EUGENE VICTOR DEBS (1855-1926) was one of the greatest and most articulate advocates of workers’ power to have ever lived. During the early years of the labor movement in the United States, Debs was far ahead of his times, leading the formation of the American Railway Union (ARU) and the American Socialist Party.
Debs was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 5, 1855. He left home at 14 to work on the railroad and soon became interested in union activity. As president of the American Railway Union, he led a successful strike against the Great Northern Railroad in 1894. Two months later he was jailed for his role in a strike against the Chicago Pullman Palace Car Company. While in jail, Socialist and future Congressman Victor Berger talked with Debs and introduced him to the ideas of Marx and socialism. When he was released from prison, he announced that he was a Socialist.
He soon formed the Social Democratic Party, which eventually became the Socialist Party in 1901. He became their perennial presidential candidate. He ran on the Socialist ticket in 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920 when he received his highest popular vote—about 915,000 (3.4%)—from within a prison cell. He had been arrested once again, this time for “sedition”; because he opposed World War I. Many Socialists were imprisoned during this time because they felt that the war was being fought for the profits of the rich, but with the blood of the poor. Debs was fortunately released in 1921.
Debs died in Elmhurst, Illinois, on October 20, 1926, but he is remembered to this day by countless labor activists from all over the political spectrum. The Eugene V. Debs Foundation works to continue his legacy into the 21st century...
To learn more about Debs and his life, read Stephen Marion Reynolds’ Biography of Eugene V. Debs for a full accounting of his life and times.
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So I've been giving a little thought to the problem of figuring out what sort of flag we can burn during pro-Palestine protests.
I ruled out anything with a star of David. I've got no beef with Jewish people who aren't hardcore Zionists. Let's respect that symbol just as much as we ought to respect the star and crescent moon of Islam, or the the hammer and sickle of Communism, or the Christian cross.
Then I had an epiphany. The real problem to be fought is apartheid. So what about adapting the apartheid-era South Africa flag...
...to reflect the current situation in Palestine?
I'm very much a newbie with Inkscape so I could certainly do a tidier job with practice. But for a first effort I'm pretty happy with this concept.
You should just burn the actual apartheid flag, and then watch zionists tell on themselves by accusing you of being an anti-semite.
I mean, we had this struggle session here and apparently landed on it not being cool to burn a Star of David, even in the colonial flag’s context
No, I meant burn the flag of apartheid South Africa, and then let people get pissed off / self own themselves
Could also cut out the star of David from the center of the Israeli flag and burn the rest
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Same as here, idf? Or rhodesia
Just print out a giant poster of Bibi's face and burn that.