Judy McVey
Tom Freeman died suddenly in Melbourne in early March after a year-long fight with cancer. He was 51.
Since his youth, Tom was a revolutionary socialist, a fighter for justice and human rights, and a wonderful human being.
He started his political life as a student at Monash University, campaigning against the war in Vietnam. Very quickly, he saw US imperialism as a symptom of the condition of life under capitalism, and he dedicated the rest of his life to a political alternative based on human need — to the socialist project.
He joined the International Socialist Organisation nearly 30 years ago and remained as active as his health allowed to the end.
Tom spent many years researching the real activity of workers and students in Russia during the two revolutions of 1917. This study took him to Russia and he became fluent in Russian. A PhD thesis was the result.
He developed a similar interest in Latin America and became an expert on the revolutionary movement in Chile in the early 1970s.
He had a special courage which enabled him to continue to challenge capitalism even when in a tiny minority, fighting against the stream of nationalist and neoliberal opinion.
In his last years he was able to witness a new movement of people all around the world resisting capitalism and the occupation of Iraq.
He will be sadly missed by ISO comrades and the left generally, as well as by his mother Alma, sister Sandra and brothers Andrew and Paul.
From Green Left Weekly, March 23, 2005.
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