WANTED

By the Swampies: Socialist Alternative!

On three counts:

For being a counter-revolutionary pyramid scheme
For co-opting our movements for recruitment
For targeting vulnerable young people with cult tactics

Also known as (or with strong influences in):

CARF: Campaign Against Racism and Fascism
Uni Students For Climate Justice
Students for Palestine Adelaide
Red Flag (their newspaper)
Marxism Conference (their national conference)

We desperately need genuine radical resistance to oppose settler-colonialism, capitalism, liberalism, and the military-industrial complex. SAlt will not and cannot provide this because of the way that they organize - they will burn you out and keep records on you that make us incapable of building an effective resistance. Take this as an invitation to join the swamp and fight for the liberated world we can all enjoy!

Building a Better World Should Mean: The Way SAlt Operates:
mutual aid funelling millions of $$$ to who the fuck even knows
solidarity between groups speaking over existing groups
openness to criticism and improvement shutting down criticism
direct action purely symbolic "actions" (recruitment front)
decolonization adherance to settler-colonial hegemony
intersectionality co-opting causes like free palestine for recruitment
strong communities of care seperating recruits from their community
privacy and anonymity recording peoples' personal details

Our goal is revolution, and SAlt's organizing practices are an obstacle to that end because of the reasons we'll outline below. Be like water, dissolve SAlt and become more useful revolutionaries!

please do not harass anyone just for being a member of SAlt - we are against the structure, not necessarily the people who make up the structure.

Statements from Other Organisations cw Wh*rephobia, Racism 👇

(2009) Open letter from Sydney EAG against SAlt

Open letter from the Education Action Group about the hostility of SAlt members

(2022) Treason in Faux Furs - Socialists bash sex workers, not fascists!

Marxism conference hosted an anti-sex worker lecture and SAlties bashed the sex workers who protested

(2024) Black Peoples' Union Statement on their behaviour at a May Day rally

@ blackpeoplesunion Statement by the Black Peoples Union on Socialist Alternative's actions at the May Day rally The Black Peoples Union strongly condemns the actions of Socialist Alternative at the May Day rally in Naarm on Monday night. During the event, while two Indigenous people were speaking, Socialist Alternative members used megaphones and chants to drown out the Indigenous speakers in what is essentially counter-protest tactics, showing a complete lack of respect for the voices of oppressed First Nations people - voices that we all know are silenced every other day by reactionary and racist forces in the colony. Furthermore, we are appalled by the slanderous and factually incorrect statements that Socialist Alternative have made about the Black Peoples Union on social media. Accusing us of being divisive and not using solidarity is a baseless and offensive claim, especially considering the context of their actions at a May Day rally organised by a collective of organisations representing several oppressed ethnicities across the world as well as the exploited Indigenous and non-Indigenous proletarians of this continent - a committee that Socialist Alternative was originally invited to be a part of in the spirit of solidarity, but refused. We stand by our commitment to solidarity with all oppressed and exploited peoples and our unwavering support for the self-determination of the most oppressed and exploited demographic of this continent - First Nations people We want to make it clear that Socialist Alternative is a pro-colonial white organisation that has consistently shown a lack of understanding and respect for the struggles of First Nations people and other oppressed groups. We urge all revolutionaries to reject their divisive and harmful rhetoric and instead join us or any of the other worthwhile non-sectarian organisation's working towards actual solidarity and building a genuine movement for liberation and justice The Black Peoples Union will continue to speak out against any form of oppression and exploitation, including against those who claim to be against these things while demonstrating publicly that they are not. We will not be silenced or intimidated by the actions of colonial organisations like Socialist Alternative. We call on all progressive forces to join us in building a united front for the liberation of all oppressed peoples.

(2016) Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance Statement Against SAlt presence at their protests

THIS INVASION DAY RALLY LEAVE YOUR FLYERS, YOUR MERCH, AND YOUR OPINIONS BEHIND. THE MIC IS NOT FOR YOU. YOUR TEARS ARE NOT FOR US. PAY THE RENT. MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL. DON'T EXPECT A PAT ON THE BACK. CENTRE BLACK WOMEN AND NON-BINARY BLACK PEOPLE. ASK PERMISSION BEFORE TAKING PHOTOS. LEAVE OUR CHILDREN ALONE. CULTURAL APPROPRIATION WILL BE CALLED OUT. DIFFUSE SITUATIONS, DON'T CREATE THEM. SIT DOWN . SHUT UP AND LISTEN FUCKTHEDATE #CHANGETHESYSTEM Source

(2017) University of Queensland Student Petition with 80 Signatures Against SAlt

Disaffiliate the UQ Socialist Alternative and ban them from using spaces without bookings

(2016) WAR Statements on SAlt

Facebook Post

Over the past 18 months, we have come face-to-face with socialist groups at events we have organised in Melbourne and Brisbane. WAR have not once had a positive experience with the Social Alliance or the Socialist Alternative (SAlt). (cont.)

