To everyone who has reached out to us after the McCarthyite, racist and sexist article of lies, distortions, innuendo and hate, we say “Thank you, we love you!” - CODEPINK staff.
Is Peace Un-American? Op-ed By: Jodie Evans
Why are those who advocate for peace and challenge established political norms consistently silenced, defamed, or subjected to political inquisitions?
The media should be ashamed. This blatant McCarthyism towards advocates of peace with China parallels the ludicrous Russia-gate smear campaign against advocates of diplomacy - myself included - following the 2016 election. That anti-Russian McCarthyism paved the way for the raging proxy-war in Ukraine that now drifts closer to nuclear conflagration by the day.
The outbreak of anti-China McCarthyism is just the latest dire warning that the military-industrial-media complex is ginning up war with China. It gives notice to citizens across the globe that for the survival of humanity, we must double down for peace. As part of this mobilization, we condemn this reckless campaign to further expand US militarism that's already impoverishing and endangering us all.
Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party Presidential nominee, 2016, 2012
Peace organizations have lots of reasons to oppose the US’ new cold war with China. They aren’t told by the Chinese government what to say. The recent hatchet job on CODEPINK is part of a U.S. propaganda campaign to attack the peace movement.
Massachusetts Peace Action
The news has normalized hating China. CODEPINK has never changed its position or defended imprisoning an ethnic group. Wanting to avoid a war with China so that human life can continue to exist is not a ‘Chinese talking point’ just because China might agree with it.
David Swanson, World Beyond War
Surely it is the responsibility of news media is to report dispassionately about the dangers of US nuclear-tipped brinkmanship with China. Is it sound foreign policy, or is it reckless, ill-conceived warmongering that threatens to drag the whole world into a nuclear holocaust? Are critics of such policy necessarily secret agents of the Chinese government, or are they just trying to prevent unnecessary conflict? CodePink has always been dedicated to stopping war and finding ways to live and work alongside countries like China, for the sake of humanity and our survival. The article strikes us as a slanderous attack on remarkable campaigners for peace and justice.
Vicki Elson and Timmon Wallis, NuclearBan.US
CODEPINK has not only worked to raise awareness about the forgotten Afghan war, the organization has supported girls education and civilians through aid and advocacy efforts and was quick to mobilize a campaign to pay the salaries of Afghan teachers and healthcare workers when the government collapsed in August 2021. CODEPINK knows that the first victims of war are women, children— and the earth. That’s why, contrary to this article, their work around China is not to support the Chinese government but to prevent war.
Masuda Sultan, Unfreeze Afghanistan
Perhaps we’ve grown used to the relentless efforts to silence anyone who dissents from the Biden administration’s stance on key issues of foreign policy but for me, this article marks a new low. Its assault on CODEPINK signals that ANY consistent anti-war force with even a modest institutional presence will no longer be tolerated. The media has taken lessons straight from the Joseph McCarthy playbook.
Jan Clausen, writer
Why can't a wealthy individual support left wing causes in America? As former CIA agent Ray McGovern informs us, we are being brainwashed by the MICIMATT--the Military, Industrial, Congressional, Intelligence, Media, Academic, Think Tank complex. This latest report on the sins of a wealthy funder contributing to the promotion of a positive message about China is part of a corrupt media campaign to keep us at constant war. Stop beating the drums of war against China!
Alice Slater, World Beyond War
As we continue to prepare the ground for a confrontation with China, our government needs to demonize those who refuse to go along with our war preparations. Our Greed Machine is reeling from the fact that a non-white nation took just 30 years to accomplish a level of economic development that took “whites” 300 years to achieve.
Lorenzo Canizares, labor organizer
As a former lawyer and prosecutor, we had a saying: “If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts; if you have the law on your side, pound the law; if you have neither the facts nor the law, pound the table.” The recent article contains a great deal of table-pounding. The facts and the law are scarce in this piece but the nationalist rhetoric, the circular arguing, the guilt by distant association, and the extensive use of proof-texting is unmistakable.
An article supposedly condemning Chinese propaganda ends up becoming American propaganda. According to the reporters, no person or group can utter a positive word about the vast and complex country of China— its culture, history, or economy— without being part of Chinese propaganda. The article states: “The goal [of the alleged Chinese propagandists] is to disguise propaganda as independent content.” Ironically, this is a feat well-accomplished by the authors themselves who never question the U.S. war narrative against China but choose instead to attack any who do.
