Occupy Boston: Stand against racists and bigots
Posted by kasama on October 4, 2011
from Occupied Wall Street Journal #1: "Stand by each other"
For obvious reasons this is an important statement that deserves circulation and study. It was made public by Occupy Boston. In various places there have been attempts by white supremacists bigots and rightwingers of various kinds to infiltrate the occupations.
This was also the case in European Movements of the Squares — where ultra-nationalists and antis-emites insisted they too were “against the banks.” It is important that a discussion has started for making distinctions and demarcations.
Internal Solidarity Statement
This is a living document. As Occupy Boston community we have the right and responsibility to edit this document on ongoing basis. We welcome feedback and new ideas.
We are the 99%. And our task is to unify the 99%. Unfortunately, we live in a society that is racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, and ridden with various other forms of oppression.
As the Occupy Boston community we will consciously and urgently work on dismantling these systems of oppression in our movement. We are working on creating a community where everyone’s rights are respected, protected, and treated equally.
We all have different levels of privilege, so we strive to acknowledge, educate ourselves about it, in order to ensure that these privileges are NOT used to oppress others.
We want to have an inclusive atmosphere of ideas, in which we do not police each other’s thoughts
BUT we have absolutely no tolerance for oppressive or intimidating words or actions. If a conflict arises it should be settled through democratic discussion or debate if possible, or with the help of the Conflict Resolution and/or Support team if necessary.
We do not welcome in our community:
- white supremacy (Racism against people of all colors)
- patriarchy (sexism)
- Ageism
- Discrimination based on ability
- Homophobia or heteronormativity
- Transphobia
- Anti-Arab sentiment
- Anti-Jewish sentiment
- Religious intolerance or intolerance of nonreligious people
- Islamaphobia
- Class oppression
- Cultural intolerance
- Discrimination based on immigration status
- Discrimination based on experiences with the justice system
- Disregard for indigenous rights
- Weight-based discrimination
Patrick said
Thanks for posting this — I was lucky enough to sit in on some of the deliberations around it. While the impetus was based on a few incidents in particular, folks recognized it was also an important way of telling the reactionary right that they weren’t welcome here.
feudeprairie said
That’s an important statement. In Europe we had real problems with the “new right”, antisemitic/neofascists groups using anticapitalists and anti-imperialists discours in this kind of popular movement.
Bash the fash.
Lorenzo Ervin said
How I wish the Occupy Memphis group had the kind of perspective and sensitivity! As it is, they were founded as an all-white tendency, in an majority Black city (65%) claiming they represent the interests of all people, even though they never invited one Black person or reached out to any communities of color before setting up the group. Therefore, all kinds of internal oppressions are sure to take root, and predominate their politics. They are resistant to change, so much so that we have decided to create another movement, in sympathy with OWS NYC, but not part of the local group, to organize in people of color communities and include people opposed to their organizing methods or other locked-out population groups.
Abbas Goya II said
This is a reactionary, anti-imperialist, political Islam lover (why don’t you add that you don’t tolerate anti-AhmadiNejad sentiment btw) declaration.
CUT THE NONSENSE off please. Whoever has written this, s/he has nothing to do with the legitimate anti-capitalist OWS protests.
Alan Georg said
In Nazi Germany code word for Jews was GREEDY BANKERS. Grow up, you are being used and are going to be pretty embarrassed once the world realizes your leaders intentions. USEFUL IDIOTS!!!!
Abbas Goya II said
@Alan, elaborate. Are you referring to the declaration or what exactly?
Red Fly said
Nope. Sorry. The banksters aren’t getting off that easy.
First of all, while capitalism has arguably been in a state of crisis since the 1970s, it’s 100% factually correct to say that the banksters and their agents in the government are the proximate cause of the 2008 financial collapse. Their fraudulent derivatives-based ponzi scheme has caused enormous human suffering the world over. (Including the suffering, by the way, of Jewish people.)
Second, by the standards of your neat little rhetorical device, any criticism of banksters and finance capital is inherently anti-Semetic. Beautiful little tool there to silence people and try to make them pretend what just happened didn’t happen.
Third, banksters are composed of many, many different ethnic and religious groups. As communists, we’re as opposed to gentile banksters as we are to Jewish banksters, Chinese banksters as Wall Street banksters. We’re opposed to all banksters because there is no such thing as capitalism without finance capital.
Fourth, is there any question that usery and debt peonage are particularly odious forms of exploitation? Capitalism preys on oppressed people at every level, but usery and debt peonage perpetuate misery over many years, especially for the most vulnerable sections of the working class.
