Marxist Bulletin Home Page

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal!

Abolish the racist death penalty!

In October last year the US courts ruled against the appeal of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the black activist and journalist who is on death row for a crime he did not commit. Ever since his days as a teenager fighting for racial equality and social justice in the Black Panther Party, the US government has targeted Mumia for elimination. The FBI has a file 700 pages long on Mumia, and called him 'armed and dangerous' even though he had committed not one crime in his life. The rulers of this society want him dead for the crime of exposing the racist nature of American capitalism.

Mumia's conviction over 17 years ago was the product of phony evidence and perjured testimony coerced from alleged witnesses. Although Mumia's lawyers have cut through all the lies and exposed the political agenda behind the persecution of Mumia, he remains on death row and the death warrant could be signed over the next few months. Of the thousands on death row, predominately black, Mumia's case shows most clearly how the death penalty is used as a political weapon to maintain the oppressive rule of the capitalist state.

International action to fight the death penalty and save Mumia's life is urgent! IBT supporters have been working with a group of comrades organising protests in London. A public meeting has been called for 28 January to extend this and bring together the different groups and individuals who support Mumia. We call on all those who wish to take action to defend Mumia Abu-Jamal to attend this meeting and join together to build a non-sectarian united front coalition which can organise significant protests in the coming months.


Public meeting: 7.30pm, Thursday 28 January 1999

Follow-up meeting to build a united-front coalition: 7.30pm, Thursday 11 February 1999

Both at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn, London