Checks and Procedures for the internal life of Internationalist Standpoint

Introduction

1. Internationalist Standpoint (ISp) is an international organisation that unites revolutionary parties, organisations, groups and individuals. Its aim is to contribute to building a mass revolutionary workers’ international organisation that will play a pivotal role in overthrowing the capitalist system and establishing a socialist society.
2. The type of our organisational structure flows from the above. In our Statutes we describe our main organisational principle as democratic unity, and not democratic centralism, as the latter term has been abused by Stalinist regimes and parties and is widely misunderstood to mean a rigid authoritarian internal regime with the leadership exercising almost absolute powers. We maintain the true meaning of “democratic centralism”, following the traditions of the Bolsheviks and the first period of the Communist International, when factions and debates were a natural part of the life of the organisation and debates were often public.
3. In order to achieve the aforementioned goals, particular importance must be laid on the organisation’s internal culture. We have tried to describe this in a number of our documents, especially those produced during the splits with the CWI and the ISA. In short, a culture of open and comradely discussion is needed, with respect to different opinions. We must have an open mind when discussing issues of policies and tactics, while preserving the best traditions of the movement and standing firm behind our principles.
4. The main pillars and procedures governing ISp’s internal procedures are outlined in our Statutes. These Statutes provide the framework for the organization’s structure, decision-making processes, and day-to-day functions.
5. This document aims to provide more detailed guidelines specifically addressing the practices to be adopted in order to create a culture of open and free exchanges, so as to facilitate the building of our organisation and the more effective spreading of socialist ideas. 
6. It also outlines processes for dealing with complaints or incidents related to harassment, abuse, discrimination, or other inappropriate behaviours which are the main enemies of this culture.  
7. It is divided in two parts: A. General procedures of ISp and B. Policies on inappropriate behaviour.

General procedures of ISp

8. Every Congress of ISp shall elect a Checks Commission (CC). This will be independent from other elected bodies of ISp. Any individual member, or a group of members, or a section can appeal directly to it having followed the guidance proposed by this document.
9. The CC will consist of 3 members (plus 2 alternates) from different countries, who are not members of the international Working Group (WG), International Coordination Committee (ICC) or the full-time apparatus of ISp. These numbers can change in the future, by decision of the ICC or the international Congress.  
10. In so far as is possible there will be an aim for a gender balance within this group and a consideration for participation of other oppressed minorities, as well as a consideration for the participation of comrades from different continents.
11. CC members should be active and experienced members of their respective section with at least two years membership (how this is interpreted will be decided by the ISp Congress as a suitably experienced member may have joined ISp less than two years before the Congress after many years of revolutionary activity). The members of the CC will be proposed after consultation between the WG/ICC and the sections and elected at the ISp Congress.
12. The CC should meet to discuss their roles and responsibilities if and when necessary and should be involved in any redrafting of the Checks and Procedures policy if that is required.

CC functions: 

13. To investigate any complaint by members or sections, and to produce reports and make recommendations. A minority and a majority report may be necessary where agreement cannot be reached.
14. To decide how to disseminate the results of these investigations and enquiries, taking into account the wishes of the complainant (the reporting person) or as appropriate the person against whom a complaint has been made (the responding person), when deciding in which form an investigatory report should be made available.
15. To report to the ICC or the WG and propose sanctions or other actions.

Complaints Protocols

16. A member who raises a concern shall be referred to as the “Reporting Person” or “complainant”. A member against whom a concern has been raised shall be referred to as the “Responding Person”.
17. The general responsibility for handling complaints is with the elected leadership of each section and relevant bodies.
18. There are however instances when the international centre/leading bodies could receive a complaint. This will be the case when a complainant appeals to the centre following a complaint made in their section or a complaint is made against a member of the WG or the ICC. Individuals and sections can only appeal to the CC once they have appealed to the equivalent national structures of their own section (if they exist) unless the complaint is concerning a member of the WG or ICC.
19. Every member has the right to bring forward a complaint against another member or members. No member is endowed with more or less rights than any other member – this applies particularly to members elected to leading positions.
20. A contact email address for the CC will be made available to all ISp comrades if and when required in order to provide a clear pathway for complaints.
21. Members not directly affected may also contact the CC. In general, we encourage members to report any complaint as soon as possible but there is no time limit for submitting a complaint. The period separating a complaint from the time of the incident is not relevant to assess the merits of the complaint.
22. The CC cannot sanction members of constituent sections (that is the responsibility of the section) but can propose sanctions on members of the WG or the ICC and can propose sanctions against individual members or sections. 

