A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) -- also known as International ANSWER and sometimes written as "ANSWER" -- is a protest organization established by the International Action Center, which was founded by former United States attorney general Ramsey Clark. It has organized many of the largest anti-war and anti-"repression" demonstrations in the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Though its national headquarters are in Washington, D.C., its influence is seen as being strongest in and around San Francisco.
A.N.S.W.E.R. was one of the first new organizations formed to protest the policies of the Bush administration in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Their first major action was a September 29, 2001 "Anti-War, Anti-Racist" political rally and march in Washington, D.C., primarily in protest of the then impending U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. An estimated 20,000 people participated; other rallies organized by ANSWER in protest of both that conflict and the 2003 invasion of Iraq have been even larger.
Many of A.N.S.W.E.R.'s leaders are members of the Workers World Party, a Marxist-Leninist organization, and A.N.S.W.E.R. has been accused of being a front group for the Party. [1] (Similar issues have been raised about Not In Our Name (NION)'s connections to the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA.) However, even some sources very critical of A.N.S.W.E.R. and of Workers World have had grudging praise for the group's organizational ability. For example, International R.E.S.P.O.N.S.E., a group which appears to have formed precisely to pursue similar protest politics while distancing themselves from Workers World, writes, "A.N.S.W.E.R. has proven skill at organizing massive demonstrations", while adding "Most who attend the group's protests know nothing about their actual political leanings and merely wish to express their opposition to war in Iraq". [2]
Organizational members and prominent endorsers
As of December 2004, according to their official website, ANSWER's Steering Committee consisted of:
- IFCO/Pastors for Peace
- Free Palestine Alliance - U.S.
- Haiti Support Network
- Partnership for Civil Justice - LDEF
- Nicaragua Network
- Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Phillippines
- Korea Truth Commission
-
International Action Center
- Muslim Student Association - National
- Kensington Welfare Rights Union
- Mexico Solidarity Network
- Middle East Children's Alliance
Other prominent organizational endorsers include the Freedom Socialist Party, Green Party USA , and Vietnam Veterans Against The War Anti-Imperialist . Prominent individual endorsers include comedian Dick Gregory, Robert Meeropol of the Rosenberg Fund for Children, author Michael Parenti, and historian Howard Zinn.
Few other prominent antiwar groups in the U.S. or elsewhere have formal relationships to ANSWER, although many have participated in the major ANSWER-sponsored protests. There has been much discussion among U.S. leftist opponents of the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions of the degree to which they are or are not willing to work with ANSWER and NION. [3], [4]
The Lerner incident
ANSWER has been accused of antisemitism by some Jewish (and other) human rights activists after rabbi Michael Lerner was banned from speaking at a February 16, 2003 anti-war rally in San Francisco, less than a month before the U.S. invaded Iraq. [5] The rally was co-sponsored by national organizations ANSWER, NION, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), and the local Bay Area United Against War. Lerner is founder and editor of Tikkun magazine and the Tikkun Community that grew out of it. The Tikkun Community was (and as of 2004 is) a member of UFPJ.
Lerner is one of the most prominent Jewish leftists in the U.S. David Corn of The Nation referred to him in this connection as "the progressive Jew" (italics Corn's). It seems to be universally agreed that Lerner's name was floated by the Tikkun Community a possible speaker at the rally and ANSWER effectively vetoed it for reasons stemming, at least in part, from Lerner's public criticism of ANSWER. However, there is some disagreement about the precise reasons for the veto and the appropriateness of Lerner as a speaker at the rally. Lerner had criticised ANSWER and Workers World for using anti-war rallies as a platform to criticize Israel. However, several sources have conjectured that ANSWER was trying to keep a pro-Israel speaker out of the rally. Lerner, though irked that NION and UFPJ did not stand up for his inclusion as a speaker, continued to encourage people to attend the rally. [6]
In a statement issued February 11, 2003, ANSWER claimed in its defense that, "One of the first agreements that was made between the groups organizing the Feb. 16 anti-war protest was that none of the coalitions would propose rally speakers who had publicly attacked or worked to discredit one of the coalition groups... His views on Israel and Palestine had nothing to do with [his not being selected as a speaker]. Within the anti-war movement, there is a wide spectrum of diverse and opposing views regarding Israel and Palestine, which will be expressed on Feb. 16." They claimed it was not a matter of them "vetoing", but of adherence to a decision that had already been made. They also stated, "We strongly abhor all forms of racism and bigotry, including anti-Semitism. At the same time, we don't believe that criticism of Israeli government policies should be labeled as anti-Semitism any more than criticism of U.S. government policy should be labeled as anti-American."
External links
Last updated: 05-22-2005 00:16:48
