US Anti-War Activists Urge to Reject New McCarthyism

On Monday, anti-war organizations across the United States issued an open letter to reject a trend that targets China and to call on people to reject what they call the “new McCarthyism.”

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“From The New York Times to Fox News, there’s a resurgence of the Red Scare that once shattered many lives and threatened movements for change and social justice,” said the letter titled “McCarthyism is back: Together we can stop it.”

It warned the new “Red Scare” targets not only left-wing groups but also “everyone who exercises their free speech and democratic rights.”

“We must firmly resist this racist, anti-communist witch hunt and remain committed to building an international peace movement,” said the letter, whose initial signers include 13 organizations, such as Code Pink and ANSWER Coalition, as well as dozens of famous anti-war activists.

“Scientists, researchers, and service members of Chinese descent have been falsely accused of espionage and unregistered foreign agency, often with cases later collapsing due to insufficient evidence,” said the groups, referring to the now-defunct program “China Initiative.”

U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy became a tireless crusader against Communism in the early 1950s — a period that has been commonly referred to as the “Red Scare.” The term “McCarthyism” was created to describe similar witch hunts in recent American history.

“The new McCarthyism is targeting peace activists, critics of U.S. foreign policy, and Chinese Americans,” Code Pink said and asked for public support to “avoid a McCarthy-era red scare targeting peace activists.”

“In the face of adversity, we say NO to xenophobic witch hunts and YES to peace!” said ANSWER Coalition, a U.S.-based protest umbrella group consisting of many anti-war and civil rights organizations, in a social media post.

During the former “Red Scare” and McCarthy periods, scores of organizations and leaders were attacked with factless accusations, read the open letter.

“Today, prominent organizations and individuals, including CODEPINK, The People’s Forum, and Tricontinental Institute have been targeted, with smears and accusations propagated by outlets like The New York Times.”

They accused the media outlet of “painting a sinister image of a secret network funding the peace movement.”

“However, there’s nothing illegal or fringe about opposing a New Cold War or a ‘major power conflict’ with China, views shared by hundreds of millions globally. Receiving donations from U.S. citizens who share these views is not illicit,” said the groups.

They noted the “McCarthy-like attacks” initiated by those media outlets posed a threat to free speech and the right to dissent. “We must oppose this trend,” they said. 

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