BRC Statement Against The War of Retaliation
Black Radical Congress Statement on the Bombing of Afghanistan and the War of Retaliation:
End US Aggression At Home and Abroad!

The Black Radical Congress condemns the bombing and ongoing military operations in Afghanistan and the Central Asian Region. We call for an immediate halt to the war of retaliation. The unjust killing of innocent civilians in this war does nothing to end acts of terrorism but instead perpetuates the cycle of senseless violence, death, and destruction. 

We further condemn the feverish efforts to whip the nation into a patriot fervor, to squelch honest dissent to the war.

History clearly shows, as pointed out by many observers, that it was the fostering of US economic and political interests in the Central Asian region that led to the organization, funding, and training by the CIA and the Pakistani ISI of anti-secular Islamic "fundamentalist" Muslims there in the first place. 

The US support for the Afghanistan war against the Soviets and the subsequent maneuvering of corporate interests for the control of oil and gas resources in Central Asia brought thousands of fundamentalist Muslims to fight there. Now the US demand to uproot Osama Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda organization, or the hunt for "twenty-three terrorists" can not justify the wholesale bombing of an entire nation or the massive military expenditures targeted for an "unending war against terrorism". We oppose all imperialist wars and wars based in religious fundamentalism.

It bears repeating that the US showed utter contempt, disrespect, and overt racism toward African Americans, people of African descent, the Palestinian people, and people of color throughout the world when it withdrew support and refused to participate in the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR).  This arrogant and racist stand only served to place the US in isolation throughout the world fostering a climate of increasing hostility and demonstrating that the US is unwilling to be responsible to any international framework. 

The impact of September 11 on the US economy and the war of retaliation will disproportionately effect the African American and other poor communities across this country with the massive lay-offs as well as draw Black and people of color youth into military service, killing, and death.  Yet young black people face sanctioned terrorism at home every day in the form of police brutality and murder, drugs, joblessness and incarceration.

The Black Radical Congress further condemns the use of military and para-military aggression at home under the new Homeland Security Act. This program constitutes little more than the refunding, revitalization, and extension of the infamous Counter Intelligence Program - Cointelpro.  Such programs have historically been directed against all social justice movements in this country, particularly the black liberation movement. 

The Black Radical Congress urgently calls for the building of a Black United Front Against the War and for the rebuilding and unification of the Black Liberation movement.  The rebuilding of the BLM must be linked to a deepening of the movement's work in the mass fightback movements. 

We stand for principled peace based on justice for the oppressed.  We call for a unified movement in the fight against war, racism, and repression. We uphold the demand of the African American people and people of African descent world-wide for reparations. We express our solidarity with the Arab peoples and all immigrant communities in this country and around the world. We express our solidarity with the Palestinian people in their fight to free Palestine. We reassert our solidarity with the Cuban people in their fight to end the blockade. And we call for an end to militarism and genocide and genocidal violence in Africa.

Lastly, we oppose the opening of a theater of biological and chemical warfare both here or in any part of the world. Biological and chemical warfare is summarily a crime against humanity and should be roundly condemned and declared a war crime by the international community.

The war on "terrorism" and "homeland security" is not our war. Our fight is the fight of the historically oppressed and exploited against the unbridled power of our imperialist oppressors.