A group of Philadelphia residents have come together to form the Philly RNC8 Support Committee, with the purpose of doing fundraising and support work for the eight activists facing conspiracy terrorism charges in the wake of the 2008 Republican National Convention.

PHILLY FORMS COMMITTEE TO SUPPORT THE RNC8

A group of Philadelphia residents have come together to form the Philly RNC8 Support Committee, with the purpose of doing fundraising and support work for the eight activists facing conspiracy terrorism charges in the wake of the 2008 Republican National Convention. We want to express our solidarity with the RNC 8, and our appreciation and thanks for the dedication and hard work done by the the RNC 8, the Welcoming Committee and the support committee in the Twin Cities. It is this hard work and dedication that inspires us to keep building and keep fighting, even as the threat of police harassment and incarceration looms large.

We believe that supporting the RNC 8 and standing up to state repression of activists and organizers is important, not just for residents of the Twin Cities, not just for radicals attending mass mobilizations, but for all of us wishing and fighting for a better world. We believe that it is not a coincidence that the state is increasing surveillance and repression of activists and organizers at the same time as national and local governments prepare for increased rollbacks of social services and continuing military aggression across the globe. As politicians and corporations make decisions that make our lives and the lives of those around us worse, it stands to reason that the state must sanction a corresponding crackdown on protest and dissent, even as these things become more necessary and inevitable. As we struggle to keep libraries and other social services open in Philadelphia, we will not forget that our ability to wage these fights is compromised by the spectre of these false charges of conspiracy and terrorism. We know that if these charges are leveled against the RNC8 and others without a fight, our own ability to organize and protest becomes increasingly compromised.

While the outpouring of solidarity that started the moment the arrests began and has continued to grow has been amazing, we recognize the enormity of the state’s financial resources and political power. This is why we felt it was necessary to form a local committee to engage in ongoing support for the RNC8. We have already held several events in Philly and have several more in the works, so stay tuned for more info. We will also be holding an event on March 28th, the national day of solidarity with the RNC8. At this event we will be releasing some limited edition defend the RNC8 t-shirts, which we can also send to you to sell at fundraisers in your town- for more info email us at neRNC8support@riseup.net.

We hope that supporters from around the country will join us in helping out in whatever ways we can. This support can look like many things, from forming ongoing regional support groups and holding fundraisers or benefits, to holding info nights and movie screenings and talking to friends, neighbors, families and co-workers. It is our hope that this work of defending the RNC8 can be taken up, piece by piece, by all of us across the country who know that this struggle is connected to our struggles locally and nationally. We see this support work not as something to do instead of our other work, but along side of it, knowing that supporting each other in the face of state repression is key to building strong communities and strong movements.

With solidarity and love for the RNC8,
the Philly RNC8 Support Committee

If you would like more information about the RNC8 or would like resources such as dvds and flyers about the case you can go to rnc8.org

If you live in the North East or Mid Atlantic part of the states or are in Philly and are looking for ways to plug in e-mail neRNC8support@riseup.net .