Socialist Alternative - hear this loud and clear: Selling your wares at a black lives matter rally ain't solidarity. Check your privilege
Cooptation of Other Movements (Entryism) cw Racism 👇

(2020) Article in Farrago Magazine, the University of Melbourne Student Publication

Conflict Surrounding Performative Allyship in UMSU Students' Council

“In the long term, members of SAlt have repeatedly submitted motions to council that attempt to speak for First Nations people, their lived experience [sic] and the particular oppression which they face both in so called ‘Australia’ and internationally, without any consultation with the Indigenous Office Bearers or Indigenous Rep on Council,” Deverall said.

Testimony from a member of Anti-Poverty Network (An organisation on Kaurna Land)

We organised a rally as part of a grassroots anti-poverty group and a SAlt member asked if they could speak at it. Knowing what they’re like, some of us were not keen on the idea but others wanted to give them another chance so we made it clear to them that they weren’t welcome to sell their paper/merch or to recruit there. On the day I was standing further up the steps of parliament than others and I could see very clearly SAlties on the periphery of the crowd selling papers to people and getting their details, I can’t really give them the benefit of the doubt either because before they took payment, they looked around to make sure no one saw them. They had their board of badges there too. Also, when the SAltie spoke they took way more time with their heated speech than they were told they could have.

CARF's Fuckup in Footscray. cw Neo-Nazis

CARF organised a rally [ action as a 'counter protest' to that white supremacist group that was meeting at a gym in the outskirts of town in west, think in sunshine possibly, but rather than actually protest outside the gym or anything (not that that would've been neccessarily a good idea) they held a small rally in the middle of footscray, used it to recruit, then when actual fascists showed up in response they bounced, putting migrant POC communities in the area at huge risk, i dont think CARF are neccessarily any better

Anonymous Testimony about Coopting Rallies

Several years back, when I was going to the weekly rallies for people on Manus, I got into an argument with a SAlt because she was collecting money in a bucket that just said 'donations' and didn’t say where the money was actually going. When I called her out on it and said I wouldn't be donating because I didn't agree with piggy-backing somebody else’s cause to gain money (by essentially tricking people), she tried to convince me that SAlt were the actual organisers of the rally. This was false as the rallies were run by Refugee Action Collective. Luckily I knew better and was able to make her leave me alone.

Leaked Email telling members not to discuss Palestinian resistance at rallies for Palestine

wing people to get angry and active. Rather than getting too lost in the weeds about the politics of Palestinian resistance and possible solutions, these are some of the points we want to be reiterating to our periphery. The moment opens up serious opportunities for us. At the rally we met 100 new names (51 with notes) and had 16 existing contacts come with us. The PRM was huge, though there was not enough comrades fighting to speak and inspire contacts to get involved. Our PRM next week is going to be more directly focused on that 'why you should be a socialist if you support Palestine'. Next rally we want a much tighter red bloc, and for comrades in it to be more proactive about talking to randoms around its periphery, and marching them directly to the PRM spot (there will be no speakers at the end this time). We had around ten new people do a week one mda on monday night, with a number

Leaked Email from a SAlt Leader Instructing Members to User a Palestinian Vigil as a Recruitment Drive

Screenshot of an email app. Vigil tonight from Omar Hassan 27 Oct 2023 Hi all, SA is meeting at 6.30 tonight on the flinders st steps for the Palestine vigil. Please be on time and ready to chat to people :) Please don't pull out as we're short as it is! Contact me on [redacted phone number] if you can't find us. caption by person who took the screenshot: An email from Omar (part of the SAlt “leadership team”) demonstrating intent to go to the vigil for martyred Palestinians in October specifically to recruit people.

