New Black Panther Party

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New Black Panther Party
Image:Nbplogo.png
Party Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz
Senate Leader
House Leader
Founded 1989, Dallas, Texas
Headquarters Dallas, Texas
Political ideology Black nationalism
Political position Fiscal:
Social:
International affiliation
Color(s)
Website http://www.newblackpanther.com/

The New Black Panther Party (NBPP), whose formal name is the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, is a U.S.-based black supremacist organization founded in Dallas, Texas in 1989. Despite its name, the NBPP's founding was independent and it is not an official successor organization to the Black Panther Party.[1] Members of the original Black Panther Party have insisted that this party is illegitimate and have vociferously objected that there "is no new Black Panther Party".[1]

The NBPP attracted many breakaway members of the Nation of Islam when former NOI minister Khalid Abdul Muhammad became the national chairman of the group from the late 1990s until his death in 2001. The NBPP is currently led by Malik Zulu Shabazz, and still upholds Khalid Abdul Muhammad as the de facto father of their movement.

Contents

[edit] Background

With the Black Panther Party in shambles, in 1987 an alderman in Milwaukee threatened to disrupt white events throughout the city unless more jobs were created for black people. A "state of the inner city" press conference in 1990 at city hall brought this situation to a head as the alderman, Michael McGee, announced the creation of the Black Panther Militia, which inspired Aaron Michaels, a community activist and radio producer, to establish the New Black Panther Party. Michaels rose to widespread attention for the first time when he called on blacks to use shotguns and rifles to protest against the chairman of a school board who had been taped calling black students "little niggers".[2]

In 1998 Khalid Abdul Muhammad brought the organization into the national spotlight when he led the group to intervene in response to the 1998 murder of James Byrd in Jasper, TX. He also made the NBPP well-known for their vehement school board disruptions and public appearances.

[edit] Philosophy, ideology, and criticism

The New Black Panther Party self-identifies with the original Black Panther Party and claims to uphold its legacy. It also says that many others see the organization this same way. But the NBPP is apparently largely seen by both the general public and by prominent members of the original party [3] as illegitimate. Huey Newton Foundation members, containing a significant number of the original party's leaders, once successfully sued the group, though their ultimate objective in doing so — to prevent the NBPP from using the Panther name — appears to have been unsuccessful. In response to the suit, Aaron Michaels branded the original Panthers "has-been wannabe Panthers", adding: "Nobody can tell us who we can call ourselves."[4]

Although it says it sees capitalism as the fundamental problem with the world and "revolution" as the solution, the new party does not draw its influences from Marxism or Maoism as the original party did. Instead, in a carefully-worded, roundabout form of ethnic nationalism,[5] they say that Marx based his ideology and teachings on indigenous African cultures, and that the NBPP therefore need not look to Marxism or Maoism as a basis for their program, but can look to ideologies that stem directly from those African origins. The NBPP says it fights the oppression of black and brown people and that its members are on top of current issues facing black communities across the world. Also, it points to not all of its members being NOI, though the group acknowledges universal "spirituality" practices within the organization.[6]

Over time, many groups subscribing to varying degrees of radicalism have called for the "right to self-determination" for black people, particularly U.S. blacks. But critics of the NBPP say that the NBPP's politics represent a dangerous departure from the original intent of black nationalism; specifically, that they are starkly anti-white, and also anti-Semitic. The NBPP is considered by the Southern Poverty Law Center to be a 'black racist' hate group, and even many of the mildest critics of the organization seem to believe that, at the absolute least, the NBPP's provocative brand of black supremacy undermines other civil rights efforts. Members have referred to "bloodsucking Jews", and Khalid Abdul Muhammad "has blamed slavery and even the Holocaust on the 'hooked-nose, bagel-eating, lox-eating, perpetrating-a-fraud, so-called Jew'."[7]

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a NBPP critic, has pointed to NBPP members stating sympathy or understanding of Kamau Kambon's advocacy of the racial genocide of whites on Hannity & Colmes, and Khalid Abdul Muhammad in his statement that "there are no good crackers, and if you find one, kill him before he changes."[8]

