NYT: in new York brought the case to the Director of the College on suspicion of promotion of communism
NEW YORK, may 5. /Offset. TASS Alexey Kachalin/. The Department of education of the city of new York shall conduct the proceedings against the Director of the College Park Slope in Brooklyn Jill Bloomberg, charged with belonging to a Communist organization and agitation during school hours.
The reason for the investigation was prompted by complaints of some teachers. As reported in Thursday’s New York Times, the case, reminding of the dark days of McCarthyism, caused a wide resonance and came to trial in court.
Criticized the government
“When I learned about it, I thought that I was kidding. And the Office of special investigations (Department of education) involved in this? I mean, what century is now,” he asked rhetorically 53-year-old Bloomberg, has been appointed Director of the College in 2004.
In an interview with the newspaper, she did not deny that for a long time and persistently criticized the city’s Department for segregation and inequitable in relation to the black students in the education system. The teacher helps to organize pickets and demonstrations. She tries to defend the rights of their students, who are predominantly African Americans and Hispanics.
Accused of being incompetent?
April 28 Bloomberg filed a lawsuit in the court in order to seek a stay of the investigation. The Director of the College accuses the education Department of new York for infringement of its civil rights and freedoms guaranteed by the law of 1964 and the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The Department “was obliged to commence proceedings when it was brought allegations of poor performance of duties”, the publication said Agency spokesman Nick Paolucci. “Given the facts and evidence, we believe that the plaintiffs complaint does not deserve attention”, he added, arguing that the claims against Bloomberg only affects her professional suitability.
However, a letter addressed to lawyers of the Director of the Department, shows that this is not so. Bloomberg and two teachers are accused of political activities during school hours, of belonging to a Progressive labour party that professes the Communist ideology, as well as recruiting and attracting students to participate in the activities of this organization. A teacher myself, deny such suspicions and sees the actions of the authorities desire to get back at her for criticism.
Human rights activists, however, believe that the actions of the authorities is strikingly reminiscent of the sad era of McCarthyism and “witch hunts”. “The terminology should cause alarm,” said Executive Director of the American civil liberties Union in new York, Donna Lieberman, according to which, the authorities are playing with fire when trying to find a precise definition of the expression “political activity”.
McCarthyism — American political movement directed against leftist and liberal figures and organizations in the United States, “witch hunt”. The name of the current received from the name of Senator Joseph McCarthy, who in 1950-1954 he was in charge of the campaign against “the introduction of the Communists” in the state organs.