Revolutionary Communist League (France) communiquŽ, 12 September 2001 Horror and indignation... There are no other words to describe the violent attacks which have just struck New York and Washington. No cause can ever justify such a monstrous act, aimed at making as many civilian victims as possible. Now we have to understand why there is such denial of the motives behind the attacks. George Bush's military cheerleading can not, in this regard, make the world forget the responsibility of the great powers, and the American empire particularly, for unleashing the violence which has put the planet permanently on the edge of the abyss. To guarantee unlimited power for a handful of industrial and financial giants, these powers have never hesitated to destroy Third World economies, to support the worst dictatorships while they incited coups d'etat themselves, to hit with embargoes those countries they have taken upon themselves to label "outlaws", even to bomb them when it suits them.

Neo-liberal globalization has thrown entire regions into total chaos. They have happily financed and armed pawns, made over for the moment as "freedom fighters". And since it came to office, the new American administration has made a point of opposing any treaty which might impede its hegemonic freedom to act -- even opposing ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

No one knows, so far, who is behind the murderous actions of September 11. But it is not unlikely that a Frankenstein's monster may have turned against its creator, using that creator's own weapons against it: blind cynicism, brutal force, sophisticated military technology and financial power. How, for example, can we ignore the fact that Saudi billionaire Bin Laden, toward whom so many accusing fingers are pointing, would never have found himself leading a terrorist multinational without initial help from the CIA? This must move us to vigilance, that no one can begin taking advantage of the mood created today, to direct public outrage against the Muslim world, the Palestinians or Arab peoples. Not to mention immigrant peoples, the designated targets of the Vigipirate plan, [French public security "anti-terrorist" crackdown during the Gulf War and other crises - trans.] which has just been reactivated.

Alain Krivine
12 September 2001

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