{"id":2019,"date":"2011-05-11T18:20:12","date_gmt":"2011-05-11T18:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=2019"},"modified":"2021-02-17T20:32:40","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T20:32:40","slug":"open-letter-no-vote-for-galloway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2011\/05\/11\/open-letter-no-vote-for-galloway\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Letter – No Vote for Galloway"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was issued by the Manchester-based blogger, ‘Infantile and disorderly<\/a>‘, on May 2.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On May 5, George Galloway will be standing for election to Holyrood. The former Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow and Labour MP for Glasgow Kelvin is heading the George Galloway (Respect) – Coalition Against Cuts list. He has the backing of Solidarity, the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party in Scotland. On his election website, Galloway pledges to \u201coppose every cut to schools, hospitals and public services\u201d and \u201cfight for a parliament with the powers to tax the rich bankers and big business to help pay for jobs and decent public services\u201d. It sounds fine, but there is no way those on the left can extend any level of support for George Galloway.<\/p>\n

Galloway is a supporter of the Islamic Republic of Iran. When questioned at a recent public meeting, Galloway denied ever supporting president Ahmadinejad and even offered \u00a31,000 to anyone who could prove his support. However, while interviewing the Iranian president on his Press TV show, The real deal<\/em>, last August, Galloway stated that he requires \u201cpolice protection in London from the Iranian opposition because of my support for your election campaign. I mention this so you know where I\u2019m coming from.\u201d In fact, while Iran\u2019s 2009 election is widely accepted to have been rigged, Galloway has stated in his Daily Record<\/em> blog that the electoral count \u201cwas awesome\u201d and the million-plus protesters took to the streets because \u201ctoo many<\/em> people were allowed to vote\u201d (his emphasis).<\/p>\n

The Iranian regime incarcerates, tortures and executes political opponents, including leftists, trades unionists and leaders of the radical students\u2019 movement. It does the same to those found guilty of \u201cwar against god\u201d, a charge levelled at political dissidents.<\/p>\n

Confessions are extracted under torture and duress and at times broadcast on state TV channels, including Press TV. Those found guilty of adultery and homosexuality can face the death penalty. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (called \u201cthe so-called stoning case\u201d by Galloway on Press TV) was sentenced to death by stoning in a court speaking a language she didn\u2019t speak herself. George Galloway denies that homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran. On The Wright show<\/em>, Galloway stated that \u201cthe papers seem to imply that you get executed in Iran for being gay. That\u2019s not true.\u201d He then inferred that the boyfriend of gay Iranian asylum seeker Mehdi Kazemi had been executed for \u201csex crimes\u201d against young boys and not for being gay.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unsurprising that Galloway publicly supports the Islamic Republic. He is an employee of Press TV, the Iranian state propaganda channel. While serving as a MP, Galloway was forced to declare his earnings from Press TV, which ranged from between \u00a35,000 and \u00a320,000 for his various shows.<\/p>\n

As pro-democracy protests engulf Syria, it\u2019s worth remembering that Galloway has previously heaped praise upon the Syrian regime and authoritarian ruler, Bashar al-Assad. Addressing Damascus University in late 2005, Galloway said: \u201cFor me he is the last Arab ruler, and Syria is the last Arab country. It is the fortress of the remaining dignity of the Arabs.\u201d Galloway has expressed approval for other dictators too, once describing Pakistan\u2019s general Musharraf as an \u201cupright sort\u201d. Far from a consistent democrat, after the 1999 coup brought Musharraf to power Galloway told The Mail on Sunday<\/em> that \u201cOnly the armed forces can really be counted on to hold such a country together … Democracy is a means, not an end in itself and it has a bad name on the streets of Karachi and Lahore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Galloway\u2019s Christian beliefs have influenced his views on abortion and stem cell research. He doesn\u2019t believe in evolution<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. In The Independent on Sunday<\/em> in 2004 Galloway said: \u201cI\u2019m strongly against abortion. I believe life begins at conception, and therefore unborn babies have rights. I think abortion is immoral.\u201d He was absent from all votes on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill (which included attempts to reduce the abortion time limit in the UK). His notable absenteeism extends to many LGBT issues and euthanasia. Then again, Galloway always had fairly lamentable levels of parliamentary participation. As a Respect MP, Galloway only participated in 98 out of 1,288 votes. In 2006, he claimed more expenses than any other backbench MP in parliament.<\/p>\n

