in what could be the last appeal of activist/journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal. The evidence shows that Mumia Abu-Jamal is an innocent man! He has been on death row in Pennsylvania for 25 years, the victim of a police and prosecutorial frame-up and a racist judge. The man known as the “Voice of the Voiceless” has continued to champion the poor and oppressed through his writing and broadcasting from prison. Thursday, May 17th, 6 - 7pmU.S. Consulate,360 University Ave (between Dundas St. and Queen St.)endorsed by Anti-Racist Action, International Bolshevik Tendency, Socialist Alternative, Young Communist League Free Mumia!Abolish the Racist Death Penalty!May 17th Committee to Free Mumialabor donated May 10, 2007 To: [A.]/Anti Racist Action Dear [A.], For many years the Partisan Defense Committee and the Trotskyist League/Ligue trotskyste have proclaimed “Mumia is Innocent!” and have fought to mobilize the social forces, especially trade unions, necessary to “Free Mumia!” and “Abolish the Racist Death Penalty!” We support genuine united-front action that brings together individuals and groups in urgent action for Mumia’s freedom without becoming responsible for one another’s political views—unity in action and freedom of criticism. An authentic united front would include the following criteria: 1. Endorsement is based on agreement with the following slogans: “Mumia is Innocent!”, “Free Mumia!” and “Abolish the Racist Death Penalty!” 2. Speaking rights at the rally for organizations who agree with these demands. 3. Within this framework there should be full freedom of criticism: any organization that endorses should be encouraged to put out its own propaganda and build for the rally under its own name. 4. Nothing else is to be put out under the names of all the endorsers except the above three slogans, as well as the date, time and place of the event. The rally leaflet must make clear that the endorsers have not necessarily agreed to any other statement on the flyer. Upon receipt of agreement in writing to the above, the Partisan Defense Committee—the legal and social defense organization associated with the TL/LT—will agree to endorse, build and participate in the 17 May demonstration. Yours, May 10, 2007 Dear Comrade [JL] The core initiators of the May 17th rally felt that there was not sufficient time to invite different groups to attend a preliminary organizing meeting at which the rules under which the united front would operate could be discussed and agreed to. Instead we drafted a poster, with three slogans (to which you agree), a time and place, a list of endorsing organizations, and the following short statement of fact regarding Mumia: “On Thursday May 17th, arguments will be heard in U.S. federal court in Philadelphia in what could be the last appeal of activist/journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal. The evidence shows that Mumia Abu-Jamal is an innocent man! He has been on death row in Pennsylvania for 25 years, the victim of a police and prosecutorial frame-up and a racist judge. The man known as the ‘Voice of the Voiceless’ has continued to champion the poor and oppressed through his writing and broadcasting from prison.” In my initial letter to you I included the text of this draft poster. The text of the final one is exactly the same (except that the list of endorsers has been expanded and we have just indicated a start time for the demo, without a finish time). To meet our tight schedule we have had to finalize the first version of the poster tonight, and because it was not entirely clear to us from your letter that you would wish to have your name on the poster as it exists, we have left you off. We will be running off more posters (with the exact same text, slogans, date, etc.) a second version in a few days and will have a chance to add endorsers at that time. We would be very happy to add the name of the PDC and/or TL to the poster if you wish. If for any reason you do not wish to have your name added to the list of endorsers you are of course still very welcome to participate in the demonstration on the 17th. Yours for Mumia’s Freedom, * May 11, 2007 Hello again, I now have a PDF of the poster (attached) The only propaganda the May 17th Committee is publishing is this poster which has the same content as the version I sent you earlier. Of course all endorsing organizations can speak and put forward their own views at the demonstration. Please advise if this is agreeable and if you’d like the PDC or TL listed as an endorser. CGs May 11, 2007 To: May 17th Committee to Free Mumia c/o [A.]