Leaked Email saying they should be using the horrific situation to grow SAlt

t such events being loud and rambunctious is ecessary just to be heard. Be aggressive in trying to talk to young people, don't be discouraged by the inevitable rejections that come your way. Next week we will have a prm, but also the week after we're having a meeting on strategy for Palestinian liberation. It will be a more serious look at the follies of two-state solutions and peace talks, and put a marxist alternative. People who've been coming to our stuff will still learn from it, as will basically anyone who wasn't a member in 2014. As well, the Friday night educationals will be starting this week to try and lift our knowledge of the issues and debates about the issue, 6pm at Melbourne Uni. These should be the priority in terms of education, feel free to delay reading groups or make club caucuses less intensive to allow comrades to make full use of Mick's knowledge. The incredible scale of mass mobilisation is a wonderful reminder of the challenge posed by all such historic events, and the size of revolutionary organisation it would really take to lead and influence them. So we should be using the horrific situation to urgently help build SA, and remaining at LEAST as mobilized as the tens of thousands of Melbournians who are realising the horrors of Israel. Omar for the MC

Anonymous Testimony about SAlt leaving people behind at protests

Another thing they do is leave protests halfway through for 'meetings' that are obviously for recruitment, leading as many people away with them as possible, often leaving the other protesters in danger. It's happened to me twice, both times I ended up kettled and pepper sprayed!

Leaked email about using the COVID wave as an opportunity to recruit

Urgent: COVID surge across Australia Omar Hassan 16 Nov 2023 There's a massive COVID wave happening right now. Comrades in Sydney have been seriously struck down by COVID, with 11 members testing positive since Tuesday, and a few more close contacts also taken out of action. We have marginally fewer cases here, but given our size, there's no reason for us to be affected any differently. This is very bad, especially given the huge numbers of contacts and activity we have on, which is a real chance to build our branches significantly.

Leaked Email telling people to sell Marxism conference tickets to contacts in the Palestine movement

Fwd: Selling Marxism tickets to Contacts Anneke Deman... 25 Nov 2023 ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Luca Tavan <|ucatavan@gmail.com> Date: Fri, Nov 24, 2023 at 10:36 AM Subject: Selling Marxism tickets to contacts To: <satuesdaybranch@googlegroups.com>, Anneke Demanuele <annekedemanuele@gmail.com> Selling tickets to our contacts isn't just an easy way to build the conference, but crucial to carry out our goal in the palestine movement- recruiting a layer of activists to Socialist Alternative. If a contact buys a ticket to the conference, they've got an event in four months that they've made a commitment to, and they're far more likely to stick around and seriously investigate our arguments. Here's a few ways to do it: 1. Raise it early. There's a caption over the top of the email reading: Another internal SAlt email where it's explicitly stated that their goal in the Palestine movement is to recruit
Cult-Like Behaviour 👇

(2016) University of Sydney Student Magazine Article

My Salty Summer

Though I was pursuing the organisation out of interest and free will, I still had limited capacity to rebuff their offers. When pressed about my attendance at an upcoming “Marxism Conference” for example, my response – that I would probably be occupied with family Easter celebrations – was met with the unsympathetic retort that “[I could] do family things every year”. - Indicates a strong pressure to give up time and ties to family in favour of SAlt. This is a common tactic of cults, requiring people to dedicate more and more time to the cult, which cuts off family and makes it harder to escape.

(SAlt thinks) Anarchists (are): people with drug problems and whose beliefs led to the Franco regime. wow huh. what's wrong with drug users?

In spite of increasing, yet still private, disillusionment, I left Melbourne with a membership card. It was at this point I was informed of “dues” I would have to pay in proportion to my income. This was justified to Honi as “like any union or political party.” Springing membership fees on them after they had already joined, because they're less likely to refuse then, is manipulative. Also, not all unions or political parties pay dues. Many of them don't. It's altogether possible to run a powerful resistance org without financial income.

Interestingly, however, I heard rumours, fitting with my experience of a highly stratified organisation, that some members were afforded a stipend of sorts from the organisation. Socialist Alternative denied this to Honi. Cults and pyramid schemes often have this highly stratified organisational structure. Many leftist organisations, including even state communists like Marxist-Leninist groups, don't operate in this way.

Though their constitution spells out quite clearly that “members may resign at any time by communicating their resignation to any body of the organisation” I had heard different stories. I’d read student publications describing harassment. I’d spoken to friends, some old and some new, who relayed personal experiences of vitriol, spitting, and physical intimidation. I’d been told of an ex-member receiving unstamped death threats in their mailbox. Reassuringly, they denied this to Honi. - This is extremely common across many cults. Scientology, for example, is famous for harassing and monitoring ex-members for years.

a young female member, with whom I was hardly acquainted, randomly asked me on a date. Cults often expect members to date and live with other members.