Code Pink has long stood valiantly in support of human rights around the globe, often placing their bodies on the line. With comments about possible legal action by the U.S. government repeatedly mentioned in this article (comments provided by U.S. government officials), all U.S. citizens should be reminded that this kind of attack in the media is often the shameful first salvo fired when an empire is challenged.
Brad Wolf, Peace Action Network of Lancaster
Looks like you and Roy must be doing something right.
The mainstream media wouldn’t want you or anyone else standing in the way of the newest justification for Pentagon excess and our government’s policy of economic violence.
Huge congrats and my best to Roy,
Ben Cohen, cofounder Ben & Jerry’s
You all must be doing something REALLY RIGHT to get this level of scrutiny. Carry on! We need you.
Leigh Claire La Berge
Professor of English BMCC CUNY
An up close look at McCarthy era tactics. They make it seem like the US is at war with China when they are one of our biggest trading partners and the holder of the most US currency of any country.
Hats off to you for putting your labor and resources into anti-US imperialist work. Sorry Michael isn’t here to unleash his fury at this hit job.
Sending you love and solidarity.
Karen Ranucci
This article corroborates what we've known for a while now--that Ukraine is just the warm-up for the war against the real target--China.
What pushed Jodie Evans to create China Is Not Our Enemy (CINOE) in the first place was the unleashing of anti-China propaganda in 2020, which reminded her of the prelude to the Iraq War. If this current campaign follows the same schedule (remember the "rollout" of advertising for the Iraq war started in Aug/Sep 2002), then that suggests that our overlords are planning for hostilities with China to break out in about six months. They're probably already in Niger hunting down Chinese agents and the latest version of "yellowcake".
Steve Roddy, professor of Chinese literature and culture
Dearest Jodie,
I know your heart is pure. This article is a hatchet-job by innuendo.
Sending love and strength,
Earl Katz, formerly of FOR (Fellowship of Reconciliation)
It should be obvious to any thoughtful fair-minded reader of the recent front page article on CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans that it was a HIT piece. Jodie did nothing wrong except share views about China's policies which differ from the US State Department and the editors of the one of the largest papers in the country.
Yesterday I watched a CNN interview with DNC mouthpiece James Carville. Once again he was railing against the danger to 'Democracy' that third party candidates pose. This time it was Green Party candidate Cornel West he was warning us about. During the interview he once again called former Presidential candidate Jill Stein a “Russian Agent.' His evidence? Years ago she attended a dinner with President Putin. (He assured Anderson Cooper that he still had the photo to prove she was there!)
Those who are using their mainstream platforms to defame peace activists are doing it to promote an agenda: to maintain the insatiable war machine that is absconding with most of our nation's treasure and has managed to buy the so-called media. As I watch these well-placed war propagandists posing as journalists and commentators attack peace activists with such venom I wonder why they're so afraid.
As more Americans tune out mainstream news to seek independent sources for news, the legacy media continues to spiral down. Besides their non-stop agenda-driven lies and distortions, they offer their viewers and readers an echo chamber increasingly devoid of dissenting voices and opposing viewpoints. The heavily censored pro-war propaganda machine that now presents itself as 'the mainstream' has become quite boring to a growing segment of the American public. Now that's GOOD NEWS!
Sharleen Leahey, SFP Music songs4peace; songwriter, recording artist, activist, performer
My midnight comment:
I have been sitting with this article all day and realize that what has bothered me so much is that it is demonizing anyone who shows us another side of a country that is being sold to us as the latest enemy. It has all the markings of the McCarthyism I thought we left behind. We saw this reaction with the Vietnam War, with the Iraq war, with Ukraine, and now China.
All nations, especially empires like China, Russia, and the U.S., have propaganda machines. Why don’t these authors take a look at some of our propaganda, especially when we are in the process of defining a new enemy? But perhaps what has startled even me more are many posts in the comment section, replete with knee-jerk reactions, demonizing Jodie Evans and CodePink, taking statements out of context, misrepresenting positions – and, totally forgetting the work they have done for peace. CodePink calls for negotiations, not more arms, not more killing. But negotiations have become a bad word among a new brand of leftist hawks. I believe that the purpose of articles like this one – whether it is a conscious decision or not -- is to divide and weaken the left in America. Progressives need to have serious discussions about this type propaganda in the mainstream media.