Conduct of Meetings

23. This is a description of how the culture of ISp can be expressed through the way comrades relate to the formal structures. This approach can be extrapolated to conduct at Congresses, conferences, public meetings, public stalls, planning for demonstrations and other public activities. The above events vary in character but the basic ways of relating to other comrades apply across them all. Similar principles should apply to on-line exchanges. 
24. During informal and social events, the basic principles of care and consideration of other comrades’ personal space and emotional well-being also apply. 
25. Physical contact with other comrades as well as verbal exchanges should be always done with care and consideration of the other party. It is not the place of this document to outline acceptable and unacceptable degrees of physical contact. Many forms of physical contact are culturally appropriate, such as hand shaking and embracing, but can be applied inappropriately. It will therefore sometimes be part of our political task to raise these questions in branches and meetings in order to clarify our approach.
26. Meetings and events shall be conducted in a comradely, friendly and orderly manner and organised in such a way as to be productive politically. 
27. Harassment or intimidation of any attendee is unacceptable as is any form of discrimination on grounds of sex, gender identity, religious faith background, sexual orientation, disability or ethnicity. 
28. Behaviour in meetings that would put the well-being of participants at risk, and thus render them unable to take part fully in the meeting is considered unacceptable by ISp.
29. While disagreements in meetings should be discussed fully, these discussions should be conducted in a comradely and respectful manner. This means taking turns when speaking as directed by the chair as well as avoiding raised voices. 
30. Any attendee acting in a discriminatory or aggressive way may be removed from the meeting. This can happen following a complaint in the meeting by any participant or the chair. 
31. If the complaint is about the conduct of the chair, an acting chair shall be elected. 
32. The proposal for the removal of the participant shall be voted on and enacted if supported by a 2/3 majority of members in the meeting.

Policies on inappropriate behaviour

Introduction

33. Despite the significant freedoms and rights women have won through struggle, they continue to be viewed and treated as inferior to men in society. In many cases, especially in personal and sexual relationships, they are still seen as the “property” of men. Examples of this ongoing oppression include the gender pay gap, rigid gender roles, the objectification of women’s bodies, and gender-based violence.
34. LGBTQ+ individuals face similar forms of oppression. Sexual orientation, gender expression, and identities that fall outside of rigid gender norms are often labelled as “unnatural” or “deviant.” This fosters a culture of discrimination, fear, and hostility toward LGBTQ+ people, and tends to divide and fragment working class people.
35. ISp is dedicated to the fight against all forms of oppression and exploitation inherent in capitalism. It also recognizes that sexism, racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination divide the working class. 
36. Our goal is to foster new “habits” grounded in solidarity, equality, and respect, linking the struggle against oppression with the broader fight against capitalism. To ensure this, we must guarantee that all comrades have the right to be present, speak, and be elected within the organisation on an equal and dignified basis.
37. ISp seeks to eradicate discrimination within the organisation, creating a space where all members feel valued and empowered to contribute. 
38. We work to cultivate a culture of solidarity, mutual support, and equality in our internal relations. At the same time, we know we cannot create an “oasis” of socialist values in a capitalist environment – capitalist influences will always be present and must be fought consciously and consistently.

Preventing Harassment

39. Education on the roots of oppression and discrimination is vital to preventing harassment. This includes utilizing socialist feminist literature and resources created by ISp, alongside ongoing discussions at all levels of the organization. Harassment is a violation of consent, and the organisation must actively support comrades in understanding and correcting discriminatory behaviours.

Elected/Leading Bodies 

40. Creating an atmosphere in which all comrades feel confident to participate in ISp on an equal basis is a responsibility of all comrades, but primarily is the responsibility of elected/leading bodies of the sections and the International.
41. Leading comrades must demonstrate respect, uphold consent, and always maintain comradely behaviour. The leadership holds the responsibility to foster an inclusive and supportive atmosphere. Furthermore, no comrade’s role can be prioritised over their behaviour in instances of harassment or abuse.