Galloway\u2019s egoism has always been astounding. While most socialists consider it standard for workers\u2019 representatives to be elected on a workers\u2019 wage (not an impoverishing amount, but the salary of a skilled worker), Galloway has declared he couldn\u2019t possibly live on \u201cthree workers\u2019 wages\u201d. And what else other than pure vanity can have driven an appearance on Big brother<\/em>, which discredited whole sections of the left?<\/p>\n

Finally, it\u2019s worth remembering that Respect\u2019s own councillors in Tower Hamlets have voted through cuts to public services.<\/p>\n

We call on socialists to offer no support for Galloway\u2019s election campaign.<\/p>\n

Mosh\u00e9 Machover<\/strong> (Israeli socialist)
\nTorab Saleth<\/strong> (Workers Left Unity Iran)
\nMehdi Kia<\/strong> (co-editor Middle East Left Forum<\/em>)
\nCharlie Pottins<\/strong> (Unite and Hands Off the People of Iran steering committee)
\nRosie Kane<\/strong> (Scottish Socialist Party)
\nNima Kisomi<\/strong> (Iranian socialist)
\nSahar G<\/strong> (Iranian socialist)
\nSuran Badfar<\/strong> (Iranian Socialist)
\nVicky Thompson<\/strong> (Hopi)
\nTami Peterson<\/strong> (National Union of Students LGBT committee)
\nDavid Broder<\/strong> (The Commune)
\nSteve Ryan<\/strong> (The Commune)
\nBarry Biddulph<\/strong> (The Commune)
\nSinead Rylance<\/strong> (Communist Students)
\nUstun Yazar<\/strong> (Communist Students)
\nReyhaneh Sadegzadeh<\/strong> (Communist Students)
\nAlex Allan<\/strong> (Communist Students)
\nJames O\u2019Leary<\/strong> (Communist Students)
\nSebastian Osthoff<\/strong> (Communist Students)
\nKomsan Duke<\/strong> (Anarchist Federation)
\nWilliam J Martin<\/strong> (Batley and Spen CLP)
\nElsie Wraight<\/strong> (Manchester Labour Students)
\nRachael Howe<\/strong> (Love Levenshulme Hate Cuts campaign)
\nKaren Broady<\/strong> (Unison)
\nSte Monaghan<\/strong> (GMB)
\nEdd Mustill<\/strong> (NUJ)
\nDan Read<\/strong> (NUJ)
\nPete Cookson<\/strong> (NUT)
\nJoe Broady<\/strong> (Bectu)
\nRaphie De Santos<\/strong> (\u2018The left banker\u2019)
\nAndrew Coates<\/strong> (socialist blogger)
\nMichael Leversha<\/strong> (student activist)
\nBeth Marshall<\/strong> (student activist)
\nNima Barazandeh<\/strong> (student activist)
\n Democratic Socialist Alliance<\/strong> (organisation).<\/p>\n

Allan Armstrong, Nick Clarke, and Bob Goupillot, editors of Emancipation & Liberation<\/cite><\/strong> would like to add their names to this Open Letter, but with the following reservation regarding phrase the He doesn\u2019t believe in evolution<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Galloway does support evolution as scientific fact – see article below from ‘Daily Record<\/cite>‘.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/blogs.dailyrecord.co.uk\/georgegalloway\/2009\/02\/student-critic-creates-a-fuss.html<\/a><\/p>\n

The one thing that does not appear in the letter of protest is Galloway’s public incitement to violence against those who failed to support Sheridan in court in his attempt to use his political position for purely personal gain. We are pleased to see that Rosie Kane, who has been the subject of particularly foul abuse and attention from this quarter, has signed this letter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This was issued by the Manchester-based blogger, ‘Infantile and disorderly‘, on May 2. On May 5, George Galloway will be standing for election to Holyrood. The former Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow and Labour MP for Glasgow Kelvin is heading the George Galloway (Respect) – Coalition Against Cuts list. He has the backing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1852,1858,1861,1873,1854,1874,1860],"tags":[8957],"class_list":["post-2019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-communists-organise","category-oppression-liberation","category-alienation-self-determination","category-against-unionism","category-the-left-crisis","category-republicanism","category-other-social-struggles","tag-author-infantile-and-disorderly"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"views":6699,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2019"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16548,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019\/revisions\/16548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}