Georgia Kelly, Praxis for Peace
The paper has shown itself again and again to be a US government mouthpiece. It has never seen a US war of aggression it didn't love, and has played an absolutely shameful role spreading lies to justify these wars. (Remember "WMDs"?)
Now these State Department stenographers, who regularly violate basic journalistic standards, are bringing the spirit of disgraced cold warrior Joseph McCarthy back from the dead.
They apparently want people to think that any leftists who oppose the US new cold war and want peaceful cooperation with China are Chinese agents.
There is nothing wrong with a leftist activist who got lucky and made substantial money to use those resources to fund left-wing, anti-war media outlets that encourage peace and cooperation with China and admire the many accomplishments of the Chinese Revolution.
The vast majority of right-wing media outlets are owned and/or funded by billionaire oligarchs, but because they are pro-war and support US imperialism, it is seen as perfectly normal.
Corporate media outlets are obediently pushing a dangerous, authoritarian propaganda narrative on behalf of the most fanatical hawks in the US national security state, implying that there are just two manichean choices: you either support Washington's hybrid war on China or you are secretly working for China.
This is George W. Bush's ludicrous logic that "you're either with us or you're a terrorist", all over again. It's an anti-democratic neo-McCarthyism that must be opposed.
Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy Report
Just a quick note to say that I've been thinking of this sentence constantly since yesterday: "Few on the American political left would discuss the couple publicly, fearing lawsuits or harassment."
This is supposed to be journalism? Obviously there are zillions of people "on the American left" who would be happy to speak to the. paper about you and Roy and say wonderful things. In fact, I know IPS leaders did. But that didn't fit their narrative. So they toss in this BS line, trying to suggest people view you as vindictive but without having to substantiate it. That fits their tendentious authoritarian narrative better.
Much more to be said about the article, but this is the sentence I can't get out of my head -- such a clear sign of bias.
Sarah Anderson, Global Economy Project Director and Inequality.org Co-editor, Institute for Policy Studies
I condemn the “red baiting” of you and CODEPINK.
In Solidarity,
Jim Lafferty, National Lawyers Guild LA
Just wanted to say I’ve been following the aftermath of the article about you and Neville. What a hit job. My god…. Back when we had just founded the Gorbachev Foundation in the Presidio in 1992, a group of ultra conservatives began to spread the message, aired in Congressional testimony, that I was working with Gorbachev to establish "world government" in the Presidio. The grandson of Winston Churchill was involved. Shortly thereafter, our office was broken into and files stolen. Then more attacks with “hard evidence” of plans for world government. Boggles the mind.
It reminds me of a comment by Lyndon Johnson, that the greatness of a person’s stature is measured by the magnitude of their enemies. You have taken the hit. That is a measure of your greatness. You are being effective and they are seeking to destroy you through defamation and lies.
Carry on, dear one. You are a bright shining star in the firmament and I support you 100%.
Much love,
Jim Garrison, Humanity Rising
Very impressive. Congratulations on being the subject of a full page hit piece.
In the old days, that newspaper was an instrument of the ruling class, but you could read it closely and get something out of it. Now it is a propaganda sheet.
Two months ago, we broadcast an interview with John Pilger called “The coming war with China“. The Times is helping out, just like they did with Iraq and Syria and Lebanon and Yugoslavia and Vietnam…..
In solidarity,
Michael Steven Smith, attorney, host of radio show Law and Disorder
Congratulations!!!!!! You hit a big nerve in the propaganda machine !!!
Now you are right up there with Dr. Helen Caldecott, Dan Ellsberg, Martin Luther King, Blase Bonpane and so many others who spoke their truth. Brava!!!!
And you two look fabulous, which will annoy people as well. Aren’t activists supposed to look grim???
Hugs to all of you,
Susan Clark, donor for 21 years to CODEPINK and Emmy award winning actor
CODEPINK is as much an educational organization as it is one devoted to citizen engagement. It is a haven for people who think for themselves and a revelation for those, young and old, learning to do so. A women-led group, CODEPINK offers men and women the opportunity to understand the perspectives of those who are not dominant members of society in the United States and elsewhere in the world.”
