The committee is encouraging supporters of the fight, as they win backing for the case in their local area, to invite Italie to speak and widen support in the area.

The initiative by the free speech committee comes after Italie's case was featured at the Young Socialists conference in Chicago, November 17–18. Students and young workers who attended began making plans to invite Italie to the cities where they live and attend school.

Italie traveled to Chicago with defense committee activist Heather Page. At a public forum and a workshop they explained the importance of this struggle and reported the next steps to strengthen the campaign. Italie thanked the organizers of the conference for inviting him, and Page emphasized that he was available to speak across the country.

Italie told the gathering that "winning the endorsement of prominent individuals" is essential to putting maximum pressure on the company. "The free speech defense committee has produced an endorser card," he said. The card states, "I endorse Michael Italie's fight to have his unfair firing reversed and to be reinstated at Goodwill Industries of South Florida." Supporters should bring that card, said Italie "to defenders of civil liberties in the labor movement, Black and women's rights organizations, and others. In addition to gathering thousands of signatures on petitions, we plan on publicizing the number of leading activists who sign the card."

Page, who is 20 years old, said she first met the socialist candidate at a meeting of the Antiwar Coalition in Miami, then heard him speak at a candidates forum at Miami-Dade Community College the next day. "I'm going to stick with the fight against Mike's firing, and look forward to continuing to work with you all in winning it," she said.  
 
University fires Mohammad Rahat
During the past week the case of Mohammad Rahat, a 22-year-old native of Iran who is fighting to win back his job as a medical lab technician at the University of Miami, was publicized in the Miami Herald. Italie told the Militant that the firing of Rahat by the University of Miami "for comments he made regarding the September 11 events, along with my firing on the same grounds, sends a chilling message that freedom of speech will not be tolerated on college campuses. I call on all defenders of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to speak out against this attack on the most fundamental right working people have fought for over the decades."

A front-page article in the November 16 Herald on Rahat's fight featured information on Italie's case. The article quoted Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, president of the Miami chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, stating the firings represent a "bad policy to silence people just because you don't like what they say."

Rahat sent a message in support of Italie to the Chicago gathering. "I would encourage that we adopt attitudes of mutual respect in the workplace and not intolerance, which resulted in the dismissal of Mr. Italie and myself," read the message. Italie stressed that by "linking up with people like Mohammad Rahat, who is determined to fight against these injustices, we will advance this fight in defense of freedom of speech."

Goodwill Industries of South Florida fired Italie from his job October 22, a few days after the socialist appeared on television in a debate with other mayoral candidates before some 400 people at Miami-Dade Community College. During the debate he stated his opposition to the U.S. war in Afghanistan, his defense of the Cuban Revolution, and his support for union organizing efforts.  
 
'Get your belongings and go'
Four days after the debate, Italie's supervisor called him into the personnel office. A company manager told him, "I have been assigned to tell you that because of your views of the U.S. government, you are a disruptive force and cannot work here any longer. Get your belongings and go."

Goodwill chief executive officer Dennis Pastrana acknowledged that Italie had been fired because of his political statements, telling the Miami Herald October 30 that "we cannot have anyone who is attempting to subvert the United States of America" work at the plant. The company does not claim Italie was fired for his conduct on the job, such as quality of work, interfering with production, or for talking with co-workers.

Supporters of Italie's fight to defend free speech organized the Committee to Defend Freedom of Speech and the Bill of Rights, and launched a nationwide campaign to oppose the political firing and demand Italie's reinstatement at his job.

"Today all people and organizations that have truly democratic sentiments and thoughts are facing increasing harassment, intimidation and repression," reads a statement signed by Pedro Jimenez of El Comite de Defensa de los Derechos del Pueblo (Committee for the Defense of People's Rights) in Georgia. "For this reason we join the emergency campaign to reinstate Michael Italie in his workplace, since his firing is unjustified in the eyes of the laws that support workers in this country. Every person has the right to think, act and be politically active according to their own convictions and also to demand respect for their labor rights. Therefore we ask: one, that he be immediately reinstated to his job; two, that he be paid for the days he did not work; three, that his political ideology be respected."

At the Miami International Bookfair held November 16–18, some 150 people signed a petition addressed to city officials in Miami supporting Italie's fight. People who stopped at the booth contributed $50 to the defense effort and a couple of dozen people signed up for more information and to help out. Several students and faculty from the University of Miami, where Mohammad Rahat was fired, signed up to assist. One student helped arrange for Italie to speak at a communications class on freedom of speech the following week.

Three students from Killian high school helped out at the book fair. One had learned about Italie's defense at a local demonstration against the war in Afghanistan and had posted materials on a web site about the case. Others first learned about it from that web site. One senior, taking advantage of his ability to speak both English and Spanish, helped win support by going from booth to booth, explaining the fight and asking people to sign the petition. The students plan to introduce more of their friends to the fight.

Statements demanding Italie's reinstatement, as well as financial contributions to help cover the cost of the fight, should be sent to the Committee to Defend Freedom of Speech and the Bill of Rights, P.O. Box 510127, Miami, FL 33151-0127. Tel: (305) 724-5965. Email: DefendFreeSpeech @yahoo.com Checks should be made out to the Free Speech Defense Fund.

A supporter of the defense effort from Yardley, Pennsylvania, wrote the defense committee that "this is such a good cause that I'm contributing $100, with the enclosed check. Even if your organization is not tax-deductible (as Mike Italie's former employer, ironically, is) I consider it too important not to give money to a cause like this."  
 
 
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