Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle May 8, 2019
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Bernie Foster
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How Should We Handle Right-Wing Disrupters?
Bobbie Dore Foster
Executive Editor
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News Editor
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Opinion
ecently, I saw two sepa-
rate stories about right-
wing disrupters. In
one case, a well-known
bookstore in the Washington,
D.C. area, “Politics & Prose,”
was visited by right-wing dis-
rupters during a book event
focused on “whiteness.” In
another case, a discussion of
race and politics in the Do-
minican Republic was dis-
rupted by alleged Dominican
fascists who are allies of the
grandson of the notorious
Dominican dictator, Rafael
Trujillo.
Liberal and progressive
individuals and institutions
should expect disruptions to
not only continue but to in-
crease in scale. Given the sig-
nals that the Trump admin-
istration has conveyed to the
political right — as in suggest-
ing that it is appropriate to
beat up opponents—the rabid
right feels empowered.
So, what does one do? Here
are a few suggestions.
First, we should take per-
sonal and institutional se-
curity seriously. Disruption
can be carried out through
right-wingers simply chant-
ing or it can take the extreme
form of violent attacks, e.g.,
the bombings of mosques
and synagogues; the assassi-
nation of progressives. This
Bill
Fletcher Jr.
The Global
African
means ensuring that our in-
stitutions are protected and
that there are security teams
prepared to intervene when
there is a threat of physical
violence.
Second, be careful about
provocations. The history
of the COINTELPRO opera-
tion that disrupted progres-
“
tivities. Many great activists
found themselves incarcerat-
ed or killed as a result.
Third, establish clear rules
for behavior at all events and
meetings, and ensure that
such rules are posted and/or
circulated. It is not uncom-
mon to have a provocateur(s)
stand in a forum and speak
beyond their time limit or to
engage in forms of personal
harassment. Under those cir-
cumstances it always needs to
be made clear to the audience
who is in the right and who is
in the wrong before any ac-
tions are taken.
More than 20 years ago I
Given the signals that the Trump
administration has conveyed to
the political Right—as in suggest-
ing that it is appropriate to beat
up opponents—the rabid Right
feels empowered
sive and radical groups in
the 1960s and 1970s, demon-
strates that agents and other
disrupters can either carry
out a provocation to encour-
age progressives to break the
law, and/or they can infiltrate
our organizations and insti-
tutions and covertly encour-
age us to carry out illegal ac-
saw an excellent example of
the handling of a disrupter.
Bernadette Devlin McAlis-
key, the iconic Irish leftist
and nationalist, was deliver-
ing a presentation on the sit-
uation in Northern Ireland
to an audience of hundreds.
Well-known for her outspo-
ken support of socialism, a
united Ireland, and rights for
the Catholic (nationalist) com-
munity in Northern Ireland,
McAliskey was the subject of
assassination attempts and
various forms of harassment.
An opponent, who was ob-
viously a supporter of Britain
and the Protestant (Loyalist)
community, surfaced in the
audience during the question
and answer. He started asking
very provocative questions
and clearly aimed to disrupt
the event. Rather than evict
the provocateur, McAliskey
asked the provocateur ques-
tions and let him talk. Within
a few minutes the provoca-
teur demonstrated that he
was an idiot and vanished.
We are not entering a new
era. These sorts of disrup-
tions have a long and igno-
minious history in the USA.
Many people have forgotten
this and act as if so-called ci-
vility is the normal state of af-
fairs. The right wing has little
interest in civility but a great
deal of interest in suppress-
ing progressive thought.
So, get organized!
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the former
president of TransAfrica Fo-
rum. Follow him on Twitter,
Facebook and at www.billf-
letcherjr.com. He is the author
of the murder mystery The
Man Who Fell From the Sky.
Our Democracy is on the Line, Congress Must Act Now
W
hile
the
debate
whether President
Trump obstructed
justice should be
over with the release of Spe-
cial Counsel Robert Mueller’s
report, unfortunately, it is
not. In fact, it has just begun
as Congress prepares to con-
duct exhaustive examina-
tions into these breathtaking
revelations.
Given the overwhelming ev-
idence to the contrary, Attor-
ney General Barr’s attempt to
exonerate Trump is simply
stunning. It is crystal clear
that Trump interfered with
the Mueller investigation.
Even the redacted report con-
tains a multitude of actions in
which Trump obstructed jus-
tice in one of the most conse-
quential investigations ever
conducted regarding the state
of our democracy.
We warned the nation about
Attorney General Barr when
we opposed his confirmation
to the position. We told the
Senate that William Barr “can
never overcome the public
perception that he endorsed
Trump’s efforts to hold him-
self above the law. William
Barr simply cannot serve as
the independent leader our
country needs at this critical
time.” We were correct.
Barr’s lack of independence
and Trump’s obstruction rais-
es critical questions about
Derrick
Johnson
NNPA
President &
CEO
the rule of law. But this is also
about the integrity and secu-
rity of our democracy. Just as
“
Trump has
caused in-
finite damage
to the office
of the presi-
dency by im-
peding justice
and subvert-
ing the rule of
law.
important in the Mueller re-
port was the astounding dis-
closure that our country was
subjected to a full-scale attack
on our democratic process.
Astonishingly, the Mueller
report concluded that Russia
“interfered in the 2016 presi-
dential election in sweeping
and systemic fashion.” Russia
intended to benefit and did in
fact benefit Trump. We also
know that the Trump cam-
paign knew about Russia’s as-
sistance and welcomed it with
open arms. Russia helped
Trump win the presidency by
manipulating voters, foment-
ing racial division, and tar-
geting the African-American
community to suppress voter
turnout.
Back in December 2018, we
led a boycott of Facebook. We
called upon Congress to con-
duct further investigations
into Facebook after a report
released for the Senate Intel-
ligence Committee revealed
that the Russian influence
campaign “made an extraor-
dinary effort to target Af-
rican-Americans” using an
array of tactics to suppress
turnout among Democratic
voters.
Now, with the results of
Robert Mueller’s report, the
outrage should be palpable.
Congress must fully investi-
gate, take all appropriate ac-
tion, and ensure the integrity
and security of our democra-
cy. This must be done with the
urgency it requires. The 2020
election has already begun.
Candidates are making pitch-
es. Voting machines are being
purchased. Yet our democra-
cy is not safe from the exter-
nal forces that want to cause
us harm.
Congress begins their ex-
amination and investigation
without a full record, and
completion of that record
must be a top priority.
The redacted report re-
leased by Attorney General
William Barr falls woeful-
ly short of what is owed to
Congress and to the Amer-
ican people. It shows that
the Trump administration
is intent on hiding facts and
covering its tracks. Mr. Barr
should immediately release
the complete Mueller report
in unredacted, unedited,
and unvarnished form. The
American public deserves the
truth.
We are also troubled by
Special Counsel Mueller’s de-
cision not to press for a sub-
poena or interview of Trump.
Trump has caused infinite
damage to the office of the
presidency by impeding jus-
tice and subverting the rule
of law. He should be called to
answer and held accountable
for his actions to harm our
democracy.
Our democracy is in a hold-
ing pattern. We need answers
and we need them fast. The
Trump administration has al-
ready harmed our civil rights
in devastating ways, and it
will take us years to recover.
But we cannot, and must not,
allow the foundations of our
democracy to be undermined,
knowing full well of the
threat. This is our democracy,
and we must act to protect it.
nt •
lo c a l n e w s •
eve