danny la rouge
More like *fanny* la rouge!
It’s not a very meaningful sentence is it?FWIW I don't actually disagree with the idea that 'russophobia is not anti left' but I don't really consider myself part of 'the left' any more
It’s not a very meaningful sentence is it?FWIW I don't actually disagree with the idea that 'russophobia is not anti left' but I don't really consider myself part of 'the left' any more
BTW anyone reading the Freedom piece now please note that the piece has now been edited to remove the "more power to them" but it was present originally.Yes, and we’ve responded without mentioning their need for sub editors.
Identity, nationalism and xenophobia at Freedom - Anarchist Communist Group
We cannot leave the recent comment pieces in Freedom uncommented on. The first piece, “Fuck Leftist Westplaining” (4th March), contained much that we politically and intellectually, disagreed with. While we have every sympathy for where it was coming from emotionally, unfortunately, any point...www.anarchistcommunism.org
The full paragraph is in the specific context of understanding where people are coming from, while criticising arbitrary attacks on anything perceived Russian, ie the next lines are:
"... part of the narrative Putin is giving to Russians is that he is the only person on their side. “It’s us against them”. He says the rest of the world hates us, watch how they treat us. He says Ukrainians are Russophobes (imagine). The insular, exceptional nationalism which Putin has been carefully nurturing and weaponising will only become more effective if the rest of the world turns its back on Russian people."
But we've now edited out the "more power to them" bit.
But that explanation just highlights that this piece should not have been posted before the editorial team had given it a good read through and editing before deciding to or not to post it.Worth noting the author is part-Russian, so it's closer to us saying "I totally get why you'd hate the bloody English," before going on to argue the world shouldn't turn its back on Russian people, but yes it was too easy to read as being anti-Russians, as opposed to anti Russia's actions.
If I was going to mount a defence, it would just be to wonder whether the author is somehow conflating fear of/concern over Russia's action with actual Russophobia. I think that's unlikely, though I don't know the author (could they be a non-English speaker or similar?). But yeah, the real point is how the fuck did it get through without editing?There is a (weak) explanation on their Facebook page
But that explanation just highlights that this piece should not have been posted before the editorial team had given it a good read through and editing before deciding to or not to post it.
Also under the circumstances it should be made clear that the piece has been edited.
Yes, and we’ve responded without mentioning their need for sub editors.
Identity, nationalism and xenophobia at Freedom - Anarchist Communist Group
We cannot leave the recent comment pieces in Freedom uncommented on. The first piece, “Fuck Leftist Westplaining” (4th March), contained much that we politically and intellectually, disagreed with. While we have every sympathy for where it was coming from emotionally, unfortunately, any point...www.anarchistcommunism.org
Yeah
In general I just really hate stuff like this lol like stop trying to be fucking buzzfeed lol.
I actually don't think this is a bad point (seems to be arguing against russophobia tbh) but in that case why say it's ok to be russophobic and put this point in a paragraph seeming to argue this?
FWIW I don't actually disagree with the idea that 'russophobia is not anti left' but I don't really consider myself part of 'the left' any more
some observers are voicing their concerns about the sort of patriotism we can see in Ukraine, but Ukrainian resistance to Russia is not the same sort of nationalism we get nervous about in the UK. From the outside, seeing crowds waving national flags, joining armed forces, and defending state borders might appear to be the sort of harmful violent devoted patriotism we’ve spent our lives campaigning against. But this isn’t comparable to the UK. Here, we can be justifiably anxious about flag-waving and militaristic language around “defending our land”. The English and the Union flags have both been backdrops to street and state-level fascism. They each conjure up mental images of the EDL, Combat 18, bricks through Muslim families’ windows, “send the Bulgarians back to where they came from”, tories and poppy shaggers, Morrissey, the Brexit campaign, This is England, and that one day last summer when everyone fucking hated Italy. Whether you’re foreign or not, many of us have no time nor tolerance for any sort of pride in this country. And we’re right to oppose it; British nationalism is and has always been a vehicle of absolute fucking cruelty across the world.
We can’t risk assuming the same logic applies when Ukraine and the UK are incomparable. While the latter is literally an imperialist force, nationalism or patriotism (or however we feel most comfortable defining it in English) can be empowering and important for people who are under threat of imperialist invasion. Around the world, the fights for citizenship, autonomy, and self-determination come alongside asserting certain flags, languages, religions, and cultures. This isn’t the same as far-right, neo-nazi groups who do it on behalf of somewhere like England. Fascism punches down, resistance is not the same. From Ukraine to Scotland to Western Sahara to Palestine to Tatarstan, we stand with the people resisting imperialism.