[edit] Recent controversies

Critics characterize what they see as the NBPP's actively destructive extremism by pointing to examples such as Muhammad's "Million Youth March", a youth equivalent of the Million Man March in Harlem in which 6000 people protested police brutality but also featured a range of speakers calling for the extermination of whites in South Africa. The rally ended in scuffles with the NYPD as Muhammad urged the crowd to attack those officers who had attempted to confiscate the NBPP members' guns. Chairs and bottles were thrown at the police but only a few in the conflict suffered injuries. Perhaps more significantly was the fact that Al Sharpton appeared and spoke at this event, and was criticized later for taking part in its controversial rhetoric. The Million Youth March became an annual event thereafter, but rapidly lost popularity as time progressed.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City and Washington, DC the party promoted the 9/11 conspiracy theory that 4,000 Israelis who worked at the World Trade Center were warned ahead of time by the State of Israel and called in sick the day of the attack — a theory made most widely known by Amiri Baraka in his poem Somebody Blew Up America.[9] The party also participated in the Reparations marches on Washington in 2002 that drew crowds of tens of thousands of African-Americans from around the United States.

The New Black Panther Party provoked a melee outside of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's campaign headquarters after she had lost a Democratic primary to her opponent, Hank Johnson. The NBPP's Chief of Staff, Hashim Nzinga, had been acting as security detail for the Congresswoman when, in a volatile confrontation, he physically attacked reporters, derogatorily calling them "Jews" and insisting that they must focus on Hank Johnson rather than on McKinney, since Johnson, he alleged, was a "Tom".[10] In a subsequent appearance on the Fox News Channel program Hannity & Colmes, Nzinga vociferously defended these actions and further accused his interviewers of being part of a Zionist media complex bent on defaming African-Americans and, by extension, the New Black Panthers.

Earlier in 2006 the New Black Panther Party regained the media spotlight by interpolating itself into the 2006 Duke University lacrosse team scandal, organizing marches outside of Duke University and made numerous media appearances where they demanded that the jury organized by District Attorney Nifong convict the accused lacrosse players. [11] Malik Zulu Shabazz met with the DA and asserted repeatedly that the DA's answers meant he was supporting the claims made by the NBPP, a point that was widely disputed. On April 12, 2007, after District Attorney Nifong's case collapsed and the Duke Lacrosse players were exonerated, Malik Zulu Shabazz appeared on the O'Reilly Factor and declared that he would not apologize for his actions in the leadup to the Duke University lacrosse rape scandal, stating that he did not know whether or not anything happened to the young accuser. He stated his beliefs that the rich, white families of Duke had placed political pressure on the investigation and forced the charges to be dropped. When confronted by guest host Michelle Malkin with the facts of the case, he labeled her a "political prostitute" and "mouthpiece for that racist Bill O'Reilly." In response, Malkin stated that "the only whore present is you."

[edit] Prevented from Entering Canada

In May of 2007 Shabazz was invited by the Black Youth Taking Action group to speak at a rally at Queen's Park, Toronto, Canada and to later give a lecture to students at Ryerson University.

Shabazz arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport, but was prevented from entering Canada by Canadian border officials because of "past rhetoric that violates Canadian hate laws." Ontario Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter, justified the action, stating that "He [Shabazz] has a record of being anti-Semitic, he has a record of being anti-police," and that "anyone who incites violence against a recognizable group is committing a crime."[12] However, it was also reported that Shabazz was denied entry to Canada only because of a minor criminal record.[13] Shabazz then flew back to the United States (to Buffalo, New York) and then attempted to cross the border by car but he was again prevented from entering Canada by border agents.[14]

The rally at Queen's Park went ahead, without Shabazz, with approximately 100 people plus at least two dozen journalists but the lecture at Ryerson University was cancelled. [15] [14]

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed concern about Shabazz, stating that "I don't want to provide any more oxygen to this individual that he may be looking for, but ... he is not espousing the views that are broadly shared by the people of Ontario."[15]

Hashim Nzingh, Shabazz's chief of staff, blamed Jewish groups for the incident, stating in a telephone interview that "They let these groups like the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the JDL (Jewish Defence League), which is nothing but a bunch of gangsters, dictate what happens in the world today" and "they told Canada not to let us in and Canada followed their rules, because this country is run from Israel."[12]

Nkem Anizor, president of the Black Youth Taking Action group (which invited Shabazz), blamed the "Jewish lobby" for keeping Shabazz out of Canada, claiming that "They're the only ones who came out against us."[12] and that "What's to blame is the power of the Jewish lobby to influence politicians, to influence media, to influence whatever it took. Because it took one letter, one press release from B'nai Brith [a Jewish human rights group], and the firestorm began ... You guys [media] are all here because of what B'nai Brith told you... They've injected themselves, trying to dictate who the black community can and cannot hear." [16] [17]

