Call for action to defend the right to support the resistance
44 members of the US congress officially asked the Italian government to stop the "Anti-imperialist Camp and their affiliates" as "supporters of terrorist activities [who] are planning to meet on Italian soil in the near future to plan a campaign for financial aid to terrorism" (1) .
US regime defines Anti-imperialist Camp as enemy
The top hierarchy of the US has chosen the Anti-imperialist Camp as a target, however, not for the financial aspect of the "10 Euro for the Iraqi Resistance" campaign. They know well that the money essentially remains on the bank accounts as it was collected for the use of the political front of the resistance yet to be constituted. Daniel Glaser, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Terrorism & Financial Intelligence, Department of the Treasury, admits this clearly in a joint hearing of the House of Representatives´ Armed Services Terrorism, Unconventional Threats And Capabilities Subcommittee and the Financial Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee entitled "Financing of the Iraqi Insurgency": "Regarding their insurgency activities, I can say that -- and I would be happy to go into this in much greater detail in the closed session -- but I can say that they don`t seem to be particularly effective either as fundraisers or in terms of getting any funds that they may happen to raise to actual designated insurgency groups." (2) At this meeting also high ranking representatives of the military apparatus and the military intelligence DIA were present.
What they really intend to do is to smash any political support to the Iraqi resistance within what they consider to be their realm. This means a frontal attack on the elementary political rights and first of all against the right to free political expression annulling de facto the ten amendments to the US constitution which used to be sacrosanct and constituted the base of its semi-religious worship. This is the meaning of the "war on terror" within the metropolises. After the closure of our antiimperialista.org site in the US by a concerted campaign spearheaded by the Gestapo-like Homeland Security (3) the Anti-imperialist Camp is de facto outlawed in the US.
To cover the apparent end of the civil rights the US campaign tries to falsify the character of the enemy which is in the last instance the self-defence of the popular masses of the world. In the case of the Anti-imperialist Camp it seems as if Sue Kelly, the first signatory of the letter, Republican member of the house of representatives, chair of the first mentioned subcommittee and staunch supporter of Israeli apartheid, has deliberately falsified a poster. "Sue Kelly [……] held up a poster from Italy, depicting an American soldier being shot in front of the Iraqi flag." (4) This poster simply does not exist and ostensibly has been produced for the use of the demonisation campaign.
Battle over Europe as a US colony
Despite intensive attempts to criminalise the supporters of the Iraqi resistance within Europe this failed so far as the acquired democratic rights could not yet be fully dismantled. The campaign "10 Euro for the Iraqi Resistance" could not be banned legally despite juridical examinations which let to house searches and arrests. About that fact the US rulers are outraged: "US officials were frustrated by a lack of action by Italian counterterrorism officials, who had done little with the intelligence gathered by the Americans, officials tell U.S. News." (5)
What the US really wants is to impose the tyrannical Patriot Act on Europe. Their closest ally Britain is already following with draconic anti-democratic laws directed first of all against the Muslim community but in general against the political liberties.
Since long the US went against the national sovereignty of other states and the international law in which this principle is enshrined. The US empire means to impose US law throughout their reach of power liquidating the juridical systems of what they call allies but what should become their de facto provinces of their empire. Especially the democratic rights gained in century-long struggles are target.
Anti-imperialist Camp on the Black List?
In the hysteria deliberately created after September 11 the US was compiling a so-called "Black List" of alleged terrorist organisation. In the war waged against them all democratic and constitutional restrictions were violated. Despite the fact that most of the listed organisations and individuals belong to national and social liberation movements directed against tyrannical regimes and foreign occupation (both backed by the West) – i.e. struggles legitimate even according to international law – Europe followed suite and adopted the very same list declaring for example all Palestinian liberation organisations once again to be terrorist.