/ARA We have received your latest two e-mails and the first complete version of your Committee’s poster. The four points in our e-mail of yesterday evening are the bottom lines for any principled united front action—i.e., for organizations with very different political views to unite in action around an urgent cause without being compelled to suppress or compromise their own politics. When the PDC initiated united-front demonstrations for Mumia in Toronto at various times in the 1990s, we used precisely such guidelines. No organization was asked to endorse anything beyond agreed slogans and the date/time/place for the rally. Your e-mail of this morning states that “all endorsing groups will have the right to speak and distribute their own propaganda.” This leaves only what you term “the short statement of fact regarding Mumia.” While nothing in the statement is in itself incorrect, as a description of who Mumia is and the essential facts of his case it is at best partial and inadequate. If you genuinely seek the broadest united-front action to free Mumia, it is inappropriate to request that the PDC (or for that matter any other organization) agree or be made to appear to agree with anything beyond the slogans and the date/time/place. The simple way to deal with this would be to include a disclaimer along these lines: “Endorsing organizations agree with the three slogans on this flyer and do not necessarily endorse any other statements by the May 17th Committee to Free Mumia on this flyer or elsewhere.” Please confirm your agreement to this in writing. Once this has been done, we request that the Partisan Defense Committee be added to the list of endorsers and speakers at the rally. Yours, [JL] for the Partisan Defense Committee 14 May 2007 Hi [JL], We feel that a short paragraph explaining the importance of the event and giving people a brief update is an essential component of a mobilizing poster; particularly as Mumia’s case has been out of the limelight for several years and many youth who we would like to involve are too young to have participated in any previous events and probably not very familiar with the case. You speak of the need “for organizations with very different political views to unite in action around an urgent cause without being compelled to suppress or compromise their own politics.” We agree with this definition of a united front—no one has requested that you suppress your own political line or not raise your own banner. The disclaimer you propose (“Endorsing organizations agree with the three slogans on this flyer and do not necessarily endorse any other statements by the May 17th Committee to Free Mumia on this flyer or elsewhere”) is unnecessary and, frankly, likely to strike many people as rather bizarre. None of the endorsers have indicated any disagreement whatsoever with anything in the brief outline of facts that appears on the poster. Even you acknowledge that “nothing in the statement is in itself incorrect.” So why have a disclaimer? You state that “When the PDC initiated united-front demonstrations for Mumia in Toronto at various times in the 1990s, we used precisely such guidelines.” I find this difficult to reconcile with a poster I happen to have that was produced for the Monday August 14th 1995 “Demo to save Mumia Abu-Jamal” held outside the US consulate here. The poster has the single slogan, “Stop the racist death penalty,” and contains the following short statement of facts that is not unlike the paragraph we included on the poster for the current action: “The State of Pennsylvania plans to execute Mumia Abu-Jamal on the 17th of August. He has not received a fair trial: he’s barely even had a trial at all. Mumia Abu-Jamal is on death row for his outspoken defense of African-Americans, and indeed all oppressed people. If it can happen to him, it could happen to anyone! This legal lynching must not occur!” The 1995 poster states that the demonstration was sponsored by Anti-Racist Action, Partisan Defense Committee and Toronto Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, and endorsed by a further 30 organizations. Yet there is nothing remotely approximating a statement that “Endorsing organizations agree with the slogans on this flyer and do not necessarily endorse any other statements by the organizers on this flyer or elsewhere.” While in 1995 the PDC sponsored this demonstration and consented to a poster that included a simple statement of facts about the case, today you assert that “it is inappropriate to request that the PDC (or for that matter any other organization) agree or be made to appear to agree with anything beyond the slogans and the date/time/place.” I wonder what happened in the intervening 12 years that led you to embrace such an idiosyncratic notion of the united front? I think we will have to agree to disagree about our paragraph and your disclaimer. But even if the TL/PDC is not prepared to endorse the demonstration we hope that you will still come on Thursday and stand alongside us in Mumia’s defense. CGs, 16 May 2007 Dear [A.], We have received your May 14 email. As you know, the PDC has for a considerable period been organizing rallies and other events, approaching unions, student and other groups around the very slogans—“Mumia is innocent!”, “Free Mumia!” and “Abolish the racist death penalty!”