For my first post, I'd like to offer you a slightly revised expansion of a Facebook post I wrote on the evening of 13/06/2020. I posted it in the immediate aftermath of fascist thugs running amok through London. The fascists - a motley assortment of problem drinkers, football lads and English Defence League-type racists - had gathered in London to do their duty as Englishmen by protecting the statues of slave merchants, looters and other inspirational bigots. The London authorities had already taken steps to ensure the safety of areas they considered to be vulnerable, but this did nothing to discourage our self-proclaimed defenders of the faith. Dunkirk spirit and all that.
With a few edits and expansions, this was my post:
Fascists on the march in London today. Not protesters, not patriots, not activists. But fascists.
Some have said that ‘far left’ and ‘far right’ actions are similar, and that both are out of order. The agendas, motivations and aims say otherwise.
The left, very broadly, is taking to the streets in response to the systemic, systematic and centuries-old murder of black people. Other issues that have and continue to motivate those on the left include equality across class, sexuality, gender, religion and disability. War, or rather peace, is an important theme, as are the inequalities of capitalism and labour. It’s more complicated than that, but I’m not writing an essay here...
On today’s evidence, the right appears to have its focus on lager, nazi salutes, football songs, littering, pissing in the street and attacking anti-racism. White, straight, able-bodied men labouring under the illusion of their own superiority and divine right to rule: English by the grace of God. There was never no black in the Union Jack in the good ol’ days and there shouldn’t be now either.
You might think there are bad people on both sides. Trump does. If you want a non-man like Trump to be your moral compass then enjoy your crumbs from the top table and be a good peasant. Trump advocates grabbing women by the pussy (whether they want to be grabbed or not) and has enough allegations of sexual assault against him to keep a team of detectives and lawyers busy for years. You might think that's perfectly okay. A bit nudge-nudge. I can't see our Churchill-guardians being too bothered, but of course, as racist sociopaths, Churchill and Trump have much in common. Sometimes, life is about the company we keep.
The more important issue is this: our institutions, our systems, our laws and our leaders inherently favour the fascists. You might think that’s alarmist but have a look at the state of the world and tell me how much power the right has: Trump, Bolsonaro, Johnson, Orban. These leaders, and others like them, are leading with impunity and marching us from one crisis to another as dead bodies pile up in Brazil's favelas and England's shop doorways. The fascists we saw in London support such leaders. And when you shrug, dither or stay silent, so do you.
It's inaccurate and cowardly to say the far left and far right are just the same, or are as bad as each other. That's your guilt and refusal to act talking. Stop kidding yourself that neoliberalism or capitalism are your friends. Unless you're in the top 0.01 percent of the population, the neoliberals, capitalists and - yes, fascists - are laughing at you .
For as long as we stand in the middle trying to respect both sides of the argument, we continue to support corruption, exploitation and fascism. We continue to kill.
Choose a side.