This has nothing to do with religion or ethnicity. Or it shouldn’t. If there are anti-Semetic scumbags trying to hijack these protests then they should be told in no uncertain terms that they’re not welcome. This statement is a positive step in that direction.
laborshallrule said
I must echo what Lorenzo just said.
My friend and I are heading out to the unemployment office, the housing projects and some city high schools to do some leafleting, and I have had to plan an alternative meeting to make preparations for some sort of solidarity march for OSW, because the guy who originally wanted to plan it is insisting that we just meet in a park this Saturday and have an Occupy-style event immediately. I appreciate his enthusiasm, but he has to realize that he is doing it to the exclusion of others.
Mike E said
If you don’t like the demographics, help change them. Don’t blame those in motion for the fact that many are not in motion. Use their work as a clarion call.
The reason the poor and oppressed are not in the opening shots of many major eruptions is not because “the movement” is “exclusionary” — it is because the system comes down hard on the poor and oppressed if they even step out of the chalk circle.
Eruptions of those who are not daily “under the gun” is an opportunity — a chance to step out together.
Abbas Goya II said
After a second thought.
You can’t have a ‘clean’ gathering by physical exclusion of others, base it on the “possibility” of this or that case. If so, why should you end up with such a short list of forbidden apples? Why not adding “crack/drug dealers”, “mobs”, “police agents”, “Wall Street dealers”, “former and current dictators”. How about “black/Asian/Oriental/… supremacist” and racists, ….?
This statement is almost entirely subjective. It lets anyone to freely interpret it and as a result intentionally exclude others, if s/he wishes so. What exactly “Cultural intolerance” mean for example? If I “hate Islam” or if I “hate capitalism” or if I “hate the moon’s environment” am I “culturally intolerance” or is it only a list of selected chosen phrases that must cross match the “intolerance” list?. Don’t forget that the IRI invented “Islamaphobia” to justify its political agenda outside its borders. Nope, this list sucks, maybe not much because of its probable good intention but in practice it allows arbitrary suppression by whoever might be in charge at the time.
I understand that there might have been one or the other conflict in the past, but a) we have no choice but to rely on trusting each other unless otherwise proven or else you can not take one step together with another fellow being, never mind a group. b) if you punish all because of “one or 2 incidents”, how exactly is your approach different from that of your oppressors? Also, there are areas that are fundamentally wrong, not necessarily that any situation might rise to meet that area. You are crossing the border of freedom of speech by hypothetical “cases”.
How about making this list simple such as “Every one is equal regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, belief, opinion, status, origin, color and any other form of distinction”.
Even so, none of the above will work IF that situation you are worried ever happens. What exactly is your authority against a racist, a homophobic, an “ageist”, a misogynist, … who might act violently against someone else? Nothing. you need to call the cops, ironically!
Rules are the last resort we can rely on to keep our environment free and equal, as soon as you list a set of “rules” that’s the end of trust and that’s when rules will break more often than that “individual case”.which triggered to write the rules.
The ultimate source and guarantee for a free and equal environment are the people themselves. Sit around, discuss the concerns, and have a consensus about how everyone want things to be run. That’s the best preventive measure. BUT if something happens, deal with it on an individual basis.
Seth Thomas Rasmussen said
Thanks for making this bold, positive statement! These are extremely important issues we must not forget. Just because a problem spanning cultural and racial lines presents itself does not mean our struggle to resolve those issues as a people just goes away.
Much love for Boston these days.. keep up the good work!
Destiny said
I am appalled, I’ve been supporting Occupy for quite some time & just because I’m a Protestant Christian(heteronormativity), I am NOT WELCOME!? I can’t believe they have the balls to sit there & say that certain religions & beliefs are not welcome, this isn’t even what Occupy is mainly about in the 1st place. What next? Pro-Life people aren’t allowed? People against cloning are not allowed? People who eat meat are not allowed? So, because some people have different beliefs & feelings compared to you, they’re struck down by your lightning if they try to join the Occupy movement?…. This is obnoxiously ridiculous. I hope it’s only a fraction that are ignorant Occupiers who stand for this. :-( Like it or not, I will ALWAYS support Occupy.
Manx said
Hello from Austin Texas….I am politically educated and active. I am just curious about the email I got from you today Mr. Goya. Because I am political I am guessing you got my name from somewhere appropriate, which is fine. I am always interested in what people have to say and am considered a liberal left-wing democrat in the USA. Some of what was mentioned in the email was a bit rambling…forgive we all do this. But, I think it would be better to make your point more clear without so much of the finger pointing emotionalism…..meant well please understand. Certainly, we are dealing with very heart wrenching emotional issues but make your point without alienating if possible. Just a little bit of advice from a nobody that saw your verve and thought it was heartfelt and mean this with the best of intent.