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Preparation for massive bombing of Iran
Hands Off the People of Iran held a successful launch conference on earlier this month (December 8 ). Nearly 90 members and observers packed the Somerstown Community Centre in central London. Comrades from many different political organisations and persuasions ensured that the conference was lively, with a wide range of views expressed and amendments and motions voted on.
Iranian comrades played an active role in the discussions, helping provide the basic understanding of the situation to enable informed debates. It was clear that the democratic culture of Hopi ensured that everyone felt comfortable speaking and putting forward their ideas. A 17-member national steering committee was elected unopposed, with most groups and tendencies represented.
Conference was opened by Yassamine Mather from Workers Left Unity Iran (WLUI). She said that the last year has been a success in getting Hopi established, and went on to describe how and why the campaign was initiated and the links we have established with, for example, recent student protestors in Iran. Torab Saleth from WLUI led a commemoration for the 180,000 people killed by the islamist regime, and conference stood for a minute’s silence in their memory.
General discussion
The authors of the four briefing papers on the conference website opened a general discussion on the situation in Iran and internationally. Mike Macnair of the CPGB opened the session by discussing the current splits in the US ruling class, the possibility of an Israeli military attack on Iran, and the irrational logic of current US policy. From the point of view of US imperialism’s immediate interests in Iraq, a Georgian or Lebanese-style ‘colour revolution’ or a simple military coup would aim to install a regime in Tehran that would reduce the influence of Iranian client parties in Iraq. Such a change would, of course, in no way benefit the working class and oppressed of Iran. Military threats used for this purpose could easily tip into open war.
David Mather from Hopi Glasgow explained that it is the working class of Iran that suffers most from sanctions. Sanctions should not be seen as an alternative to war, but as a prelude to it. He also discussed the capitalist character of the ‘anti-imperialist’ Tehran regime: it is more compliant with the IMF and neoliberalism than many other ‘third world’ regimes. He referred to the current imprisonment of the leadership of the bus workers syndicate, and criticised the common view that political islam is in some sense ‘part of the anti-globalisation movement’.
Mark Fischer (CPGB) discussed fighting on two fronts and solidarity campaigns. Comrade Fischer argued that independent working class politics was essential, as the working class are the only meaningful anti-imperialists; it “should be in our DNA as socialists” not to subordinate working class politics to other forces. Comrade Fischer finished his address by saying that the anti-war movement can “walk and chew gum”: ie, we can fight on two fronts - against imperialist war, against the theocratic regime.
Israeli socialist Moshé Machover discussed the nuclear issue and the threat of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, as well as the splits within the US ruling class. He argued that, though Iran has become an obstacle to US imperialism’s immediate plans in the Middle East, “our enemy’s enemy is not our friend.” This applied to both sides: Iranian oppositionists who saw the US as a friend were as deluded as western leftists who presented the Iranian regime in the same way. He argued that it was a betrayal of the working class in Iran for socialists to take the side of either the imperialists or the regime.
The general discussion which followed addressed two issues: the international situation and Hopi’s relationship with the wider anti-war movement. On the first issue, Stuart King from Permanent Revolution (PR) said that the evident divisions and dissent within the US ruling class show that Bush is in a weak position to launch a military attack on Iran. Hence Hopi should focus on campaigning against sanctions and the ongoing US policy of destabilising Iran, and on building even stronger links and contacts within Iran.
Mike Martin from Hopi Sheffield said that the threats to Iraq are part of the general war drive - “still very much about oil” - and that the ultimate target is China. Tami Peterson from the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) urged Hopi to highlight the struggles and repression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Iran. She also criticised comrade Macnair’s briefing paper and the argument that the US is “exporting destruction” to keep its own economy afloat: the framework of Ellen Meiksins Wood’s Empire of capital - that imperialism is now primarily a matter of domination through purely economic means - was more useful.
On our relationship with the wider anti-war movement, Kath McMahon from Hopi Edinburgh explained how she had ensured that her local Stop the War Coalition group was working with Hopi. She made the point that we should not underestimate the intelligence of the STWC membership when opposing the war and being in solidarity with the Iranian progressive movements. Anne Mc Shane from Hopi Ireland told conference about the situation there: Hopi now seems to be accepted as a legitimate component of the anti-war movement by Socialist Workers Party comrades in Ireland. Comrade Mc Shane also highlighted the smear campaigns against Hopi, especially on Indymedia, and she expects the tensions between the apologists and Hopi to increase.
Andrew Coates (Ipswich) talked about his disappointment with the STWC and said that Stop the War “could not rise to the occasion” in generating the necessary political challenge and in backing the Iranian working class. Steven Monaghan from Hopi North West spoke on the situation in Manchester and the hostility and lies that have been encountered by Hopi supporters. He also urged comrades to stay in the STWC and fight for our politics within it. John Bridge (CPGB) agreed with comrades McMahon and Monaghan that we should not write off STWC, but underlined that we should expect increasing hostility from the SWP and the Morning Star’s Communist Party of Britain.