Main Principles when Addressing Harassment

42. Harassment refers to any non-consensual behaviour that undermines an individual’s dignity or creates a hostile environment. 
43. It can take various forms like verbal, physical, visual, sexual, psychological harassment or actions aimed at undermining confidence, such as persistent criticism or social isolation.
44. Harassment in any form is a violation of rights and must be addressed through clear policies and preventive measures to ensure a respectful and safe environment for every member.
45. Consent occurs when one person voluntarily, consciously and freely agrees to the proposal(s) or desires of another. 
46. Affirmative consent has to be given by both parties in any relationship. It involves communication and the active participation of people involved. Consent can be revoked at any moment. In some conditions, some individuals are unable to give consent, when for example a person may be unconscious, or intoxicated. 
47. When there is doubt of whether consent is given, then the encounter has to stop immediately. In any case, consent should be respected at any stage of the interaction.
48. Every member’s right to be protected from harassment is a priority. Therefore, all sections of ISp and their leading bodies are responsible for continuously addressing the issue of gender inequality, which is the main reason for harassment and violence, ensuring that the fight against gender discrimination is reflected in both organisational behaviour and culture. 
49. When such behaviour arises, responding to it requires adherence to certain principles. The following section outlines the fundamental principles that sections and ISp should follow when addressing cases of harassment, assault, humiliation and similar incidents. The specific bodies responsible for addressing these issues, as well as sanctions and penalties, are defined by the Statutes.
50. ISp is committed to creating an environment where members feel secure to engage in political activity and in reporting harassment, with the understanding that all complaints will be addressed seriously, regardless of the status of those involved. No member is endowed with more or less rights than any other member including members elected to leading positions.
51. Whether incidents of harassment occur between ISp members or between ISp members and non-members, these will be investigated and treated with the same sensitivity, attention and urgency.
52. The complaint can be reported to an individual comrade or comrades, to a branch, a leading body, or directly to a body elected for such a purpose. The decision who to report to will depend on whom the complainant feels more confident in and safe to approach and the level of discretion she/he/they is comfortable with. Members not directly affected may also contact leading bodies and bodies elected for such a purpose. There is no time limit to reporting abuse or harassment.
53. The responsibility for rejecting harassment does not fall only on comrades who are faced with such behaviour. We must establish and reinforce a norm where others will feel responsible to immediately intervene when they witness harassment or offensive discriminatory conduct, even when they are not the recipients of the conduct or don’t feel deeply offended themselves.
54. Complaints must be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the relevant body (if there is no elected body, the section should form an independent and trusted investigation committee by taking into account the position of the reporting person and the responding person).
55. Investigations should not be rushed. However, we must always take under consideration that the late announcement of the investigation’s findings leaves serious marks on both sides, especially the reporting person.
56. During the investigation confidentiality and sensitivity are essential for all parties involved in this process. For comrades to have confidence to come forward with instances of harassment or abuse, they must be able to reasonably expect that personal details will not be disclosed without their consent.
57. Measures should be discussed and proposed also for the welfare of the complainant (or in some instances the responding person).
58. The starting position of the investigation is to protect the interests of the complainant, while at the same time care must be taken to be fair to the responding person. The responding person has full rights to be heard, to defend themselves and to appeal to the ICC and/or to other leading bodies.
59. In any investigation, the central priority is to understand what took place during the incident or incidents. However, due to the possible intimate nature of some interactions and the lack of evidence or witnesses, many investigations may remain inconclusive. The CC does not automatically assume that the responding person is guilty of the accusations or that they are innocent simply because there is no evidence or witness.
60. At the conclusion of the investigation and decisions on any disciplinary measures, especially when this includes suspension or expulsion, and even more if she/he/they are a comrade in the leading bodies, a wider dissemination of information should follow. A report on the investigation and its conclusion, deducting sensitive and descriptive details, must be circulated to the membership. This must be done in collaboration with the complainant. A revolutionary organisation must be transparent and accountable to the members on all levels.