Shabazz stated that "Canada is on Malik alert" and that "B'nai Brith has won this one, and I'm starting to see the power of the Jewish lobby in Canada, full force. I thought Canada was free." He added that "I think this is evidence that black people are being oppressed in Canada."[17]

[edit] Opposition to Shabazz from Canadian Jewish Organizations

Canada's main Jewish organizations, the Canadian Jewish Congress and B'nai Brith Canada, objected to Shabazz entering Canada and supported the decision to ban him.[13]

A week prior to Shabazz's scheduled visit, B'nai Brith Canada had contacted government officials to ask that he be prevented from entering Canada. Frank Dimant, B'nai Brith Canada's Executive Vice-President stated that "The New Black Panther Party has a well known history of employing dangerous, violent tactics and poisonous hate-filled rhetoric to press its message" and that “We call on the Federal Government to demonstrate its resolve to fight hatred and extremism by denying New Black Panther leader Malik Zulu Shabazz entry into Canada." B'nai Brith Canada also stated that "He (Shabazz) has characterized Jews as servants of Satan, and has repeatedly engaged in vicious antisemitism and racism."[18]

Anita Bromberg, an official from B'nai Brith Canada, praised the decision to ban him, stating that "They [the border guards] took a stand against racism and that's what we asked them to do. You don't build an anti-racist agenda by founding it on racist notions."[14]

Bernie Farber, the Chief Executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), stated that "We firmly believe that Malik Zulu Shabazz is the worst possible kind of speaker that one can have to speak to youth or anybody else" and that "This man has a history ... in which he has spewed a lot of hatred, a lot of intolerance, much of it anti-Semitic, and we're terribly concerned that this person would be focused on as a role model for young people."[19] CJC Ontario Region Chair Joel Richler stated that “We are very pleased Canadian authorities took the necessary steps to keep a hatemonger out of the country.”[20]

[edit] Ryerson Student Union

Ryerson Students' Union (RSU) endorsed the New Black Youth Taking Action event which called for grade school curricula to acknowledge the historical contribution of Blacks and for the Brampton, Ontario superjail project to be dismantled.[21]

However, RSU's support for the event was given "before they knew that Shabazz was the speaker." On the day of the lecture, school administration alerted the RSU that they had received e-mails threatening to violently disrupt the event. The RSU subsequently cancelled Shabazz's lecture due to safety concerns. Heather Kere, RSU's vice-President of education stated that "We definitely recognize there was some criticism of his views" and that "We were endorsing the campaign's goals and not the individual speaker." Kere added that "He deflected attention away from the main point of the campaign. We still strongly believe in the campaign."[21]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "There is No New Black Panther Party: An Open Letter from the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation" [1]
  2. ^ The Cats Came Back - philadelphia weekly online
  3. ^ Huey P. Newton Foundation, There Is No New Black Panther Party: An Open Letter From the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ [3]
  6. ^ [4]
  7. ^ [5], [6], [7]
  8. ^ [8], [9],
  9. ^ New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense
  10. ^ [10]
  11. ^ [11]
  12. ^ a b c Lee Greenberg. "Black activist barred from entering Canada", CanWest News Service }, May 16, 2007. 
  13. ^ a b CBC News. "Black activist denied entry to Canada, group says", Canada Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), May 15, 2007. 
  14. ^ a b c Joseph Brean. "Black Panther stopped at border", National Post, May 16, 2007. 
  15. ^ a b "Black Panther leader refused entry into Canada", CTV News, May 15, 2007. 
  16. ^ John Goddard. "Black activist blocked at border", Toronto Star, May 16, 2007. 
  17. ^ a b Joseph Brean. "Black activist stopped at border", National Post, May 15, 2007. 
  18. ^ "B’nai Brith Canada calls on provincial, federal authorities to deny platform to New Black Panther Party leader, notorious for advocating hatred and violence", Bnai Brith Canada, May 8, 2007. 
  19. ^ Canadian Press. "Groups decry visit by New Black Panther leader", Toronto Star, May 14, 2007. 
  20. ^ "CJCONT pleased Shabazz stopped from entering Canada", Canadian Jewish Congress, May 15, 2007. 
  21. ^ a b Adrian Morrow. "U.S. activist accused of anti-semitism invited to speak at Ryerson", The Eyeopener, August 21, 2007. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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