From revcom.us:
When a member of Trump’s fascist cabinet comes to your campus...
Should you keep your head down, and focus on your grades?
Ignore it and what’s going on in the world around you?
Or should you do this:
These are members of the Revolution Club and Refuse Fascism who spoke out while Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin was at UCLA in February 2018. For this, they were brutally arrested and are being dragged into court with two facing up to nine months in jail and two others facing more than two and a half years! (One of the defendants in the same case is also being charged for speaking loudly in an event with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel who was instrumental in the cover-up of the police murder of Laquan McDonald, a Black teenager shot 16 times.)
While universities have spent 100s of 1000s of dollars protecting the free speech of fascists, speaking out against fascism is being criminalized. Professors are reported by right-wing students, amplified by hysterical fascist media unleashing a swarm of internet trolls—all working to drive critical thinking out of academia. Evolution, climate science, the truth about American history and its role in the world today, Ethnic Studies and anything evidence based are under assault. Instead of saying NO, the universities are facilitating the suppression of dissent and normalizing a fascist remaking of the country.
These cases test a new UCLA Policy for “ events that trigger protest” and will set a dangerous precedent: enabling the University to shut down ANTI-fascist speech while rolling out the red carpet for government officials.
These charges are also part of a pattern of political targeting of the Revolution Club at UCLA. In the pre-trial phase, it came out that the UCPD was stalking the Revolution Club, recording their activities and even license plates when on campus carrying out constitutionally protected political organizing. These same organizers are also part of Refuse Fascism, which has been the object of unconstitutional LAPD spying in relation to associated legal cases of the #Freeway9.
These cases are criminalizing constitutionally protected protest and speech. While the Trump/Pence fascist regime threatens humanity, gutting the rule of law, stacking the courts with fascists, rounding up immigrants, consolidating a fascist America: Which Side Are YOU On?
Drop the Charges on the #UCLA5. Make this known everywhere!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
- Demand UCLA Administrators make a public statement that the charges be dropped:
- Chancellor Gene Block, 310.825.2151
- Mick Deluca, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Campus Life, UCLA Student Affairs
mdeluca@saonet.ucla.edu, 310.206.1753
- Kris Kaupalolo, Assistant Director, Student Organizations, Leadership and Engagement
kkaupalolo@saonet.ucla.edu, 310.825.4253
- Demand City Attorney Mike Feuer Drop the Charges! Call 213.978.8100
Tweet at him @Mike_Feuer
- Donate to the Refuse Fascism legal defense, including urgently needed travel funds at donate.refusefascism.org
- Pack the courtroom and stay tuned for trial updates: Airport Courthouse Dept 90, 11701 S. La Cienega (Just south of Imperial Hwy/105 Freeway). Stay tuned at @revclub_la or @refusefascismla
- SIGN THE PETITION. Sign and spread all over the country: Drop The Charges Against Members of Refuse Fascism and Revolution Club!
- Spread THIS video on social media.
- Make a public statement on your social media and send to revclub_la@yahoo.com or SoCal@refusefascism.org. Write an op-ed!
- If you’re a professor, send students to court and have us speak in your class.
- Send this letter to professors, inviting them to speak out in support of the case.
Download to put on your website/social media, post on doors/bulletin boards, etc.:
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