Dear Comrade Schwarz,
I am writing to you in
your capacity as Secretary of the ICFI to appeal my expulsion from the Parti de
l’égalité Socialiste (PES). I am appealing my expulsion as I believe the only
reason I was expelled was that I expressed political differences with the
leadership.
From the date that I
expressed these differences until I was expelled, I acted as a loyal party
member. I did not discuss my differences with anyone outside of the party, I
did not contact IC members outside of the French section, and I stated my
loyalty to the party multiple times in writing.
The only request I made to
the leadership was for a single discussion before the National Committee. This
discussion never took place. After six years of loyal membership in the ICFI
and nearly four years in the French section, I was expelled without any
discussion or any opportunity to defend myself before the party membership.
I strongly suspect that
the PES leadership had decided to either expel me or intimidate me into
submission as soon as I raised differences. The French leadership’s
unprecedented demand for an NDA, which may have made me liable to legal
proceedings after I had been expelled from the party, and its covert recording
of my remarks in an informal online discussion support this suspicion.
Nevertheless, the
leadership was forced to find a legalistic justification for my expulsion to
maintain the mirage of inner-party democracy. The official justification for my
expulsion was that I had questioned the leadership’s claim to “the historical continuity
of Trotskyism.” The assertion that the ICFI embodies the historical continuity
of Trotskyism cannot be reconciled with its national sections refusing to
recognize the rights of members to discuss political differences within the
organization, attempting to force a member to sign an NDA or engaging in
political slander against a member. Either the ICFI and its sections represent
the historical continuity of Trotskyism or it is an organization based on
centralism without democracy in which the leadership has no accountability.
Both cannot be true at the same time.
As a result of the
leadership’s refusal to respect my democratic rights as a party member I was
forced to conclude that as long as there is no room for discussion of political
differences in the PES and this is unopposed internationally, it is inconceivable
that the ICFI represents the historical continuity of Trotskyism. I was hoping
to be proven wrong and I still hold out that hope, which is why you are
receiving this appeal.
The meeting in which I was
expelled by the National Committee had all of the trappings of a show trial.
After an introduction in which Alex Lantier in his capacity as Secretary of the
PES repeated various slanders against me, it was then demanded I retract my
remarks on the ICFI’s claim to the historical continuity of the Trotskyist
movement. After I refused to do so I was not permitted to explain why I had
said this, defend myself or protest my expulsion.
Does the ICFI believe that its members have the
right to express political disagreement with its leadership? Do they also have
the right to ask for a discussion of pressing political concerns? If the answer is yes to either of these
questions then I believe I have been expelled from the ICFI on illegitimate
grounds.
Furthermore, does the ICFI endorse the PES leadership’s
view that its embodiment of the “historical continuity of Trotskyism” is
eternally valid regardless of the principles and practice of the party? If
it does not, then the fact I questioned whether the leadership’s actions
violate this heritage is a completely bogus basis for expulsion and my
membership should be reinstated immediately. Upon reinstatement the PES should
be instructed by the ICFI to organise a series of discussions of the political
differences I previously raised.
Given that this situation
has dragged on for several months now and throughout this time I was not given
the opportunity to have a substantive discussion of my political differences in
the PES or IC, I ask that you provide a timely response to my questions.
Fraternally,
Samuel Tissot
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