Zool Zulkowitz, member, Directors Guild of America (retired), associate member of Veterans For Peace, appointee of the Manhattan Borough President to Community Board #5
I have worked with CODEPINK for more than a decade, and I have always been inspired by, and extremely grateful for, the organization's leadership, absolute integrity and courage in advocating for peace and for respect for the human rights of all people. The article has serious journalistic flaws, including smearing CODEPINK, describing it as an organization that is fiction to me.
Nick Mottern, Co-coordinator, Ban Killer Drones
Facing ecological collapse, nuclear weapon proliferation, and potential newnpandemics, our collective security rests in collaborating with other nations, including China, to solve problems posed by these realities.
I’m grateful for Code Pink’s readiness to foster active cooperation, internationally, to address the threats of climate change, water shortages, and regional underdevelopment.
Kathy Kelly, author/activist
I have worked with and supported Code Pink since at least 2009. This organization, founded by Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans in 2002, has been foremost in the anti-war movement for over 20 years.
People around the world are both astonished and terrified at how the U.S. government continues to provoke and threaten China, putting the human race on the precipice of all-out nuclear war. Attempting to silence the voices of those speaking out for peace is both shameful and highly dangerous. It’s like trying to block fire trucks on the way to a life-threatening fire. The media instead, should be condemning the stranglehold the Military-Industrial Complex has on the U.S. government, which in our lifetimes has led to the deaths of millions of innocents worldwide.
Lenny Bianchi, anti-war activist and retired volunteer firefighter
I was outraged to read that evidence-free defamation of you all yesterday. Let me know what I can do to help.
In solidarity and with much love,
Matthew Hoh, veteran
Sending a quick note since I am guessing today was hard. Wanted you to know how much I and a zillion others appreciate your solidarity and activism over the years. Keep breathing!
Love,
Annie Leonard
Decades ago that paper was a periodical I trusted to provide unbiased reporting. Sadly, it long ago became a cog in the U.S. government’s misinformation machine especially in regards to its policy of promoting endless wars. So it was no surprise to see the so-called investigative piece on philanthropist Roy Singham and his wife CODEPINK co-founder, peace and justice activist Jodie Evans in which their efforts to promote peace and cross-cultural dialogue between the United States and China was so vehemently attacked as propaganda. When the U.S.’s “legacy media” can portray the work of “a socialist benefactor of far-left causes” and the co-founder of a twenty year old women’s peace organization as Chinese propaganda, you know that 1984 is now and we’re living McCarthyism part II.
Desiree Bianchi, retired librarian
Jodie - I’ll just say this, you have always been incredibly generous and kind toward me, as you are by nature, and I was chagrined by the clumsy attempt at the Times to paint you and Roy as foreign agents and poster children for the unhinged left. You of course probably view the whole matter as a badge of honor, and possibly even a fundraising opportunity. I hope you’re ok.
Hamilton Fish, publisher
Jodie, sending you full support and our continuing solidarity. Thank you for all that you do for Truth, Justice and Peace.Know that support for you grows tenfold when scurrilous attacks come down. We are circulating the statement far and wide.
Sara Flounders, International Action Center
CODEPINK is under attack. That organization, which has been so supportive of many causes for social justice in the world and, in particular, in the fight against the blockade of Cuba, is the object of a campaign to smear and discredit them. One of the main newspapers in the United States has published a defamatory, tendentious and intimidating article, suggesting, implying and accusing CODEPINK of being an instrument of the Chinese government to influence the politics of the USA. Filled with unsubstantiated assumptions, lies, speculation, and plenty of malicious intent, the article even goes so far as to suggest that CODEPINK should be investigated and prosecuted on charges of being unregistered agents of a foreign government.
We know this script of slander and McCarthyism well. Last year, Senator Marco Rubio, using these same tactics, launched an attack full of lies, smears, intimidation and discredit, accusing Bridges of Love (and the people who support Bridges of Love in United States) of being unregistered agents of the Cuban government. Rubio even went so far as to ask the FBI director to investigate and prosecute Professor Lazo and the people who support Puentes de Amor and the movement against the blockade in the United States.
