Socialist History Seminar at the Institute of Historical Research
Monday 9th February Tom Alter “The Assault on Democratic Rights and the Fight Against the Far Right in the US”
The seminar offered solidarity to Tom Alter after his illegal sacking by Texas State University.
Report
Tom Alter is a socialist historian and active socialist but his dismissal was not related in anyway to anything he had said or written in his job as a Professor. Rather his speech at a socialist meeting was taken out of context and used against him. Tom gave details of his research into US working class and socialist history going back to Eugene Debs. He also noted that as a ‘right to work’ State, striking was illegal in Texas. However trade unions can still organise and defend those at work through campaigning activity and protests and membership is growing significantly. Full details are in the recording
Recording of seminar
Tom Alter writes: The Texas State University System Board of Regents upheld my firing on Nov. 20 with no due process, no hearing, and without me being present to defend myself.
Tom Alter (UIC PhD, 2016) was a tenured professor of history at Texas State University who was fired without due process over a talk he gave in his personal capacity to a socialist conference.
Alter will discuss the growing far-right attacks on higher education and democratic rights that he and many others have faced. During the talk used as grounds for his firing, Alter advocated opposing ICE raids, walking picket lines in support of striking workers, and defending transgender people. These are all popular ideas that we must mobilize around. To silence dissent, far-right politicians now completely disregard constitutional rights, with many even openly questioning democracy itself. There is, however, hope. Alter’s local unions, and the Texas labor movement generally, have robustly backed the campaign for free speech, providing an example of how unions can forge a vigorous, nonpartisan opposition to the growing fascist current–and fight for a better world.
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