Founding statement
We then moved on to discuss amendments to the founding statement. The procedure adopted was to take one speaker for and one against each proposed amendment and, once all amendments had been moved and opposed, to have an open discussion. The text of the existing founding statement, and how it would look as amended were projected by way of a laptop to facilitate discussion. This also allowed the meeting to consider amendments from the floor, the proposed text being typed in immediately and presented. The resulting discussion was on occasion somewhat chaotic; but was always open, democratic and creative. In this report I have simplified the discussion by attributing comrades’ comments to the proposal they were addressing.
A number of the amendments either had a drafting character or were uncontroversial. Thus Permanent Revolution proposed an amendment to add explicit reference to Iraq to the original formula “the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US-UK troops from the Gulf region”, so that the amended text reads: “the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US-UK troops from Iraq and all the Gulf region”. This was passed unopposed. Hopi North West proposed to add a new bullet point making clear our opposition to sanctions against Iran. Even though Hopi has always been against sanctions, we needed to clearly say this in our founding statement. This amendment was also unopposed.
Yvonne, a supporter from Brighton, proposed to add support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people’s rights and struggles in the founding statement. She argued that LGBT issues had been swept under the carpet in STWC and we should not do the same here. This amendment was passed unanimously.
More controversial were proposed amendments which seemed to comrades (both their supporters and their opponents) to touch on Hopi’s fundamental mission: that of combining rigorous opposition to US imperialist threats to attack Iran with opposition to the Tehran regime and solidarity with the Iranian workers’ movement and its allies.
A PR amendment moved by comrade King sought to delete two paragraphs which referred to the US as having strengthened the regional position of the Iranian regime and to the role of Tehran’s Iraqi clients in the US-sponsored ‘government’ in Iraq. In their place PR proposed to put a paragraph summarising the tasks of Hopi. Yassamine Mather spoke against, pointing out that the Iranian regime had supported the occupation of Iraq. It is also true that the US-UK invasions have strengthened Iran’s regional influence by getting rid of Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. Comrade Mather explained that Iran was playing an “active participatory role in imperialist policies”.
Nick Rogers (CPGB) supported PR’s proposal. He pointed out as an aside that, like Tami Peterson, he did not agree with comrade Macnair’s analysis of imperialism. But this was not being put to the vote. The two paragraphs PR proposed to delete were analysis, not political line. We should not tie ourselves down to one particular analytical position. Sachin Sharma (CPGB) argued against comrade Rogers’ contribution, saying that we must break through the existing left on a sound political basis. The conference decided to add in the new paragraph but keep the existing paragraphs above it.
Iranian comrades played an active role in the discussions, helping provide the basic understanding of the situation to enable informed debates. It was clear that the democratic culture of Hopi ensured that everyone felt comfortable speaking and putting forward their ideas. A 17-member national steering committee was elected unopposed, with most groups and tendencies represented.
Conference was opened by Yassamine Mather from Workers Left Unity Iran (WLUI). She said that the last year has been a success in getting Hopi established, and went on to describe how and why the campaign was initiated and the links we have established with, for example, recent student protestors in Iran. Torab Saleth from WLUI led a commemoration for the 180,000 people killed by the islamist regime, and conference stood for a minute’s silence in their memory.
General discussion
The authors of the four briefing papers on the conference website opened a general discussion on the situation in Iran and internationally. Mike Macnair of the CPGB opened the session by discussing the current splits in the US ruling class, the possibility of an Israeli military attack on Iran, and the irrational logic of current US policy. From the point of view of US imperialism’s immediate interests in Iraq, a Georgian or Lebanese-style ‘colour revolution’ or a simple military coup would aim to install a regime in Tehran that would reduce the influence of Iranian client parties in Iraq. Such a change would, of course, in no way benefit the working class and oppressed of Iran. Military threats used for this purpose could easily tip into open war.
David Mather from Hopi Glasgow explained that it is the working class of Iran that suffers most from sanctions. Sanctions should not be seen as an alternative to war, but as a prelude to it. He also discussed the capitalist character of the ‘anti-imperialist’ Tehran regime: it is more compliant with the IMF and neoliberalism than many other ‘third world’ regimes. He referred to the current imprisonment of the leadership of the bus workers syndicate, and criticised the common view that political islam is in some sense ‘part of the anti-globalisation movement’.
Mark Fischer (CPGB) discussed fighting on two fronts and solidarity campaigns. Comrade Fischer argued that independent working class politics was essential, as the working class are the only meaningful anti-imperialists; it “should be in our DNA as socialists” not to subordinate working class politics to other forces. Comrade Fischer finished his address by saying that the anti-war movement can “walk and chew gum”: ie, we can fight on two fronts - against imperialist war, against the theocratic regime.
