Recent events have highlighted the fact that anti-Semitic organizers in Portland, Oregon are relying on “Leftist” spaces and groups to tolerate their efforts and ideology.
On Wednesday, June 10, Valdas Anelauskas, a self-described “white separatist” who is involved with Holocaust-denial circles, gave a presentation to a group of sympathizers in Portland, Oregon. The event was sponsored by the Portland 9/11 Truth Alliance, and was initially scheduled to take place at the Laughing Horse Book & Video Collective.

Members of Rose City Antifascists (“Antifa”) -the Portland affiliate of the Anti-Racist Action Network-were among those who contacted Laughing Horse Books about the scheduled event. The Laughing Horse collective canceled the anti-Semitic event within 48 hours of being notified about its true nature. Subsequently the Portland 9/11 Truth Alliance moved Anelauskas’ talk-on the topic of “The Frankfurt School and Cultural Marxism”-to a secondary venue, which was also discovered by Antifa and then persuaded to cancel on the day of the event. Unfortunately, Anelauskas’ talk then went ahead at a third venue, a restaurant obviously booked at the last minute.

Valdas Anelauskas is a “racialist” (read: racist) activist currently based in Eugene, Oregon. This Lithuanian immigrant has assisted the World Anti-Communist League, an organization that supported Latin American death squads and has harbored former Nazi collaborators. Anelauskas is now active in the Pacifica Forum, a Eugene, Oregon organization which hosts Holocaust-denial speakers such as David Irving plus Mark Weber of the Institute for Historical Review. Anelauskas himself claims that the evidence for the Holocaust is “shaky”, that Jewish people are responsible for “Bolshevism”, and that the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion are credible. Anelauskas’ position on Jewish people is clear:

“Only from people of that peculiar tribe can we expect such Talmudic hatred for humanity. There is even a famous saying that wars are the Jews’ harvest.”

While Portland 9/11 Truth Alliance activist Tim Titrud was one organizer for Anelauskas’ talk in Portland, Titrud appears to have been assisted by a cast of several others, especially Tim Calvert, who is well-known in Portland as a co-founder of Laughing Horse Books as well as the Citybikes Workers’ Cooperative. Calvert’s conspiracy theories about Jewish power, and his denial of the Nazi genocide against the Jewish people, have been an open secret in Portland for years.

Footage of Anelauskas’ speech, including an introduction by Tim Calvert, is available here.

The anti-Semitic, racist and fascistic nature of Anelauskas’ presentation is obvious. We would like to note, however, Tim Calvert’s insinuation during the introduction that his critics are actually state agents-an extremely dangerous claim to make in the absence of any evidence.

Rose City Antifa strongly opposes attempts to make excuses for anti-Semitism, or to pretend that it is any less poisonous than any other form of racism. Anelauskas’ speaking event in Portland took place on the same day that white supremacist James von Brunn opened fire at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, murdering a security guard there.

By making its anti-Semitism explicit, and by organizing in association with racists, fascists and Holocaust-deniers, the Portland 9/11 Truth Alliance has shown its true colors. It has cleared up any confusion in anti-fascist ranks about how we should consider the organization.

With all this stated, we applaud the Laughing Horse Books collective for its brave decision to cancel the Anelauskas event at the store. We have now received information that Tim Calvert has retired from Laughing Horse Books, although this may or may not actually be the case. Needless to say, we believe that Laughing Horse should not host any future events of the Portland 9/11 Truth Alliance. We also believe that most of the Laughing Horse Books collective have acted commendably so far.

Rose City Antifa calls for the Citybikes Workers’ Cooperative to remove Tim Calvert from the co-op, and to thereby stop putting food on his plate. We believe that those pushing organized Jew-hatred and pogrom politics should be collectively resisted. If a collective or co-op can’t deal properly with an anti-Semitic activist within its ranks, then it does not deserve to be supported.

Other organizations involving Tim Calvert, such as the Cascadia Education Project, are also advised to take notice.

This statement is a beginning; other fascist collaborators should not consider themselves to have been let off the hook in any way.

No compromise and no half-measures!

– Rose City Antifa / Portland ARA
fight_them_back [at] riseup [dot] net
971.533.7832 (voicemail)