—that are now being raised by your Committee. For much of this period, unfortunately, no other organization locally has to our knowledge taken any initiative around Mumia’s case. The collapse of substantial mobilizations in defense of Mumia since the late 1990s has everything to do with the decision by various reformist left groups—e.g., in Canada Socialist Action and the International Socialists—to drop the call to free him in favour of calls for a “new”or “fair” trial and similar demands that foster dangerous illusions in the capitalist “justice” system. Why stage mass protests in the streets if you can expect to get justice from the courts? We welcome the fact that the groups in your Committee have decided, however belatedly, to (re-)engage with the fight to free Mumia on the basis of slogans in substance identical to our own. As stated earlier, we are for the broadest united-front action around such calls—action that allows groups with very different politics to join in common protest while simultaneously raising their own views. We fight for such action to be centered on mobilizing the social power of the labour movement at the head of the oppressed. It would have been very easy for you to contact us early on requesting endorsement of a united-front demonstration on the above three slogans with no further conditions. If you had any questions about our willingness to do this, you could have arranged to meet with us, whether at a planning meeting or other venue. You chose to do none of these things. Instead you insist that, in order to endorse your demonstration, groups also endorse a “statement of facts” concerning Mumia on which we have been able to give absolutely no input. While there is nothing wrong per se in your statement, it omits several crucial facts. Leaving out Mumia’s former Black Panther Party membership and his support to MOVE means disappearing how he has been victimized by the capitalist state for his political views and activities. The statement, “The evidence shows that Mumia is an innocent man” begs a mention of the crucial proof: the sworn confession of Arnold Beverly that he, not Mumia, shot Daniel Faulkner. Some of these questions are controversial, including among Mumia’s defenders. That is why it is a far better policy not to ask groups to endorse particular texts in order to endorse common united-front action. Participating organizations should put out their */own/* statements as they feel necessary. Your latest email rejects our very simple suggestion of a disclaimer allowing groups to endorse the demo on the basis of the three slogans but not necessarily other statements or propaganda by your Committee. We consider this refusal to be petty sectarianism. We do not, however, intend to let it stand in the way of building the broadest possible mobilization to free Mumia. We of course fully intend to participate in the May 17 protest. We have already issued a call for a PDC contingent, which is attached. In addition to the above slogans, we will raise the calls, “For class struggle to free Mumia now!” and “There is no justice in the capitalist courts!” We have been contacting groups and individuals who have issued statements for Mumia’s freedom and/or joined in earlier PDC-initiated activities for Mumia, urging them to join the protest. In the spirit of a genuine united front, we anticipate there will be no objection to our speaking at the demonstration. We request further that if you are holding a final planning meeting—e.g., right before the demo—you inform us of the time and location so we can assist in technical arrangements for the protest. Finally, it is necessary to set the record straight concerning the August 14, 1995 demonstration addressed in your email. This demo, co-sponsored by the PDC, Anti-Racist Action and the Toronto Committee to Free Mumia, was built on precisely the same basis as other PDC-initiated protests that year. Groups were asked only to endorse two slogans—“Save Mumia Abu-Jamal!” and “Abolish the Racist Death Penalty!”—and the date/time/place. The PDC produced a flyer with the slogans, sponsoring and endorsing groups, contact numbers and a warning that Mumia faced execution on August 17. The back featured a broader PDC statement on the case. The leaflet includes precisely the kind of disclaimer that you now deride as “unnecessary” and “bizarre”—“We want to make it very clear that the co-sponsors and endorsers of this demonstration do not necessarily agree in any particular with this call by the PDC.” The flyer you cite, with its political statement that Mumia “has not received a fair trial,” was an */entirely separate/* one produced by ARA and the Committee to Free Mumia (as was their right), for which the PDC took no responsibility. If you wish, we can provide copies of the relevant material. Our policy in 1995 and our policy today are completely