Perversity of the antifascism-spectacle

 

 

« No one lies so boldly as the man who is indignant. »

                                                                                           Friedrich Nietzsche

 

 

 

« From its beginning, the FN turns out to be a precious ally of the mainstream opinion. Not only it gives to those who fight it a resisting identity, but also we can, thanks to it, accuse of contagion all those with whom we don't agree with. »

                                                                                           Elisabeth Levy, Les maîtres censeurs

 

 

 

« But what was strange was that although Goldstein was hated and despised by everybody, although everyday, and a thousand times a day, on platforms, on the telescreen, in newspapers, in books, his theories were refuted, smashed, ridiculed, held up to the general gaze for the  pitiful rubbish that they were –  in spite of all this, his influence never seemed to grow less. »

                                                                                                                     George Orwell, 1984

 

 

 

Fighting against the « Fascism », the « neonazism », the « racism » and the « antisemitism » embodied in a party: the FN – this is completely consensual. Some forget too often that France is a country where 55 million of people do not vote for the extreme right. Of course, the extreme right, even having adopted a more politically correct language, even with a new look, even pretending oneself « socially on the left », is a plague : you just have to look at how disastrous the extreme right office was in every city where the party was elected. But this fact cannot prevent us from pondering on the reasons which made most of French political class to partake in obsessive antilepenism.

 

Let's remember April 21, 2002 and the following days. Politics, journalists[1], artists, in their overwhelming majority, urged the good citizens to vote for Chirac in the 2nd round of voting... to prevent the election of a senile billionaire who had seen in his accession to the 2nd round a «  plot » instigated by the right party in order to block the left party. Pathetic rumours even said Le Pen would win against Chirac. Thus more than 82% of voters elected Chirac (participation: 79%). A real triumph, obviously, but of what ? Not of intelligence anyway. From now on, the right party never misses the chance to claim that it has been elected with an overwhelming majority, in order to pass its politics of social regression. So, in the name of the fight against fascism, all the candidates who lost in the 1st round (with the exception of Gluckstein and Laguiller who refused to pick between the two plagues, and Mégret who called to vote Le Pen) enjoined their electors to vote for Chirac. Though everyone knew perfectly that Le Pen had no chance of being elected, that Chirac would win even without the votes of the « left » , that giving Chirac an overwhelming victory was equivalent to give support to his future politics. An absurdity thus; all the more it took a lot of cuts in Chirac's biography to make of him a militant anti racist with a lifelong commitment against fascism. Chirac was a passionate supporter of French Algeria[2], enjoys speaking of « the noise and the smell » of immigrants, and his wife is a fundamentalist Catholic. The fact remains that, thanks to a clever work of propaganda, many French people were convinced that being antifascist and antiracist in May 2002 consisted mainly in voting for Chirac.

 

The antifascism-spectacle is used to divert the underclass from its true fight: the one against bourgeoisie. From now on, we understand that antifascism spectacle became a religion for our politicians. They seem to be taking part in a contest : who will go the farthest in the denunciation of fascism...The professional antiracist Harlem Désir has suggested to ban the FN party, purely and simply. Henri Emmanuelli thinks as much. In the name of the defense of “democracy”, we have to ban a party that would cause damage, were it in power. The reason? It carries hateful views! Tomorrow, maybe, those liberals, will ask the ban of the extreme left parties, claiming that they have hateful views against the big bosses...The more execrable the neoliberal policies carried out by the right and left bourgeois parties get, the most vigorous the denunciation of fascism is. 10% of French people suffer from poor housing? Quick! Dominique Gallouzeau de Villepin hurries to announce the dissolving of neonazis groups [3]! There is close to 100 000 homeless people in France? Damn! Let's ban the revisionist websites! The government increased the amount of contributions needed for old age pension, which is going to be crappy anyway? How terrible! Let's forbid to Bruno Gollnisch to teach! Francis Mer says the poor only get what they deserve? Whatever! The people will not hear the despicable comment of the minister, as the same day (or the day before) Le Pen said a lot worse, which will be printed on the front page of the newspapers. Illegal immigrants are often deported although their life is threatened in their native country? Horrific! The EU will consequently ban the Nazis symbols!

 

How useful is this antifascism-spectacle...and very well taught to the youth: a kind of tradition makes the singers, the football players, and other (failed) artists express how bad fascists and FN are. The message is well received by the youth: Le Pen is seen by many as the incarnation of Evil. However only a few have a radical criticism to express on the capitalism as a whole [4]! But is it possible to ask the celebrities to criticize the capitalist system which made their fortune?...In short, today's youth distressingly tends to be totally apolitical, but hates Le Pen so as to look rebellious. The youth even takes part in demonstrations. One fears that amongst the many young people that demonstrated against Le Pen in 2002, a lot will vote for his daughter in 2012. In the spring of 2002, “let's get rid of the Front National” was chanted enthusiastically. Why is that nobody said “global finance” in spite of “le Front National” ? This statement would have permitted to take fascism for what it is: a way – but not the only one – for the bourgeoisie to dominate the proletariat. But antifascism-spectacle has to be hip, festive and consensual. In a word: harmless.

 

 

 


[1] With a special distinction to France Inter “whose journalists played Radio Londres blithely.” (Elisabeth Lévy). Two and a half years later, the same journalists, live from Kiev, would celebrate blatantly the Orange Revolution, that is to say the not so democratic election of a pro-occidental candidate supported by anti-semitic Ukrainian nationalists. This striking contrast allows us to judge the sincerity of these “journalists” when they denounce fascism and its threat to democracy.

 

[2] So was Le Pen, and for him, journalists never forget to remind that fact, very often with disgust. Conclusion : to have supported French Algeria is reprehensible only if you are from an extreme right party.

[3] Which most of the FN voters are unaware of their existence.

[4] Fascism and Nazism are only the last resorts, when the social upheaval is such that bourgeoisie fears to lose the power, when propaganda is not enough to maintain the docility of the proletariat, when this last group initiates actions which are dangerous for the survival of the capitalist system (for instance, the building of a real democracy based on soviets/workers councils such as in Germany at the end of WWI)... it's no accident that the getting in power of fascists in Italy and the Nazis in Germany was a great satisfaction for the international business industry and the American and British governments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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