Thread by @UkraineCampaign

Hi Everyone - Please sign and share widely!

Ukraine Socialist Solidarity Campaign announces a joint statement:

NO EXPLOITATION OF DR. MLK JR. TO SUPPORT WAR CRIMINAL PUTIN

Co-Sponsored by: CISPOS (on Fb), @nyc4freesyria & @CounterV0rtex

Sign here:
bit.ly/SignMLKstateme…

Let's make it a thread

ANSWER, The People’s Forum, and Code Pink try to brand themselves as “leftists,” yet they parrot Putin’s talking point about NATO in a stylish graphic stating “Honor the Anti-War legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

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Putin, a racist, misogynist, capitalist, neo-Tsarist authoritarian with elements of fascism, launched the Russian invasion–with ongoing murder, rape and torture of Ukrainians, destruction of essential civilian infrastructure, and threats to global food security–by saying,

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“Further expansion of the NATO infrastructure and the beginning of military development in Ukraine’s territories are unacceptable for us actually.”

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ANSWER’s “Peace in Ukraine” webpage is filled with lies, including the well-known whopper that “US/NATO” are responsible for genocide in Ukraine, not Putin and the Russian army. This is a popular talking point of Russia (perpetrator), not Ukraine (victim),

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shared by the UNAC website that also promotes a “MLK Week of Action” under the slogan “Stop Washington’s War Moves Against Russia.” UNAC then erases an 11-year national liberation struggle in Syria against Assad, backed with Putin’s weapons, by equating it to the Iraq War.

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No principled activist should work with these groups.
They weaponize racial identity & anti-war activism as cover for pro-Russia propaganda–the same state that detained Brittney Griner & has Wagner Group mercenaries committing atrocities in Mali, CAR, & Libya.

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One can be confident of what Dr. MLK Jr. would say about having his image exploited by Putin propagandists:
“I have unequivocally declared my hatred for this most colossal of all evils [war] & I have condemned any organizer of war, regardless of his rank or nationality.”

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Left activists in Ukraine when discussing negotiations don’t simplistically demand “Peace in Ukraine.”

They, following Rev. Dr. MLK Jr., have clear, justice-focused demands.

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These include public (not closed-door) negotiations (demanded by Zelensky and largely endorsed by the Ukrainian left), international accountability for war crimes, full troop withdrawal, and reversal of all annexations of Ukrainian territory.

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Putin propagandists, like ANSWER, UNAC, Code Pink and The People's Forum, on the other hand, attempt to *absolve Russia of blame.*

“Russian disinformation campaigns are persistent, pervasive, and very creative.”

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Using Rev. Dr. MLK Jr. 's image with “Peace in Ukraine” is a facile positioning designed to de-center the terms “justice” and “accountability.”

Please sign our statement, and tell your #NAFO friends.
bit.ly/SignMLKstateme…

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Profound thanks / h/t to @UkeAmericanBflo for this pull quote from their #evergreen important @hyperallergic article. We hope you will consider signing the statement. In solidarity - USSC

Co-Sponsor of this statement, @CounterV0rtex Podcast, discusses this issue and reads joint statement. Also discusses the important call for solidarity with Russian anti-war activists put forth by IIlya Budraitskis for 1/19.
A must listen:

https://twitter.com/Billydub420/status/1613748423643258880

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For clarification: the call mentioned above is a call to solidarity with Russian anti-war *on Ukraine* activists. They're being killed and imprisoned for brave principled actions in solidarity with Ukraine.

Re: Podcast: Here's a direct listen:

https://twitter.com/Billydub420/status/1613751434935259138

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