Leonard Peltier Is Home!
’It is a wonderful and joyful thing to hear that Leonard Peltier will now spend his last days outside of the iron cage – the iron cage that held him for almost five decades.’ – political prisoner and former Black Panther, Mumia Abu-Jamal
On the 20 January, outgoing US president Joe Biden commuted the life sentence of incarcerated indigenous leader Leonard Peltier, allowing him to spend the remainder of his life in home confinement. Peltier had been incarcerated for 49 years and eleven months, making him one of the longest serving political prisoners in the United States, with his case being taken up by activists around the world.
Peltier was first incarcerated after the deaths of two FBI agents during a confrontation on Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. Convicted by an all-white jury, he has always maintained his innocence. For this reason, it is important to recognise that Biden did not pardon Peltier – he is instead under house arrest. Biden also did not acknowledge the injustice of his conviction on spurious evidence. To the US government, Peltier remains guilty. To the indigenous and oppressed peoples of the world however, history has absolved him.
Peltier briefly ran for US vice-president on the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s ticket in 2020 before having to drop out of the race due to health issues. While in prison he remained politically active and has spoken out in support of struggles around the world. His release has coincided with the release of hundreds of incarcerated Palestinians as part of the ceasefire agreement, and for me this emphasises the ways our struggles are linked internationally. Solidarity to Leonard Peltier, Khalida Jarrar, and all those fighting from behind prison walls.
Till all are free,
JANE MORRIS
South London FRFI
GRT liberation now!
Speaking as someone in an area where Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) folk are referred to openly as ‘fucking animals’ and treated as such by local gorgers, I very much appreciated the coverage in FRFI 303 of their fight for their minority rights against the racist British state which denies them.
The title of the Traveller Movement’s report that GRT hate is ‘the last acceptable form of racism’ is a lived reality in my neck of the woods. There is no understanding of the criminal lack of safe pitching sites when they inevitably, ‘illegally’ pitch up on public green spaces and are moved on by the racist cops. When they do buy plots legally for their caravans, they’re criticised for being forced to stay in place (or more generally treated with contempt as supposed magnets for petty theft and crime)!
GRT liberation is inseparable from the fight for socialist revolution, as with all social liberation struggles. On this basis, communists and anti-racists owe their support to GRT folk in their fight for full liberation.
Frank Kaasen
Brighton FRFI
The Battle of Algiers
On 30 January, South London FRFI hosted a packed room of Palestine supporters at a film showing fundraiser for the Palestinian Communist Youth Union, who through their work in Gaza are providing water, food, shelter and medical aid to those on the frontline. The film, The Battle of Algiers (1966), is recognised as one of the greatest political films of all time. It depicts the struggle of the Algerian people breaking free from French colonial rule and occupation. On release, the film was banned in France for five years despite winning multiple awards including at the Venice Film Festival in 1966. In a stark reference to modern day events in Gaza, the film depicts the heroic acts of the oppressed to liberate themselves by any means necessary. Facing extreme consequences, torture, military policing and a media war, the film shows how the steely determination of working-class revolutionaries, together with the will and backing of the masses, can lead to triumph. For good reason and to this day, the Battle of Algiers has been held as an inspiration for revolutionaries worldwide, including the Black Panther Party and the Irish Republican Army.
At this time, fundraising for groups in Palestine is vital. This money supports Palestinians to continue struggle as the imperialists strangle the flow of aid. Donate to the Palestine Communist Youth Union here: https://gofund.me/729cd23c
Anthony Rupert
South London FRFI
IN MEMORIAM
Trevor Rawnsley
Three years ago, 2 March 2022, the revolutionary Trevor Rawnsley passed away aged 72. He was drawn to the RCG in 1978 by the ‘Hands Off Ireland’ campaign, opposing British imperialism in Ireland. For the next 43 years, until his death, he worked ceaselessly in support of the oppressed. From the Non-Stop Picket outside apartheid South Africa House, to his agitation in support of the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination, his public speeches were applauded for their militancy and cutting wit. On every major issue he excoriated the hypocrisy and self-seeking postures of the British establishment, and their opportunist allies in the so called ‘socialist’ left. His articles in our newspaper ‘Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!’, written as Trevor Rayne, remain an example to every communist, and to all of those opposing British imperialism today, for their accuracy, depth of knowledge and commitment to justice.
To learn more about Trevor’s legacy, read his work on our website at frfi.org.uk
FIGHT RACISM! FIGHT IMPERIALISM! 304 February/March 2025
