The stench of betrayal
More information is coming out about the shameful incident at the so-called 'European Social Forum' on Friday night when the leader of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions was stopped from speaking by a so-far unidentified group.
The Workers Liberty website reports:
Before the plenary started, some dozens of people tried to rush the platform and force him off. When his turn came to speak, he was unable to get himself heard beyond yelling through the microphone, "I do not support the occupation".
People considered Subhi al Mashadani not left-wing or revolutionary enough to be heard at the ESF. Yet many vocal supporters of such forces in Iraq as Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army are prominent on the ESF's platforms.
Large numbers of Islamists - not just people who happen to be religious Muslims, speaking because of their involvement in a social struggle, but people speaking as political advocates of Islamic law - are prominent.
Labour Friends of Iraq have issued a statement today:
"Labour Friends of Iraq condemns the lack of respect for free speech by some people attending the European Social Forum in London.
Stop the War Coalition leaders and others, unfortunately, have helped create a climate of opinion in which Iraqi trade unionists are portrayed as the equivalent of the Vichy regime whilst violent anti-democratic forces are falsely compared to the French resistance.
This was a shameful incident and we hope that labour movement organisations around the country will respond by inviting an IFTU representative to their meetings so that they can hear what the emerging Iraqi labour movement stands for and how to provide solidarity.
As we reported last night, the TUC have also condemned those who silenced Subji al Mashadani.
Socialist Worker is producing special editions for the ESF and has this report on the event:
A couple of dozen people, with no connection to the anti-war movement, broke up the meeting through barracking and intimidation. They ignored appeals from, and a vote by, over 2,000 people in the audience for the meeting to take place.
The hecklers claimed they objected to the presence of a representative of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU).
Most of the audience also opposed the representative of the IFTU, but did not support the disruption. Well known opponent of the occupation Sami Ramadani told the audience that he opposed the invite to the IFTU, but the meeting must go ahead.
He said that, if people wanted, they could leave for the IFTU's speech and then come back, but the tiny minority rejected even that position.
So let's get this straight.
A "couple of dozen" people with (of course) "no connection to the anti-war movement" were able to close down a meeting with 2,000 people present?
The ESF, who have organised a huge event in London involving (we are told) over 20,000 people from all over Europe, were unable to offer even the most basic protection to one of their invited guests and ensure he was able to speak without facing verbal and physical intimidation?
Were the organisers taken by surprise? I find that very hard to believe. Emails expressing opposition to the presence of the IFTU at the Forum had been circulating for several weeks on left-wing mailing lists.
And don't forget - in the run-up to the forum both Respect leader George Galloway, the Socialist Worker newspaper and then the leadership of the Stop the War Coalition made vicious attacks on the IFTU and labelled them 'collaborators'. A nice welcome from the hosts who were then somehow incapable of stopping a leader of the Iraqi labour movement being 'no platformed'.
This stinks.
Update: On a related theme, the IFTU have responded to George Galloway's smears in an article on their website.
In an article published in Al QudsÃGeorge Galloway made the false and dangerous allegation which he repeated in an article published in the Morning Star (daily paper of the rump Stalinoid CPB deceended from the old CPGB, M.P.)Alleging that the IFTU collaborates with British government is a blatant attempt to undermine the process of rebuilding an independent Iraqi trade union movement which only can be in the interest of enemies of the Iraqi people who want to sabotage the its struggle to regain full sovereignty and independence, end the presence of foreign troops and empower our people to decide their destiny in free and democratic elections.
Posted by Harry at October 16, 2004 06:28 PM | TrackBack -- Michael Pugliese