03.10.2001

Hackney

Clear answers needed

Hackney Socialist Alliance played the leading role in arranging a public meeting to set up an anti-war committee, held on October 1 in Dalston.

All speakers agreed on three main points. Firstly that the proposed ?war against terrorism? would not make the world safe and was an exercise in extending American political hegemony. Secondly, that we needed to protect civil liberties. Thirdly, (especially in the light of Hackney?s ethnic diversity) we should offer our solidarity and assistance to all those facing racial and chauvinistic abuse as a result of the terrorist action. Mark Douglas of the Green Party demanded Joschka Fischer should be expelled from the green movement for selling out. They will have to be quick lest he decamps to the SDP before they have time to act.

Kate Hudson from CND obviously saw her organisation as the leading light of the anti-war movement and wants to take us all down the pacifist road. However, the Socialist Workers Party has been content to allow CND to front the anti-war movement, allowing the organisation to appear full of enthusiasm and drive.

Local councillor Meral Ece, a member of the Turkish community and an ex-left Labourite who decamped to the Liberal Democrats because they allowed her freedom of speech, spoke principally about her worries for the large local muslim community and pointed out that they did not support terrorism but were sympathetic to the peace movement.

Labour MP Diane Abbott, who arrived late and missed all the speakers? opening remarks and the entire debate, spoke briefly at the end of the meeting, in effect agreeing with the other speakers and pledging to vote against Blair in parliament over the war.

Matt Wrack of the Fire Brigades Union and Socialist Party spoke in a personal capacity. He regretted that he could not say that at present the majority of FBU members would support the anti-war movement because they had naturally been affected by the deaths of so many firefighters on September 11. His union has sent a ?100,000 donation to the New York firefighters? union.

Liz Davies spoke for the Socialist Alliance. One of her points was the importance of bringing Osama bin Laden to justice before an international court - if, that is, there is a case for him to answer, because for now there are only the assertions of ?proven liars? as to his indisputable guilt. While I am in favour of murderers being brought to justice, there are problems with this approach that need thinking through. We need to articulate very clearly who we think are terrorists and who we consider to be freedom fighters and what methods of self-defence are legitimate and what are not.

I have no difficulty in condemning the recent attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Communists do not revel in brutality or the senseless sacrifice of human life, but we are not pacifists and at times we have to fight. Also taking out a few individuals and holding them to account misses the point that islamic fundamentalism is a mass movement stretching from Algeria to Iran and beyond. It needs to be confronted politically and defeated, not by Blair and Bush, but by the working class. That is why our main aim should be to build a working class party that can offer a real alternative to both imperialism and its reactionary enemies.

John Rose spoke on behalf of the Campaign for Palestinian Rights. No one disagreed with his view that the Palestinians were fighting a just struggle for their rights. No one took the view that they were terrorists. We support the democratic content of their struggle for self-determination. Groups like Hamas that have a deeply reactionary social policy need thinking about, however. In answer to a question about the present popularity of the pro-war movement John quoted Rosa Luxemburg on how support for the war would wane and the workers would reassert themselves. Unfortunately, he could not quite bring himself to say that  ?the main enemy is at home? - in Afghanistan as well.

There was time for a number of short contributions from the floor. Chris Newby of the Socialist Party spoke out for international socialist unity. Perhaps the SP comrades should give it a try in Hackney too. Anne Mc Shane from the CPGB argued for independent, working class politics - for answers that take up the issue of working class self-emancipation. This was not in any way abstracted from the questions that are currently in people?s minds or from their ordinary day-to-day struggles. She said the issue of social peace should not simply be about continuing the ongoing struggles against the cuts. Rather we need to be arguing for militant action against the war.

An SWP member argued that we should only have one slogan, namely ?Stop the war? - anything more would split the movement. This is to aim for the widest possible movement, but minimal political coherence. He specifically said that any condemnation of terrorism would be extremely contentious - much better to say nothing on this crucial question that workers will repeatedly bring up.

In practice ?Stop the war? means leaving the field clear for the pacifists. Candlelit vigils and hand-holding events do the same. Pacifism is useless as a response either to the drive to war or to terrorism and will alienate thinking people who are looking for real answers.

An Iranian woman said that she and an Afghan friend had set up a ?Mothers against the War? committee. They were opposed to the fundamentalists, but experience had shown them that America?s wars never seemed to get rid of the villains. After all Saddam Hussein and the Iranian mullahs are still there, but millions of ordinary people continue to suffer. She assured us that the refugee community was supporting the anti-war movement but was fearful of getting involved because many had to sacrifice their political rights to gain entry into the country.

The meeting ended with an agreement to affiliate to the national Stop the War Coalition and broke up into groups to discuss practical work. It was an important beginning, but the meeting, consisting mostly of supporters of the left groups, showed that we have a long way to go to convince the working class to get involved. That is why clear answers are so vital.

Phil Kent