Many are happy and relieved that David Hicks will be back in the country shortly. He has had a rough five years. He could have been given a longer term and be forced to remain in Guantanamo. We want him freed now! He has been in that hell hole too long. We are opposed to him serving any further time � even in Australia! In fact he should never have been there in the first place!
We were told that Guantanamo was supposedly for the �worst of the worst�, namely hardcore terrorists who would be extremely dangerous if released. In no way did David Hicks fall into that category. Revolutionary communists give military support to the Taliban in this context which is defending Afghanistan against an unwarranted imperialist military invasion. But even if we were to accept the American framework, Hicks would be, at worst, an illegal combatant. In no way did he deserve Guantanamo!
Hicks was important to the US authorities. He was used to show that America was against terrorists and not those of Arab appearance. It was ideologically convenient to have a white guy present along with the Afghans.
Hicks will be free shortly. But what about the other prisoners? The case of Hicks shows that America lied about who would be dumped in Guantanamo. Perhaps they are just Afghan farmers wanting to defend their country and not, as the US claims, "hard core terrorists� Hicks finally got a trial due to political and diplomatic pressure. Other prisoners are not getting this support. They are just as much victims of a barbaric situation. When are the other prisoners going to get their day in court? When are they going to be free?
The campaign to defend David Hicks including groups such as GetUp! have gained sympathy because Hicks is a fair skinned Aussie. They have ignored the Afghan prisoners who are not. The reason is they are not campaigning for the others is that to do so would be less acceptable in the eyes of Aussie public opinion. Essentially, they are pandering to racism!
Also the slogan used by many activists "Bring David Home� suggest that it is OK for him to be in jail, so long that it is in Australia! It's not! David should not be in jail anywhere for anything to do with his involvement with the Afghan war. Free David Hicks!
All prisoners in Guantanamo should be freed now! They should be freed irrespective of the US imperialist case against them. They should be freed because the US war against Afghanistan is wrong!
The main reason Communist Left wants freedom for the Guantanamo prisoners is that in the context of the Afghan war, they were fighting on the right side� the side fighting imperialism! This is how the workers' movement should look at the David Hicks issue. He is only one of hundreds of victims of Guantanamo Bay barbarism.
Working class direct action must take place now to free all the prisoners!
Military victory to the Taliban and those fighting imperialism!