[Marxism] Jerry Gordon's Report on the Washington March 21 Demonstration

[Jon Flanders <jonathan.flanders@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Original Message ----- From: NatAssembly@xxxxxxx To:
natassembly2008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 10:31 AM
Subject: [NatAssembly2008:602] Conversation With Brian Becker 

Greetings to the CB:   I spoke last night with ANSWER national
coordinator Brian Becker and he said the following:

-1; First, the March 21 actions were a significant success, despite the
modest numbers. The actions were politically necessary and received
significant coverage in a number of  newspapers, especially the
Washington Post. The actions also were given fair and friendly  coverage
on D.C. local TV news.  

Second, ANSWER's collaboration with the National Assembly was a central
factor in making March 21 a success. The actions could never have come
off without the contribution of the NA and NA supporters should feel
proud of what they accomplished.  

Third, ANSWER will support and help build the NA's July conference.   

Fourth, the Getty picture was purchased by ANSWER and movement groups
are free to use it. The picture is featured on the March 21 coalition
website's home page (PentagonMarch.org).    

Fifth, in D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles, there were planned
provocations ostensibly conducted by anarchists but actually the work of
police agents and the Feds. In D.C. this group put up a mesh fence which
prevented marchers from passing without doing a detour around the
obstruction. Those participating in the provocation yelled out slogans
denouncing and redbaiting ANSWER and other forces as racists. But when
the march reached the corporate headquarters of one of the big plane
manufacturers, five of the "anarchists" showed their police credentials
and were admitted into the building. Pictures of this were taken by
demonstrators and when this was discovered, a frantic but unsuccessful
effort was made by the cops to seize the pictures. In the course of
this, a cop had a gun pointed only inches from Brian's face. 

ANSWER has the pictures and will launch an initiative to pull together a
coalition of civil liberty groups to cope with and expose an evolving
trend of federal law enforcement and local police activity designed to
disrupt peaceful antiwar demonstrations. 

Jerry 



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