(2020) University of Adelaide Student Magazine article

Socialist Alternative raises red flag; Ex members expose all. Words by ex members who wish to remain anonymous. On Dit is a student publication at the University of Adelaide.

Here are some excerpts:

Even today, members will see me in the street and say things to draw a reaction from me. Once you leave, they turn on you.

after I experienced such grievances myself, I reported them, and no action was ever taken. They promptly ignored all criticism in order to maintain social order within the group. All organisations need grievance processes, or else there's no way for them to tell how to improve.

I was shunned and verbally abused by a member, Lawrence, for saying, “Catching a bus to Adelaide from my house is a bitch of a journey”. After being a member for so long, your entire vocabulary begins to change, to mould into what is accepted within the organisation, else you face abuse and/or discipline. While changing your vocab to be more inclusive and respectful is admirable, shutting-down peoples' ability to express themselves is a classic cult tactic, making people unable to express disagreement and alienating people from broader society.

Anonymous Testimony

Ex-SAlt member told to lie to family to pay for dues. Likely to separate them from their non-SAlt support network.

time there but first they tried the most insane shit to get me to pay. They asked if my parents would cover my fee, I said no they're not going to agree to do that. Then they asked me to lie to my family and say I needed maney for food. Obviously I refused to

Anonymous Testimony that SAlt has always been like a cult

SAlt were set up to be a cult from the start. They split from the International Socialist Organisation in the 90s because they believed the left needed to retreat and focus on recruitment & propaganda. While the rest of the ISO said intervening politically should be the priority. SAlt kept losing the political argument but kept going behind what the group voted for until they were kicked out of the ISO. They brought people along with them, mostly on a social basis. This is why SAlt uses such social tactics to recruit. They view every political moment as an opportunity to recruit using an intervention as a facade, which is why they create all these feeder groups like students 4 palestine etc - it is to substitute for an actual campaign built from the ground up that they'd have to debate & win political arguments in. Can't win people over to ur group through argument -> make people form attachments otherwise. Emotional, intimate. It's so fucked

Photo taken at UQ encampment where a SAlt member is wearing a shirt saying 'Cult leader'

second SAlt member i see at the UQ encampment is wearing this... really isn’t the slay they think it is... nor appropriate for a student encampment for Palestine This also is not the way to react or respond when your “group” is being called out for such atrocious behaviour and abuse if i thought i couldn't hate them more, they prove me wrong each time SAlt co-opting events for their own gain once again and having zero grasp on how to behave at such important actions - sounds about white @redflag.sa @ugq.socialists

Anonymous testimony about files being kept on members

the higher ups also keep “files” on their members and try to figure out ways on how to make them engage more. my friend had a file and they were discussing how to get them to speak up in rallies more etc monash socialists in particular had an issue with a member living with a sex worker (allegedly)
Sketchy Finances 👇

The Membership Costs

Leaflet showing their weekly dues, based on weekly income after tax. No income: $3-$5; under $200: $5-$8; $200-$270: $8-$10; $350-$430: $15-$20 and so on until you reach over $1100 where the weekly dues becomes at least $100

Anonymous testimony

When one of my comrades was approachd by sAlt they convinced him to purchase a ticket to Marxism conference there on the street. A few seconds after he walked away he turned back because he remembered he was busy and also it was really really expensive and he didn't realise how much it actually was. He asked the volunteer how he could get a refund (genuinely less than a minute after purchase) but was informed he actually could not get a refund as they classify the tickets as just 'donations' so even if you don't receive the product you were promised you have no basis for contesting as you weren't purchasing a ticket just 'making a donation.'