The intention is the same as that of Marco Rubio yesterday; silence the voices within the United States that fight for peace and for the building of friendly and respectful relations between the United States and all the peoples of the world. It comes as no surprise that, in 2022, when Senator Marco Rubio attacked Puentes de Amor, he also included sister organizations CODEPINK and The People’s Forum in his onslaught.
Bridges of Love condemns this new treacherous and malicious attack against CODEPINK. This organization has a history of more than twenty years of struggle for social justice and peace in the world. In this fight, CODEPINK has been a standard bearer in the battle to end the blockade of Cuba. CODEPINK has always raised its voice to support Cuban families here and there, to end the blockade and to build Bridges of Love between the USA and Cuba. CODEPINK has brought and continues to bring solidarity aid to pediatric hospitals in Cuba. CODEPINK helped organize and pay for the campaign to bring to Cuba urgent custodial packets for operations on children who needed liver transplants. CODEPINK is a bridge of love and in this hour it needs our support.
Carlos Lazo, Bridges of Love
During the Cold War, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, and other forces of political repression all treated the holding of verboten views on anything from civil rights to foreign policy as evidence the speaker was part of a subversive plot. Instead of recognizing that divergent views are part of a democracy and that political protest is the natural result of injustice, they chased phantom conspiracies.
This playbook has been repeated time and again, including during living memory against critics of the Iraq War and the War on Terror. With rising global tensions, unsurprisingly this playbook has again been revived
In its attack on CODEPINK and other critics of a New Cold War, the newspaper has joined a shameful tradition of McCarthyism that treats any dissent from US foreign policy as evidence of malign influence.
Chip Gibbons, Policy Director, Defending Rights & Dissent
Dear CODEPINK, I am sorry for the bad press. Not having a subscription, I saw the noted article in Google News. I aligned myself with CODEPINK before the Iraq War. I very well remember the war drums and lies of the time. Now it seems eerily similar, only now, it is regarding China. Thanks to CODEPINK for sounding the alarm and speaking up. I would say if such a major paper is on your case, you must be doing something right. I very well remember where that paper stood in the lead-up to the Iraq War. Its drums were loud. CODEPINK, I am with you. I am glad you are still there and for all that you do to make our world a better, more peaceful place, especially our own country. I am grateful that Jodie is still with CODEPINK and what she is doing in this regard. I love you all. Keep up the good work. I hope to send a donation soon. I have signed the public letter.
Anne G. Woodhead, Peace Advocate
F*ck them. The media is trying to lie us into war once again. They lost all credibility over 20 years ago with its repeated lies about Iraq, and its unrelenting cheerleading for war (see below for more info.). Although the owners, editors, and writers behaved in a criminal way, nobody has ever been held accountable. Their pro-war disinformation campaigns contributed mightily to millions of innocent people being killed (Brown U. estimate: 4.5-4.6 million). Let's not forget too that they have been a staunch defender of the Jewish Supremacist state of Israel, and its murderous assaults on Palestinians over that same time period. Unsurprisingly, they are at it once again with their recent attempt to smear peace organizations like CODEPINK, The People's Forum, and anti-war activists (like myself) for advocating for truth, peace, and justice with regards to China. The NYT has made it even more personal for me as they have attempted to besmirch the character of one of CODEPINK's co-founders Jodie Evans. I have volunteered with CODEPINK on multiple occasions over the years, and I have had the pleasure and honor of meeting both Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin. They are the real deal, and they have created one of the most important and influential peace organizations in the country, CODEPINK. We need more organizations like CODEPINK, and we need to start holding the warmongering miscreants in the corporate media accountable for the catastrophic lies that have led to millions of deaths (and those that may soon lead to billions more). We have seen this movie before and if we don't stop it ASAP, we will very likely be faced with the prospect of nuclear annihilation. So yeah, F*ck them.
Mike McGowan, Actor
Dear Jodie,
When I first read the article, I thought: well, the Gray Lady certainly picked a photo of the “Pink Lady” (you, of course) looking especially beautiful and radiant, and
“Hey, thanks, Lying Shill for War Newspaper, for giving Jodie and CODEPINK a bunch of free publicity! ”Since this newspaper was part, an important part, of the US govt push to bomb, invade, occupy and all-but-destroy Iraq, I have never given it credibility, never quoted it in speeches or articles, hardly ever read it. So I didn’t realize the gravity of this attack piece, or what it must mean to you (and your husband). The silver lining, which I hope you are experiencing, is that it provides an opportunity for many people to express support and to understand how anti-Chinese propaganda operates. The establishment only bothers to attack those who are really getting things done (that they don’t want done).
