November 1 - 15, 2006

As part of its “global war against terrorism”, the US imperialist administration is taking a series of measures to step up repression against the American people and severely restrict their right to protest the aggressive imperialist activities of their government around the world. These attacks come in the background of growing groundswell of protest amongst the American people in particular and the worlds peoples in general, against US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, its support to the barbaric invasion of Lebanon by Israel

In the last week of September the US Congress passed the Military Commissions Act 2006, which seeks to criminalize any kind of opposition to the US administration’s activities in any part of the world, including in the US itself. The Act specifically gives the Office of the President power to brand anyone an ‘enemy combatant’ and jail or kill them. According to the terms of this Act, an enemy combatant is defined as “a person who has engaged in hostilities or who has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States.” It does not refer to people captured while engaged in armed conflict with the US. This Act comes in the wake of world wide protests against the torture of detainees in the dentention center at Guantenamo Bay, where hundreds of people captured in Afghanistan have been subjected to unspeakable brutalities. It also comes in the wake of demands from the people to punish US officers guilty of rape and murder of people in Iraq.

This legislation allows the US President and his administration to declare ‘enemy combatant’ and to capture, indefinitely detain and refuse a hearing to any American citizen or a foreign citizen living in his own country, who speaks out against US imperialism’s “war on terror” in any part of the world. This may include writing letters to the editors of newspapers, expressing views in newspapers or websites, opposing the US occupation of Iraq, organizing or participating in demonstrations and protest marches, etc.

Other fascist aspects of this law include the fact that habeas corpus (i.e. the basic right to challenge the imprisonment) has been suspended for detainees suspected of terrorism or of aiding terrorism. Detainees cannot even hope to have access to a fair trial. Once a suspect has been thrown into prison, he does not have the right to a trial by his peers. Suspects cannot even stand in representation of themselves, but must accept a military lawyer as their defender. Courts would have no power to review any verdict given by the military tribunals. Illegally-obtained evidence can be used against suspects, whether that illegal evidence was gathered abroad or in the US. In other words, this legislation seeks to remove any measure of security against illegal searches and arrests of people, their homes, personal papers or any other belongings. Further, in collecting evidence, the coercion and torture of suspects and detainees has been broadly protected by this new legislation. Interrogation methods used can be decided by the Office of the US President and do not have to be disclosed to the public.

Meanwhile, attacks on the democratic liberties of the American people are rising. Many social organizations in US, including churches, are being persecuted for expressing political views on issues of concern such as the war in Iraq. In recent incidents, youth and women have been harassed by authorities for wearing “messages” on their shirts that are considered “political”.

Throughout the US, the American people are vigorously organizing to resist this fascist onslaught on their democratic rights. On October 5, several thousands of Americans took to the streets in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, cities such as Tucson, Portland, Atlanta, and Austin, and in many other small towns and cities, in more than 200 locations, boldly declaring that This Regime Does Not Represent Us and We Will Drive it Out.