Anonymous testimony

most political groups have street stalls, but the fucked up part about salt's stalls is that their goal is not raising political awareness, but making money. I have participated in a few salt stalls when I was a member, and the pre-caucus was always about discussing which strategles to use to sell items, the priority wasn't even recruitment. Every point would be along the lines of 'how do we use the article in the paper to sell it to the person?' 'Remember to mention the ticket at the start of the conversation so it's always at the back of the person’s mind' 'never take no for an answer, keep on selling it' 'mention the promo code so they buy it on the spot instead of later' it was so bad to the point where i felt more alienated from my labour for salt than my minimum wage job. I could not see how selling papers was helping to 'build the revolutionary left'

Anonymous testimony

However I was granted access to SA's square POS app for a while and we were adding GST to every purchase. This confirms basically that they are operating as a business that sells goods. This is also confirmed by the fact that they have employees as in these 'national exec’ people who spend all their time recruiting. Here in Brisbane as well as in other cities they have offices, here it's in West End (not cheap!) and their other office was equally as large (they only had to move bc they got in trouble with the other tenants).
Abuse 👇

Anonymous Testimony on "Horizontal Recruitment", cw partner abuse/manipulation

They have a recruitment tactic that is called 'horizontal recruitment' in some of the circles I've been in. A SAlt member will strike up a personal, often intimate/sexual relationship with someone with the intention of recruiting them. I've been targeted, I've had friends who were love bombed until they either refused to join (and were subsequently dumped) and other people who then joined and had to do the recruitment drive. It's a tactic that often has older men preying on younger women in an activist space

More Anonymous Testimony on "Horizontal Recruitment" cw partner abuse/manipulation

also, one of their key members at monash (now lives in WA) used to flirt with women and get them to buy marxism conference tickets he insinuated meeting someone for a 'date' at the conference and went ghost after she bought a ticket and showed up he did this with a lot of first/second year students who were completely unaware of their culty tactics

Leaked Memo About Recruitment Targeting Students

Things to remember about contacts: * We’re looking for enthusiastic, angry political people * ideally students * Or workers who have lots of time to give us * We need to spend lots of time with people at the rallies * Brief encounters usually don't result in lasting contacts * Getting people to the PRM and then an activity in the next two days is key * If they don't come to the post-rally meeting it's harder to make them a real contact * Selling people the MDG reader is really important * People feel like they've made a bit of a commitment and it helps make the MDG more real * Marxism deal: the ticket and the book for the price of the ticket. Only available in person * It’s important to pitch the MDGs not just as an academic exercise but as a way for people to find out if they want to join the group * We're changing up the structure of the MDG week one to be more about building a relationship with people and sussing them out * They aren’t a contact if they won’t get a paper, swap numbers and make a time to meet up * The calling is still important but it's very hard to get on to people. We have so many non-answers and then a low hit rate of people panning out as contacts

Anonymous Testimony about "scorched earth" policy around ex-members

the fear of ralles and the apprehension around organisations & activism that SAlt creates for people is not a side effect of their harassment, it’s by design in order to further their sectarianism. They go 'scorched earth' on people who are ex-members or ex-contacts. SAlt doesn't want anyone to be part of a group that isn't SAlt. And the only way to be totally 100% free from their harassment is to never get involved with activism ever again.

Anonymous Testimony about Organisation's Failure to Deal With Sexual Assault

When one of the senior people are accused to sexual assault they are often just moved to another campus

Anonymous Testimony. cw ableism, domestic violence, panic attacks

I was recruited by SAlt when I was 17, it was my first protest in Adelaide and they drew me in with very luke warm marxist slogans but I was young and hadn't established as much in my revolutionary praxis yet. They kept bugging me to buy their shitty news paper and I told them over and over "I'm between a safehouse in domestic violence protection, couch surfing and living on the streets...I don't have $5 to feed myself let alone buy a newspaper" and they continued to berate and victim blaim me. They managed to convince me to go to their hideout in rundle mall and I was mobalising with a cane at the time, they had a shitty rundown elevator that looked like it was going to break off the lines and berated me further for not being able to "just use the stairs, you can walk" then when I sat down in the meeting they just breathed down my neck and tried to assign me busy work which I informed them was not doable for me as I have a deadly heart condition and manual labour could literaly kill me, they continued to berate me. I finally wised up by that point and managed to lose them in the alleys after they continuiosly followed me and I then realised that I had left my bag in their hideout, when I tried to retreive it quietly they stopped me in the street and forced me to hand out flyers without anywhere to sit down and then bribed me with my belongings being like "oh come do this and then we can get your bag" this lead ro three seperate tasks and I eventually just abandoned my bag and got as far away from them as physically possble, as soon as I was alone I had a panic attack and realised just how much I'd lost by losing my bag. It was all I really owned at the time and I greived a lot for a while
Recommended Resources for Autonomous Resistance 👇

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