Solidarity Statement for Mumia
From: "Free Mumia Campagne - Nederland"
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2024 10:26 AM

On the occasion of the National Conference to Free Mumia in Washington,  March 31, 2024, supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal in Holland wish to extend our most sincere greetings and solidarity with the participants of that
conference and the entire international movement that has grown in defense of Mumia. Although we regret that it was not feasible for us to send a representative to this historic meeting, we wish it known that we are with
you in spirit and are closely following developments in Mumia's situation and the progress of the defense movement. You can be sure that the determination of the participants in this conference to advance the struggle in support of Mumia and issues connected with his frame-up, will be an inspiration to all of us involved in the Mumia campaign in The Netherlands, throughout Europe, and indeed throughout the world.
 
Mumia's struggle is widely known and viewed as a focal point in the struggle regarding issues to which his name has become connected. Certainly, the continued use of the racist death penalty in the U.S. is widely viewed with disgust, particularly in Europe where it has been abolished. The rise to power of the regime of George W. Bush, infamous for his promotion of the death penalty in the state of Texas, has particularly brought this issue to the fore. But that issue is further amplified in Mumia's case by the specifically political application of the death penalty against a political dissident. Even going beyond the unofficial "death squads" more associated with third world dictatorships, or politically-motivated police killings as tragically experience by MOVE in 1985, the realization of Mumia's execution would signify the OFFICIAL sanctioning of state-sponsored murder against a political prisoner, one who has repeatedly been denied his right to prove his innocence by that same wicked system. For they know, as we know, that Mumia represents a threat to the system that criminalizes the poor and minority communities, installs a vicious racist police force to terrorize those neighborhoods, maintains a widespread internal intelligence and disruption network through COINTELLPRO and its successors, and conveniently uses the so-called "justice" system to rubber-stamp these acts of repression. We cannot allow them to extend this pattern to include the murder of Mumia! If we can limit their ability to advance this agenda, it will not just be Mumia who benefits, but ALL of the millions of victims of this criminal power structure.
 
These conditions are well known in the US, but as the remaining super-power, the American ruling class sets standards which are looked to and become adopted by the power structures in all countries of the world. Thus, we in the international solidarity movement, see our participation not only as support for Mumia, a remarkable individual, not only in relation to issues affecting the US, but as eventually affecting conditions in all countries influenced by events in the US, that is, the whole world. Here in Holland, we got a slight taste of creeping US-style police repression last September 2nd when we held a Free Mumia demonstration at the US embassy in The Hague.
 
While police violence at radical demonstrations is certainly not unknownhere, we were all surprised by the calculated actions of the police at that time who allowed us to proceed to the embassy without any apparent police
 presence, only to launch a surprise attack at which batons flew wildly against demonstrators, while others were wrestled to the ground or chased for blocks in order to arrest the perceived "leaders" of the Mumia
movement. In all, 6 people were captured. Most of those actually arrested were targeted and abducted for assisting others who the police were arresting, chasing, or brutalizing. In other words, the police declared war against the Free Mumia movement, and went into battle much like the police do in the US when confronting Mumia supporters. We have no doubt that it was the particular focus of our demonstration, that motivated the police to emulate their US counterparts in such a manner. Having likely been notified by the embassy that we were demonstrating in support of a so-called "cop-killer," the Dutch police knew just how to act!
 
We have combined defense of the "Mumia 6" with our other organizing to popularize Mumia's defense, and so far been largely successful. At the first trial, the purported evidence against us was missing, as the police claim to have "lost" their videotape, and were ordered to look harder for it. Of course we all know that the videotape was "missing" because it would have mainly shown the police violence against us!! This must be familiar to activists in the US dealing with an even more advanced state of political repression.
 
In the Netherlands, we continue to organize in a number of cities to popularize Mumia's defense and the issues connected with it. We will join the international chorus calling for the freedom of Mumia when his appeal goes before federal court on "Day-X." With a demonstration in Amsterdam at the US consulate, we will join with other activists from Philadelphia to Johannesburg, from Tokyo to Sydney, indeed throughout the entire world, to demand an end to the 19-year frame-up and persecution of our comrade Mumia Abu-Jamal! With the world's spotlight on this extraordinary case, we will be honored to be part of the effort to Free Mumia. And by mobilizing the broadest range of forces in that direction, we firmly expect to succeed in that goal!
 
In Holland we organize around three powerful demands:
FREE MUMIA!
FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!
END THE RACIST DEATH PENALTY!
 
We join all of those activists at the conference, or who could not attend like us, in this critical struggle!
 
In solidarity,
Free Mumia Campaign - The Netherlands
e-mail: mumia@dds.nl