Solidarity meeting with a panel of speakers
Jointly organised by: Australia Asia Worker Links, the Australian Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, BAYAN Australia, and Red Ant Collective
Location: Solidarity Hall, Trades Hall 54 Victoria St, Carlton VIC
Date and Time: Thursday 29 June 2023, 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Red-tagging, also known as red-baiting, has been used for decades in the Philippines in the government’s campaign against the communist New People’s Army (NPA), which began in 1969. The government’s counterinsurgency efforts include publicly accusing activists, journalists, politicians, and others and their organizations of being directly involved in the fighting or supporting the NPA. The Philippine military has long been responsible for large numbers of extrajudicial killings and torture of alleged communists.

Red-tagging continued under successive Philippines governments including Gloria Aroyo, Benigno Aquino, Rodrigo Duterte, and now today Bongbong Marcos.

Red-tagging became the deadliest under Rodrigo Duterte in 2016. Duterte created the National Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict, with billions of pesos at its disposal, making red-tagging official Government policy.

There is no indication anything has changed under Marcos Jnr, elected in 2022.

Although red-tagging was used to stop communists specifically, everyone and anyone can be caught up, including human rights defenders, trade unionists, student activists, and progressive religious groups.

See below for the downloadable poster:

The leaflet in image form: