Racism - new material (1)
01 May 2006
Britain's shame, A. Sivanandan. Catalyst July-August 2006, pp.18-20. Sivanandan considers "the mounting campaign against multiculturalism by politicians, pundits and the press" in Britain and across Europe, observing that it is "neither innocent nor innocuous" but "a prelude to policy that deems that there is one dominant culture, one unique set of values, one nativist loyalty - a policy of assimilation." He articulates "the route by which Britain became multicultural", pointing out that historically racial discrimination prevailed in employment, housing, social services and that the media and populist politicians undermined any notions of mutual tolerance; all that was left was a cultural diversity that came not from "government edict", but "from the joint fight against racial discrimination - on the factory floor and in the community - by Asians, African-Caribbeans and whites." It was the successes of the fight against racism that "were instrumental in making multiculturalism government policy" thereby "void[ing] it of anti racist roots and remit". It was this "distorted analysis" that has served as "a pointer to the way that culturalism, disguised as multiculturalism, is now being used by European governments as whipping boy to enforce assimilation, by law if necessary."
Antifaschistisches Infoblatt. No. 72, Summer 2006, pp 58, EUR 4.10. In 1986, German historians embarked on a project to rehabilitate the German nation from its fascist tendencies, which the Frankfurt school, based on their analytical approach to explaining the Holocaust and German modernity, had earlier identified as specific to the German Volk and its history of authoritarianism. Habermas first warned about the "apologetic tendencies" that started to characterise German history writing shortly after the conservatives took power in 1982, when chancellor Kohl announced an "intellectual and moral sea change". Historians started to call for the "normalisation" of the way Germans should analyse, interpret and feel about their Nazi past, and specifically the Holocaust. The historian Ernst Nolte vigorously pursued the theory that the fascist's drive to eradicate Jews and 'non-Arians' was in fact fuelled, even triggered, by the crimes of the Bolsheviks, the Gulag and 'class murder'. This so-called 'historians dispute' (Historikerstreit) has characterised German politics and history writing ever since, taking various revisionist forms; it is linked to right-wing apologetic justifications for the Holocaust, used by Neo-Nazis to gain a veneer of legitimacy, and it is frequently used to vilify Communism. This issue of AIB shows how the seemingly outdated historians dispute is still important today. It also includes a CD-Rom featuring various bands and anti-fascist initiatives talking about the fight against Neo-Nazis in Germany and regular news columns on the fascist and anti-fascist scene. Available from aib@nadir.org.
Racism and Islamaphobia in France: the far Right and the grassroots, Tim Cleary. IRR European Race Bulletin No 56 (Summer) 2006, pp9-15. "The negative media portrayal of young French citizens from the banlieues has often failed to see how political activism is growing at grassroots level in order to fill the void of political representation. In their activism, people are continuing a long-tradition of anti-racism, demanding long-overdue equal rights and equal treatment for all citizens, whatever their colour, ethnic origin or religious beliefs."
White off the scale, Neil Mackay. Observer Music Monthly January 2006, pp.20-26. Examination of the European "white power" music scene and its relations with the far right British National Party. The article profiles some of the "musicians" - the far right has never been known for its musical skills - and key players, including Steven Cartwright, "a fat Scotsman and former member of the ultra-extremist group Combat 18 and also one of the organisers of Blood and Honour", and Chris Telford "a leading li