I send you all best wishes, and please remember the wise words of Rock Hudson (and many others - I just happened to see a documentary about RH recently): “This too shall pass.” Onward to peace and friendship, including with the Chinese people!
Janet Weil, CODEPINKer and activist
Working people and all defenders of constitutional protections of free speech and assembly should oppose the campaign by the media, now backed by Sen. Marco Rubio, for investigations and prosecution as “unregistered” foreign agents — in this case, for the government of China — of members or supporters of Codepink, the People’s Forum and other organizations. We oppose any attempts to take away the tax exempt status of groups cited by the Times. Since its enactment in 1938, as the U.S. rulers prepared to plunge working people into the second world imperialist slaughter, the Foreign Agents Registration Act has been used repeatedly to persecute opponents of U.S. government policy, violate their democratic rights, and dangle a sword over the heads of many others.
In recent decades we've seen this with the Cuban Five, Cuban revolutionaries arrested in Florida in 1998 and handed down sentences from 15 years to life. Among other frame-up charges, they were found guilty of acting and "conspiring" to act as “unregistered” agents of the Cuban government. In fact, they were gathering information on counterrevolutionary groups organizing and carrying out terrorist attacks on Cuba
from U.S. soil.
This year the U.S. government issued frame-up indictments of four leaders, members and former members of the African People’s Socialist Party as “unregistered” agents of the Russian Federation. They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Several aides to former President Donald Trump have faced trials on similar charges. Whatever your opinion of the political views of those targeted by the Times, the entire modern class struggle shows that the capitalist rulers will use such charges to go after working-class militants and those in the revolutionary vanguard of workers’
struggles. It's a law of history. Defending the right to free speech and association for all, no matter their views, is absolutely necessary to be able to defend and advance the interests of workers and farmers.
The Socialist Workers Party uncompromisingly defends and fights for the right of free speech and assembly.
U.S. government hands off Codepink, People’s Forum and all the individuals and organizations targeted by the owners and editors of the Times!
Socialist Workers Party
Do you know that they accused JFK, FDR, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, The Beatles (!), half of Hollywood and the 50s State Department, all of the (actual) left in academia, Sy Hersh, Chris Hedges, Bernie Sanders, Tulsi Gubbard, Jill Stein, Trump, Tucker Carlson (whatever you think of these last two) … Matt Taibbi, Aaron Mate, Bob Scheer, Oliver Stone, Max Blumenthal, the list goes on!!! I mean, we are talking thousands upon thousands of Kremlin agents :), including at least three presidents of the United States, all liberation movement leaders and all left of center candidates and every journalist who is not a war pig.
I think the “Havana Syndrome” describers the hysteria best: American officials reporting noises in their heads and faint spells. Scary part: they were all sincere. These morons are making Salem witch trials appear moderate.
Now they are swapping for Chinese agents. Or, are they adding? And the hunt is on! After all, what else are they going to think they are getting paid for? They cannot afford to think their job is to squash peace movement, break the law, trample the Constitution and just being scumbags, right? they probably believe it themselves and so they have to first frame you. Then, if it does not work, go after you, which would go unnoticed since they did a repetitional hit ante.
You have to write the OpEd. And make it strong and clear. You have an enormous advantage: you do not have to lie and obfuscate and insinuate. Even the shitlibs have their skin crawl when they read that shit they wrote on you. They must. Stylistically and just outright, you are ahead of them. Truth has a great potency and longevity.
Courage! (you got it in spades anyway)
L.H. CODEPINK Supporter
The Steering Committee of the People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle unanimously signed a letter, "McCarthyism Is Back: Together We Can Stop It", which excoriates The New York Times (NYT) for "McCarthy-like attacks against individuals and organizations criticizing US foreign policy." The Times recently published a piece, unfairly targeting organizations including CODEPINK, Tricontinental Institute, and The People’s Forum. Since 2019, The People’s Forum has hosted multiple PMN-sponsored events. The People’s Forum will also host the upcoming PMN Fall Hybrid Convergence, taking place in person on Saturday, October 28, 2023 and on Zoom from October 27-29.
