ON OUR COVER ART
What does
the Blue Triangle represent?
During World War
II, the Nazis developed a color-coded classification system for the different
groups of “inmates” in their concentration camps: red triangles for political
prisoners, pink for homosexuals, green for criminals and the six-pointed yellow
star of David for Jews. The blue
triangle was used to identify “emigrants”, foreigners and stateless people.
In the 1980’s,
La Resistencia (www.laresistencia.org),
a US based organization formed to build a national movement to resist all
attacks on all immigrants, adopted the blue triangle as a symbol of resistance
to the criminalization of immigrants along that US/Mexico border. La
Resistencia proposed that the movement against the repression of Muslims,
Arabs, and South Asians in the USA expand the use of the blue triangle for this
movement as well. With September 11th
spawning a new wave of repression and xenophobia in the name of national
security, the Blue Triangle Network (www.bluetriangle.org)
was born with a specific focus on fighting this repression against those
designated as ‘immigrants’ and ‘outsiders’.
The blue triangle has now emerged as a symbol of resistance and
opposition to the government’s repression of these people.
The Mission Statement Of The Blue Triangle
Network (www.bluetriangle.org)
"First
they came for the Communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a
Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't
speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I was a
Protestant. Then they came for me, but by that time,
no one was left to speak up."
Pastor
Martin Niemoeller, Nazi Germany
Since September
11, 2001, in the name of the war against terrorism, vicious attacks have been
launched against the basic human rights of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians in
the United States from the highest levels of government. In order to defend
these violated human rights and constitutional rights, this network dedicates
itself to mobilizing the broadest number of people to challenge and oppose this
repression. We do not accept the racial profiling, erosion of civil liberties,
roundups, indefinite detentions, secret charges, secret evidence, secret
military tribunals and demonizing of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians and
others based upon where they were born, the language that they speak, the color
of their skin or the religion that they practice. This time they are coming for
the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian immigrants who are the first targets in this
wave of repression. This network has been organized by a broad cross section of
organizations, communities and individuals, both people who have stepped
forward to stand with those targeted by this repression and people from the
targeted communities themselves. We have a diversity of political perspectives,
religious beliefs, and ethnic and racial backgrounds, but we are united in our
determination. We are standing up and taking action.