The most prominent case is that of Jose Maria Sison, leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines, who is recognised political refugee in the Netherlands. As he has been listed by the US the Dutch government intensively tried to retroactively deny him the already granted status – an attempt violating national law which this far was not successful. However, these moves are dangerous precedents for something the Anti-imperialist Camp could become first victim of.
All the liberation forces affected are engaged in armed struggles against dictatorships on the periphery of the capitalist system. The Anti-imperialist Camp, though, is essentially a force within the metropolis deliberately limiting its modus operandi to political means. All our activities are completely open and public including the campaign in support of the resistance movements. To ban us as the US demands would be a blatant violation of the right to free expression catapulting Europe back into the state of open dictatorial regimes.
Target national sovereignty aspirations
But the Anti-imperialist Camp is not only target as such but the attack on us serves at the same time as a warning shot against the forces of the European establishment which want to loosen the US stranglehold and wish to preserve some traces of sovereignty. The US does not want to accept a second Spain-like scenario the more so as Italy is the last remaining ally of the Anglo-Saxon axis. The governments do not have to obey the will of the people but abide by the orders of Washington. They can not accept Prodi´s (the presumably next prime minister) statement calling the foreign troops in Iraq occupation troops. The logic consequence of this assumption is the illegitimacy of the puppet regime and the need to establish contact with the real representatives of the Iraqi people, namely the resistance movement. Unwillingly Prodi confirmed the position of the supporters of the resistance among which the Anti-imperialist Camp.
But it is not only the parliamentary opposition which wants to withdraw the troops. Also within the governmental coalition it is known that only the troop withdrawal can save them from a crushing defeat in the next elections. Some elements search for a way to pull out the troops without hurting the US – the quadrature of the circle. So they also gave green light to the conference "Leave Iraq in peace – support the legitimate popular resistance" presumably to launch a signal to the Arab world.
The US regime knows that if they cannot stop the Anti-imperialist Camp with its "strong sense of anti-Americanism" (6) , although still a very modest force, how they can impose their American Empire figured out by the Neo-cons? So using their very own logic they pre-emptively need to smash us thus teaching a lesson to all others wishing to preserve national sovereignty albeit within the limits of the capitalist system.
Call for urgent action
The Anti-imperialist Camp has become the acid test not only of the elementary political right to free expression which today is being fought over the support to the Iraqi resistance as the main challenge to the emerging US empire but also of the national sovereignty of the European states implementing the will of the majority to desist from active participation in the US imperial war. The right to hold a conference which advocates that the only way to peace in Iraq is to recognise the right to self-determination and thus the resistance as the legitimate representative of the Iraqi people must be defended against US interferences.
We call not only upon the anti-imperialist and revolutionary but to all democratic forces to engage in a campaign to defend the legal existence of the Anti-imperialist Camp against the US pretensions and its subservient European henchmen for example by holding protest rallies in front of the Italian diplomatic representations as has been done in Istanbul on August 15, 2005.
The US power is overstretched. The Neocons´ plans of world domination are doomed to fail as Hitler failed. The construction of the American Empire faces popular resistance not only in Iraq, but also in Iran, Venezuela and even in Europe as we have seen with the French referendum refusing Euro-America – to cite only some examples.
We can win the battle over the legality of the Anti-imperialist Camp and the holding of the conference "with the Iraqi resistance for a just peace" forcing the European elites to reject the blatant US interferences into European interests first of all in the quest for friendship with the Arab world.
Anti-imperialism is and must remain a democratic right!
Victory to the Iraqi resistance!
Stop the US empire before it is too late!
(1) Letter of 44 US congress members to the Italian ambassador in Washington
(2) Excerpts from the House Armed Services Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee and the House Financial Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Joint Hearing on Financing of the Iraqi Insurgency
(3) Anti-imperialist Camp´s website shut down for "terror support"
(4) US Probes Insurgency Funding
(5) National Security Watch: Eurolefties fund Iraq insurgency–Part II
(6) Excerpts from the House Armed Services Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee and the House Financial Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Joint Hearing on Financing of the Iraqi Insurgency