Lurking behind the fight against terrorists is a fight against social, political and trade union activists
07/10/2009
The article was published as a press release for 11th September 2009. Today the whole world recalls the attack on the World Trade Center buildings in New York. We also commemorate the day when a real disaster and the death of several thousand people took place. As a result of the attack the issue of the fight against terrorism was opened at large, which some frame as a "security or freedom?“ dilemma. A dilemma, which we believe is false, or more precisely - ideological. It represents a tool that forces one to choose between one or the other.
The debate has ideological mantinels and the views, which show the relation between the fundamentals of capitalism, power and representative democracy in our everyday lives at work, at home or at school, are marginalized.
However, the primary results of the tragedy of 11 September 2001 were not at the level of thinking and debating the issue, but in practice. It untied the hands of the state in the field of repression "in our name", which resulted in tying the hands not only of people who are active in the workplace or community, but ultimately the whole "common" working population, which will want to defend and claim its socio-economic demands in future.
There are many examples of the growth of state repression against people in various countries around the world. We would like to mention at least one which is recent and particularly striking. Today in several countries protest actions in support of arrested Serbian anarchist unionists absurdly accused of international terrorism will take place. The reason for the arrests is that they allegedly threw two molotov coctails and spray-painted letter A in a circle at the Greek embassy in Belgrade (photo here: http://cia.bzzz.net/tak_wyglada_terroryzm). The arrests occured in a situation of political and social unrest. Politicians and employers are facing social and political protests and strikes.
On 7th September an action in support of arrested Serbians took place in Bratislava. The reaction of Slovak police was quite strange: harassment of people who wanted to hand over a protest letter to the Ambassador of the Serbian Republic (more info: https://www.priamaakcia.sk/Police-harassment-during-solidarity-action-of-Priama-akcia-Bratislava-IWAAIT-Slovakia-in-support-of-arrested-Serbian-anarchosyndicalists.html).
Such police practice is not rare. We can only agree with the statement presented at the protest action on 6th September 2009 in Belgrade. We see it as a warning to political, social or trade union activists (not only) in Slovakia: "In a moment when rights and liberties in Serbia are being seriously narrowed by changes in criminal law and law on public informing a decision to charge the six arrested with international terrorism shows the intent of some state structures to discourage any political critique against its actions by stepping up the repression and misusing and misinterpreting its own laws. "
It will be interesting to see how the amendmend to Criminal Law effective since 1st September 2009 will be used in practice. When spray-painting of a building can be labelled terrorism by some, what then falls under the definition of extremism? When politicians say that every terrorist was first an extremist, while the Criminal Code defines as extremist in fact every critic of power, then where are we heading? In particular, if we only silently watch others acting "in our name."
Priama akcia
Slovak section of the International Workers‘ Association (IWA/AIT)
www.priamaakcia.sk