consistent. We seek to remove, not erect, obstacles to common action in Mumia’s defense while allowing for the fullest freedom of criticism. Political debate is crucial to reversing the demobilization of support for Mumia and raising the consciousness of those fighting for his freedom. Yours for Mumia’s freedom, Because the demonstration was scheduled for the following day, the organizers did not have an opportunity to reply. However a few comments are in order: 1. The TL/PDC’s vague talk of “organizing rallies and other events” and its complaint that “no other organization locally has to our knowledge taken any initiative around Mumia’s case” ignores the fact the last major mobilization in Toronto took place in June 2002. That event, a united-front fundraising meeting featuring Eliot Grossman, one of Mumia’s lawyers at the time, was initiated by the IBT and actively built by Socialist Alternative (Canadian affiliate of the Committee for a Workers’ International—CWI) and Anti-Racist Action with support from the TL/PDC and various other organizations. The PDC’s complaint about others “belatedly” re-engaging is therefore just silly. On 22 June 2006, when the PDC held a public “organizing meeting” in Toronto to discuss how to renew the campaign, the only people to turn up who were not somehow already associated with the TL were from the IBT. Our proposal to work together to initiate the kind of event that took place on May 17th was crudely rebuffed and our comrades were denounced as “dubious” by the “non-sectarian” PDC (see: “On Recent Spartacist League Polemics”). 2. The TL/PDC’s absurd new “principle” that members of a united front cannot produce any sort of common statement and must merely state time, place and official slogans is not only contradicted by their past record, as we outline below, but is also counterposed to maximizing the potential mobilization, as the organizers of the 17 May demonstration explained: “We feel that a short paragraph explaining the importance of the event and giving people a brief update is an essential component of a mobilizing poster; particularly as Mumia’s case has been out of the limelight for several years and many youth who we would like to involve are too young to have participated in any previous events and probably not very familiar with the case.” Had the TL/PDC been able to point to any errors or gross omissions in the statement, it could have been corrected or amended, as the lengthier one used on the 2002 poster for the “Mumia’s Lawyer Speaks” was. The exact text that was to appear on the final poster was circulated to every group approached for an endorsement. While the TL/PDC conceded that there was “nothing wrong” with the statement, they insisted on the insertion of a bizarre disclaimer that signatories to the poster did not necessarily agree with the brief statement of facts it included. When challenged, the PDC representative attempted to give the impression that this has been standard practice in the past. We have appended five posters for several united-front events held in Toronto which the PDC/ICL supported (and one which it did not). The only place that we have been able to find a disclaimer of the sort that comrade JL proposed was, appropriately enough, at the end of a lengthy PDC statement printed on the back of one version of a united-front poster (see Poster 3 below) for a demonstration on 14 August 1995. The version of the poster that our comrades and others pasted up to advertise the 14 August event (Poster 4) was also produced by the TL/PDC. It listed endorsing organizations, was blank on the back and had no disclaimer. The ARA produced its own poster for the event (Poster 2) as JL mentioned in the 16 May letter. We do not recall the TL/PDC objecting to having its name on the ARA poster, despite the fact that it contained a short statement. This hardly seems consistent with the fourth point of the “bottom line” outlined in the PDC’s 10 May letter. The largest united-front demonstration in Toronto for Mumia, which drew almost 1000 participants, had been held a couple of weeks earlier on 29 July 1995. Initiated by the youth wing of the New Democratic Party, it was organized at a united-front planning meeting where IBT comrades accepted the assignment to produce a poster to advertise it (Poster 1). Poster 5 was also produced by the IBT on behalf of a 24 April 1999 united-front demonstration which the TL/PDC refused to endorse (see “Disagreeable Sectarians,” 1917 No. 21, 1999). Poster 6 was produced by the IBT on behalf of the united front that sponsored Grossman’s 2002 talk (including the TL/PDC). The text on it, like the text on Posters 1 and 5, was agreed to by all signatories. The TL/PDC’s record can therefore hardly be described as “completely consistent.” We will let everyone decide for themselves whether a failure to embrace the PDC’s new “principle” amounts to “petty sectarianism.” APPENDICES |
Posted: 27 May 2007 |