The Times is engaging in a political witch hunt, making baseless insinuations about peace activists who oppose a New Cold War with China but who have committed no crimes. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is now amplifying these insinuations, citing the Times article in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, pushing the Justice Department to investigate the organizations targeted by the Times. The People’s Music Network stands against this witch hunt, which fosters a climate of fear about anyone connected to China and produces a chilling effect on US citizens who oppose their government’s policy toward China. This article by Caitlin Johnstone summarizes the issues at stake here and links to documents referenced above.
Moreover, the People’s Music Network stands with The People's Forum, which has provided PMN with a beautiful and accessible event space, nutritious meals, and a supportive technical staff for four major events in October 2019, January 2020, October 2022 and February 2023.
TPF has helped enable our membership to foster a welcoming and open community where members have engaged in open political dialog and collaborative musical performances that address today's urgent social justice struggles. When friends in the movement who support us in pursuing our mission come under such scurrilous attack by such a powerful media organization, we stand proudly with them.
PMN Steering Committee
Articles, Op-Eds, and Podcasts/Shows in Solidarity and Support
NYT Reveals That a Tech Mogul Likes China—and That McCarthyism Is Alive and Well FAIR
If you think China is evil and Communists are the devil—as you might, if you read US corporate news media (FAIR.org, 5/15/20, 4/8/21)—this sounds like important reporting on a dangerous man. The trouble is, there’s nothing illegal about any of this. All the Timessucceeds in proving in this article is that Singham puts considerable money, amassed by selling a software company, toward causes that promote positive views of China and are critical of hawkish anti-China foreign policy, which is his right as an US citizen. If you were to replace “China” in this tale with “Ukraine,” it’s hard to imagine the Times assigning a single reporter to the story, let alone putting it on the front page.
New Cold War witch hunts: Who gets a free pass as a ‘foreign agent’? Amanda Yee in Liberation News
We have entered a new Cold War, and with that a new era of McCarthyite witch hunts. Headlines in corporate media ominously warn the American public of “Chinese spies” among us, “pro-China influence campaigns infiltrating U.S. news sites,” and “pro-China social media campaigns to influence U.S. voters.”
The political weapon of choice in this latest era of McCarthyism is the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a once obscure and rarely enforced law, which is now being wielded with increasing regularity by the Department of Justice. FARA is a public disclosure statute, which requires any individual or entity that represents the interests of a foreign government to register with the Department of Justice. But the law is written in such a vague, sweeping manner and its applications are so broad that it lends itself easily to political weaponization, and can be used to indict those who oppose the new Cold War and innocent Chinese nationals as “Chinese spies” or “foreign agents.”
NY Times 'Bombshell' Is Just A Giant RED SCARE Article Lee Camp [Redacted]
Lee Camp responds to the level of McCarthyism and red scare tactics used to silence antiwar and peace organizations.
New Witch Hunt Demonizes Peace with China, w/ Vijay Prashad & Manolo de los The Socialist Program with Brian Becker
Seventy-five years ago, a witch hunt was launched in the United States against peace activists and leftists who opposed the growing danger of war with the Soviet Union. Today, as the United States has adopted major power conflict with China as its main military priority, and the danger of military confrontation with China grows, there is a new witch hunt against peace activists. But people are fighting back all around the globe.
"No war in China" campaigners may be foreign agents: NYT Friday Everyday with Nury Vittachi
Peace groups campaigning against a US war on China might be paid foreign agents, the New York Times alleged—but triggered a backlash from readers shocked at what some people are calling a neo-McCarthyist stance.
Trump GA Charges Loom, Peace Activists Smeared, Kansas Newspaper Raid Political Misfits with Michelle Witte and John Kiriakou
We wanted to talk about this hit piece [by the NYT]. It was a hit piece about our friends at Code Pink...Neville is a delightful guy and the definition of a self-made success. Now....Neville is an insanely good businessman, and a life-long communist...if you ever met Neville, he is one of the loveliest men you can encounter. He's just an all around good guy...Jodie to be a friend.. She is just as lovely and delightful as Neville is. They are a perfect couple. They are generous and fun, they believe passionately about the issues of civil rights, social justice, civil liberties, and human rights..I was very proud of it [signing the letter of complaint to the NYT].
