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| Socialist
Party USA: Statement on United for Peace & Justice |
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The Socialist Party of the United States of
America and United for Peace and Justice
Statement of the
Socialist Party USA
On Sunday, June 14, 2009, the National Committee of the Socialist Party
of the United States of America voted unanimously to disaffiliate from
United for Peace and Justice and lay out our reasons for ending our
participation in this coalition. While we have no illusions that our
disaffiliation will cause any great concerns within UfPJ, the Party
feels it necessary to explain to its members, supporters, and fellow
peace activists why it was compelled to take this action.
This decision was not made lightly. It is the result of sixteen months
of internal debate within the Socialist Party USA. While a majority of
the National Committee of the Party already had grave misgivings about
the actions and attitudes of United for Peace and Justice, at its
January meeting, it voted to continue working within UfPJ. This was
because at the December UfPJ convention, the delegates defeated a
number of antidemocratic measures, as well as Pro-Democratic Party
measures, pushed by the old leadership. The Party hoped that this
showed real change within UfPJ. Unfortunately, in the half year
following the convention, the leadership of UfPJ ignored the will of
the delegates and continued business as usual.
Over the years, United for Peace and Justice has played a divisive and
sectarian role in the antiwar movement. It has refused to support, and
in some cases, sabotaged, planned national mobilizations in Washington
DC in September 2007, March 2008, and March 2009. The actions of UfPJ
in 2008 were especially damaging. While people throughout the world
demonstrated their outrage and disgust by the millions on the occasion
of the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, in the United States
(the nation whose government initiated these atrocities!) there was
division, and demoralized silence.
Because the leadership of United for Peace and Justice has failed to
lead, refused to follow, and won't get out of the way, peace/antiwar
movement activists met to form the National Assembly Against the
Occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to try and unite our fragmented
forces. After the formation of the National Assembly, UfPJ deliberately
planned its national convention on days that the National Assembly had
called for National Days of Action. As the National Assembly, ANSWER
and much of the rest of the antiwar movement were uniting around a call
for a mobilization in Washington to mark the sixth anniversary of the
occupation of Iraq, UfP planned an April 2009 March on Wall Street,
which de-emphasized the continued occupations and invasions, blatantly
undermining the efforts of the rest of the antiwar movement.
All along, United for Peace and Justice has perpetuated illusions
within the peace/antiwar movements that the Democratic Party has an
interest in ending current and proposed U.S. invasions and occupations.
This is despite the fact that the Democratic Party has supported these
invasions and occupations tactically and financially
from the very beginning up to the present.
Time and again United for Peace and Justice has encouraged supplication
to (mostly Democratic Party) politicians and discouraged direct action
against U.S. invasions/occupations.
In trying to capitalize on the popularity of Barak Obama, United for
Peace and Justice contributed to an illusion of Obama as a “peace
candidate”. In encouraging such uncritical support of Obama, UFPJ
supported the diversion of energy and resources into Democratic Party
campaigning, undermining the organization and mobilization of forces
against these invasions and occupations. United for Peace and Justice
has long preferred supplication to elected officials over the
empowerment of the people through defiant demonstrations and acts of
resistance. UFPJ has tried to protest invasions and occupations while
simultaneously supporting a political party (and its candidates) that
has shared responsibility for them. This is a little like holding down
the accelerator while simultaneously tapping on the brake.
The Socialist Party USA believes in liberation from the ground up. Our
way is to encourage people to liberate themselves through struggle. For
us to be associated with a coalition that continues to promote
illusions in the Democratic Party as an agent of change is inconsistent
with our stated principles. As a party, we will no longer
contribute time, energy, or financial resources to United for Peace and
Justice. As a Party, we seek to disassociate ourselves from the
political messages of UfPJ that ultimately promote dependence on
political operatives in counterpoint to empowerment through
self-organization and mass mobilization.
The National Committee has made these decisions as the duly elected
governing body charged with oversight of the resources, and clarifying
the principles of, the national organization.
The National Committee determined that:
The continued use of resources of the national organization in support
of UfPJ are not commensurate with any benefits gained by such an
association to the national organization;
The Socialist Party should not be associated with the often sectarian,
adversarial, counterproductive, and/or fatally compromised political
actions of United for Peace and Justice.
These decisions are meant to pertain to the national organization and
are not meant to impose restrictions on, or discourage the independent
actions of, members or locals. We would encourage members and locals to
work in any coalition (including UfPJ affiliates) in ways that will
increase the visibility of, and strengthen our ties with, the grass
roots of the peace/social justice movements.
As a party that promotes liberation from the ground up, we urge our
members and locals to assert values of political independence and
self-emancipation in EVERY group, coalition or formation, and as part
of ALL actions they take.
July 2009
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