Israeli socialist Moshé Machover discussed the nuclear issue and the threat of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, as well as the splits within the US ruling class. He argued that, though Iran has become an obstacle to US imperialism’s immediate plans in the Middle East, “our enemy’s enemy is not our friend.” This applied to both sides: Iranian oppositionists who saw the US as a friend were as deluded as western leftists who presented the Iranian regime in the same way. He argued that it was a betrayal of the working class in Iran for socialists to take the side of either the imperialists or the regime.
The general discussion which followed addressed two issues: the international situation and Hopi’s relationship with the wider anti-war movement. On the first issue, Stuart King from Permanent Revolution (PR) said that the evident divisions and dissent within the US ruling class show that Bush is in a weak position to launch a military attack on Iran. Hence Hopi should focus on campaigning against sanctions and the ongoing US policy of destabilising Iran, and on building even stronger links and contacts within Iran.
Mike Martin from Hopi Sheffield said that the threats to Iraq are part of the general war drive - “still very much about oil” - and that the ultimate target is China. Tami Peterson from the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) urged Hopi to highlight the struggles and repression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Iran. She also criticised comrade Macnair’s briefing paper and the argument that the US is “exporting destruction” to keep its own economy afloat: the framework of Ellen Meiksins Wood’s Empire of capital - that imperialism is now primarily a matter of domination through purely economic means - was more useful.
On our relationship with the wider anti-war movement, Kath McMahon from Hopi Edinburgh explained how she had ensured that her local Stop the War Coalition group was working with Hopi. She made the point that we should not underestimate the intelligence of the STWC membership when opposing the war and being in solidarity with the Iranian progressive movements. Anne Mc Shane from Hopi Ireland told conference about the situation there: Hopi now seems to be accepted as a legitimate component of the anti-war movement by Socialist Workers Party comrades in Ireland. Comrade Mc Shane also highlighted the smear campaigns against Hopi, especially on Indymedia, and she expects the tensions between the apologists and Hopi to increase.
Andrew Coates (Ipswich) talked about his disappointment with the STWC and said that Stop the War “could not rise to the occasion” in generating the necessary political challenge and in backing the Iranian working class. Steven Monaghan from Hopi North West spoke on the situation in Manchester and the hostility and lies that have been encountered by Hopi supporters. He also urged comrades to stay in the STWC and fight for our politics within it. John Bridge (CPGB) agreed with comrades McMahon and Monaghan that we should not write off STWC, but underlined that we should expect increasing hostility from the SWP and the Morning Star’s Communist Party of Britain.
Founding statement
We then moved on to discuss amendments to the founding statement. The procedure adopted was to take one speaker for and one against each proposed amendment and, once all amendments had been moved and opposed, to have an open discussion. The text of the existing founding statement, and how it would look as amended were projected by way of a laptop to facilitate discussion. This also allowed the meeting to consider amendments from the floor, the proposed text being typed in immediately and presented. The resulting discussion was on occasion somewhat chaotic; but was always open, democratic and creative. In this report I have simplified the discussion by attributing comrades’ comments to the proposal they were addressing.
A number of the amendments either had a drafting character or were uncontroversial. Thus Permanent Revolution proposed an amendment to add explicit reference to Iraq to the original formula “the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US-UK troops from the Gulf region”, so that the amended text reads: “the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US-UK troops from Iraq and all the Gulf region”. This was passed unopposed. Hopi North West proposed to add a new bullet point making clear our opposition to sanctions against Iran. Even though Hopi has always been against sanctions, we needed to clearly say this in our founding statement. This amendment was also unopposed.
Yvonne, a supporter from Brighton, proposed to add support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people’s rights and struggles in the founding statement. She argued that LGBT issues had been swept under the carpet in STWC and we should not do the same here. This amendment was passed unanimously.
More controversial were proposed amendments which seemed to comrades (both their supporters and their opponents) to touch on Hopi’s fundamental mission: that of combining rigorous opposition to US imperialist threats to attack Iran with opposition to the Tehran regime and solidarity with the Iranian workers’ movement and its allies.
A PR amendment moved by comrade King sought to delete two paragraphs which referred to the US as having strengthened the regional position of the Iranian regime and to the role of Tehran’s Iraqi clients in the US-sponsored ‘government’ in Iraq. In their place PR proposed to put a paragraph summarising the tasks of Hopi. Yassamine Mather spoke against, pointing out that the Iranian regime had supported the occupation of Iraq. It is also true that the US-UK invasions have strengthened Iran’s regional influence by getting rid of Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. Comrade Mather explained that Iran was playing an “active participatory role in imperialist policies”.
Nick Rogers (CPGB) supported PR’s proposal. He pointed out as an aside that, like Tami Peterson, he did not agree with comrade Macnair’s analysis of imperialism. But this was not being put to the vote. The two paragraphs PR proposed to delete were analysis, not political line. We should not tie ourselves down to one particular analytical position. Sachin Sharma (CPGB) argued against comrade Rogers’ contribution, saying that we must break through the existing left on a sound political basis. The conference decided to add in the new paragraph but keep the existing paragraphs above it.
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