New York Times Helps Marco Rubio Push Persecution Of Antiwar Leftists Caitlin Johnstone - Caitlin's Newsletter
First of all we should point out the irony of an outlet like The New York Times publishing an article accusing anyone of being involved in propaganda. The New York Times has supported every US war and has been run by the same wealthy family since the late 1800s, and it has an extensive history of peddling McCarthyite red scare propaganda throughout the years. It has been singled out consistently and aggressively by critics of US propaganda like Noam Chomsky for its unique role in setting the agenda for news reporting throughout the western world in a way that benefits the information interests of the US empire.
The New York Times Belatedly Endorses Joe McCarthy Peter Jackson in Fair Observer
The “liberal” newspaper that famously amplified the lies that permitted the Bush administration to invade Iraq appears more than ever committed to an ideology that celebrates and thrives on war. It has now turned to using tenuous innuendo to denigrate not just those who dare to call into question the wisdom of Washington’s addiction to war but anyone and everyone directly or indirectly associated with them.
NY Times publishes hit job on anti-war activists; solidarity must be the answer John Catalinotto in Workers World
When Washington mobilizes for war, however, the Times doffs its liberal cloak and exposes itself as a loudspeaker for U.S. imperialist interests. That’s what it did Aug. 5, running a front page hit job on progressive organizations and on a donor to these causes. The verbal attack replayed 1950s McCarthyism.
Though the article had clear political goals and lacked hard evidence, the Times disguised it as investigative journalism. Four Times’ reporters produced propaganda aimed at repressing voices that oppose Washington’s preparation for war, in this case war with China. It’s important in the context of the Aug. 5 article to be conscious of the fact that the Times pays these journalists to write — and to follow editorial “guidelines.”
McCarthyism Is Back, and It’s Coming for the Peace Movement Defending Rights & Dissent in Portside
Defending Rights & Dissent has worked with Code Pink for decades. Just days before the Times published their hit job, we joined with Code Pink to deliver a letter to the State Department about imprisoned journalist Julian Assange. In 2020, we launched our report Still Spying on Dissent: The Enduring Problem of FBI First Amendment Abuse at the People’s Forum. We also co-sponsored the New York session of the Belmarsh Tribunal, which was held at the People’s Forum. In spite of the attempted intimidation of Sen. Rubio, Defending Rights & Dissent fully plans to continue working with both Code Pink and the People’s Forum.
Code Pink has been a courageous and bold voice and the People’s Forum has been an invaluable space for activists. These efforts to silence them have far-reaching implications beyond just US-China policy.
Advancing the new Cold War, New York Times revives ‘foreign agent’ conspiracy Communist Party USA in People's World
This is not investigative journalism. It is reheated McCarthyism, the putrid leftovers of a conspiracy theory that was already rotten the first time around, served up to delegitimize China’s emergence as a global power and discredit critics of U.S. foreign policy.
If the individuals and organizations targeted in the article were part of the welter of privately-funded NGOs, think tanks, conferences, and media networks used by the U.S. ruling class to promote its foreign policy priorities, there would be no story here.
The New York Times Does a Hatchet Job on the Anti-War Movement Horace G. Campbell in CounterPunch
In the absence of a vibrant anti-capitalist force to harness the energies of the social justice elements mainstream media such as the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post maintain the support for the Pentagon and Israel instead of exposing the conjunctural crisis of the changes in the global systems since the financial crises (2002–2009, and continuing), COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and the instability of the dollar. Global Warming and immiseration that face the people of the planet demand clear and sober understanding of the world in which we live.
The United States: McCarthyism Awakening Prensa Latina
As many were groundlessly attacked, they now accuse prominent organizations, including CodePink, The People’s Forum and the Tricontinental Institute, which have been victims of slander and accusations by different media including the Times.
Derek R. Ford in PESA Agora
On August 5, The New York Times released a report that, in essence, boldly and baselessly suggests that groups or organisations advocating for peace with China are part of an international conspiracy organised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Despite the absence of any substantive proof, politicians are already using it as ammunition in their broader ‘new McCarthyism’ agenda, which could potentially have devastating consequences for the globe. Fortunately, a variety of institutions and networks are already organising against it by building a fight-back movement in which education plays a key role, and you can too.