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Vol. 73/No. 13      April 6, 2009

 
Defend victory for workers’ rights
(editorial)
 
The four-year extension of the federal disclosure exemption won by the Socialist Workers Party and its election campaign committees on March 19 is an important victory that helps defend the right of working-class parties and their candidates to participate in the political arena. Supporters of the Socialist Workers campaignand other defenders of workers’ rights need to begin now to lay the groundwork to defend this exemption when it comes up for review at the end of 2012.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruling acknowledged that the evidence submitted by the SWP established that having to report the names of campaign contributors to the government every three months could lead to harassment from federal, state, and local governments, as well as other enemies of the working class.

For decades the government has used spies and informers to try to identify supporters of the party and harass and victimize them. Employers have used information ferreted out by the rulers’ spies to attack and fire socialists and other militant workers from their jobs. The exemption is an important precedent that can be used by others to defend their right to participate in politics, including the electoral arena.

In the 1970s and ’80s, the ability of the FBI and other spy agencies to carry out their dirty deeds was substantially pushed back by the mass struggles for Black rights, against the Vietnam War, and for the rights of women. These social movements created a climate that forced into public view revelations of spying and disruption aimed against political and union activities leading back to the 1930s. The Socialist Workers Party helped lead this effort, winning a political and legal campaign centered on a federal lawsuit, which the party won in 1987. The suit challenged FBI intrusion and disruption against the party and exposed extensive covert government activity against other organizations and social protest movements.

The government never accepted having limits on its spying and began immediately to seek avenues to reestablish it. Washington’s effort to establish a legal basis for spying and disruption escalated substantially after Sept. 11, 2001. Using the proclaimed need to defend “homeland security” against “terrorism,” they expanded the FBI and other spy agencies, dramatically increased electronic surveillance, developed a widespread network of collaboration with local “red squads,” and cooperated with local agencies to send informants and provocateurs into a broad spectrum of political groups.

In granting the current extension to the SWP campaign, the FEC argued that harassment of supporters of the SWP has “lessened” and cut the duration of the extension to four years—in spite of a letter by the SWP campaign’s attorneys that explained that the current submission against disclosing the names of contributors and vendors was as strong, if not stronger, than the one submitted six years ago.

Groundwork is being laid to attempt to eliminate the SWP exemption when it expires at the end of 2012. Supporters of Socialist Workers election campaigns can help to defend this acquisition. If you are subject to hostility or harassment because of your political activity and support of the Socialist Workers campaigns, contact the SWP National Campaign Committee: socworknatlcamp@sbcglobal.net. Help prepare now for the fight to come.
 
 
Related articles:
Socialists win victory for workers’ political rights  
 
 
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