‘Hold Fast to the Causes of the Oppressed’: Chris Hedges Speaks at Jill Stein Rally in Philadelphia

Bert Schultz / Cominsane Press

Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges rallied Green Party supporters in Philadelphia during a final campaign event Saturday for presidential nominee Jill Stein and running mate Ajamu Baraka. A speech by Hedges, published here, encouraged voters to stand with the oppressed, overthrow corporate power and fight fascism when they cast their ballots in this election.

“Our only chance to overthrow corporate power comes from those who will not surrender to it, who will hold fast to the causes of the oppressed no matter what the price, who are willing to be dismissed and reviled by a bankrupt liberal establishment, who have found within themselves the courage to say no, to refuse to cooperate,” Hedges told the crowd.

He explained:

We must build structures of open defiance to the corporate state. It may take as long as a decade for us to effectively confront corporate power. But without a potent counterweight to the neoliberal order, we will be steadily disempowered. Every action we take, every word we utter must make it clear that we refuse to participate in our own enslavement and destruction. The rapid disintegration of the ecosystem means resistance cannot be delayed. Our success will be determined not by the number of votes we get in this or any other election but by our ability to stand unequivocally with the oppressed.

Hedges asked the audience to support WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, whistleblowers Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, imprisoned activist Mumia Abu-Jamal and those fighting the fossil-fuel industry in North Dakota. “We cannot betray the courageous dissidents,” he emphasized.

“The corporate forces that have us in their death grip will destroy our lives,” Hedges said. “We owe it to those who come after us not to be complicit in this evil.”

Watch Hedges’ full speech below.

—Posted by KiMi Robinson