Bad-faith accusations of Russophobia are corrupting our ability to properly criticise how pointless it is to arbitrarily ban everything Russian. I get that Russian people often get tied closely to the actions of the state and it makes sense, Russians have famously played a big part in the formation and destruction of governments. Russians and Russian things are often seen as political even if they’re not. Everything is pushed through some ideological prism and used for endless manipulations of the political spectrum. And while it is truly understandable that many people hate Russia and Russians and anything to do with Russia, and more power to them, part of the narrative Putin is giving to Russians is that he is the only person on their side. “It’s us against them”. He says the rest of the world hates us, watch how they treat us. He says Ukrainians are Russophobes (imagine). The insular, exceptional nationalism which Putin has been carefully nurturing and weaponising will only become more effective if the rest of the world turns its back on Russian people.
It also isn’t anti-left to be Russophobic, but taking Russian bands off festival line-ups also isn’t going to help anyone.
It is true that patriotism is often a rallying point during war, but it is quite a different thing for socialist/communists/anarchists to argue that such is understandable than to argue it is a good thing.Equally, the point about nationalist identity clearly is empowering for groups resisting imperial aggression. This is just self evident. Quotidian nationalistic fervor is antithetical to working class solidarity, agreed. But in a time of a war where a nation's survival is at stake, identity is obviously a rallying point.
Is true but a class perspective says that you do not it by simply accepting nationalist arguments but on the basis of trying to create class and non-national response.From Ukraine to Scotland to Western Sahara to Palestine to Tatarstan, we stand with the people resisting imperialism.
It did. It’s been edited.It doesn't say "more power to them" with respect to people hating Russians.
Fwiw I think a "pure" Anarchist perspective is really valuable at the moment in maintaining a strict anti-nationalist position. It might not be practical, or even 'correct', but I think it's important for it to be part of the discussion.
Oh, and another text from Ukraine, offering something closer to that "pure" anarchist analysis:
Private Site
enoughisenough14.org
Did anyone read the French/Syrian one? Any thoughts?
True enough. But that doesn't really matter.Nobody can really agree what that is though.
Oh, fair enough, I didn't actually click on any of the videos, have edited in a warning.Er... warning: video in that has someone being shot.
What I guess I'm saying is that I think it's ok not to have a fully worked out ideological leftist/anarchist position on everything. Sometimes it's better just to admit you don't know. I also think anti idpol stuff can be taken way too far, like people not wanting to support Palestine demos because of people on them with Palestinian flags. Like challenge racist stuff obviously but also be aware you don't have all the answers.
...because, even if you don't reflect upon the framework or lens through which you view these events others will. They come to events with coherent worldviews that make connections, make sense of situations and generate actions based upon this. This is seductive for those trying to figure what the hell is going and what the hell they can do about it.I think all of this stuff is up for discussion. And you have to start from somewhere.
I think that especially after the (now edited) second Freedom piece, we in organised anarchism (in my case the ACG) did have something like a duty to publicly evaluate the views being published in Freedom. I believe we did so with an even hand and without rancour. But to sit back and say nothing for fear of being tarred as “Westsplainers” would have been cowardly....because, even if you don't reflect upon the framework or lens through which you view these events others will. They come to events with coherent worldviews that make connections, make sense of situations and generate actions based upon this. This is seductive for those trying to figure what the hell is going and what the hell they can do about it.
It's basic "filling the vacuum" stuff.
Our job, in as far as there is a "we" here, is to be reflective about what shared lenses and frameworks we have. What shared values and principles we have, and try to figure how much of a coherent worldviews we can offer. Otherwise we'll be left impotently chasing shadows and wondering why everything is always so shit.
Not a direct reply but saw this was on this morning.
We at Stop the War condemn the invasion of Ukraine, and warmongers on all sides | Lindsey German
The anti-war movement is no supporter of Putin. But we can, at the same time, criticise our government’s dreadful war record, says Lindsey German, convenor of Stop the Warwww.theguardian.com
In 2003 we were “friends of the Taliban” or “allies of Saddam”. It wasn’t true then and it’s not true now.
Rees in 2014 said:We oppose our own imperialist governments, hoping for their defeat. If defeat had come at Saddam's hands we would still have welcomed it.
If anyone wanted to do a bit of elaborate IRL trolling, I reckon digging out/printing off some old Iraq-era StW/SWP "VICTORY TO THE RESISTANCE" placards and bringing them along to current StW events might be quite an effective way to do it.This is a lie isn't it. Didn't they cheer on saddam and islamists in 'raq'n'stan on anti-imperialist grounds? They were toxic loons then and they're toxic loons now.
ACG and Freedom share the same address, couldn't you have just popped upstairs and made these criticisms in person? Silliness aside, that was a right pair of stinkers from Freedom.
We (the ACG) refer to that other piece in our response.The "Russophobia" article has got most of the attention in this thread, and with good reason I think. But I'd be interested in hearing a bit more criticism of what I assume is the other piece. It was emotionally charged and I'll admit some parts ruffled my feathers, but I think it made a good point about the Western left's detachment from the realities on the ground ground in eastern Europe.