Wednesday, 27 July 2016

RHETORIC THAT EVEN THE FASCISTS GAVE UP ON BEING TAKEN UP BY UK GOVT

By James Stuart

For years the BNP, NF etc stopped talking about forcible repatriation in their propaganda because it was seen as so outlandish, so politically unacceptable, so alienating and obscene a concept that even fascists blushed when challenged on it.

So how did we get to this place now, where government ministers, mainstream politicians are openly suggesting forcible repatriation of immigrants? Where Labour leadership contenders are talking about places in the UK where there are "too many immigrants"?.

10 years ago, five years, even a year ago, this kind of language was considered political suicide. The language of the neo-Nazi fringe. Now it is the mainstream.

And the scariest bit? Nobody bats an eye.

Scarier still? If you don't parrot it, if you don't nod your head and agree "well, something's got to be done about them", *you* are the one considered beyond the pale (quite literally!).

Fascism isn't going to come wearing a brown shirt and a swastika armband. It's coming wearing a suit and talking about defending "liberal values".

1).We'll send EU migrant 'surge' back: Brexit Minister David Davis says he may send home Europeans who rush to get in before we leave Brussels (source)

2). "Those who abuse the right to hospitality must go back to their home countries - make no mistake about it," (source)

3). Owen Smith: There are too many immigrants in parts of Britain (source)

TRIBUTE TO ABDUL SATTAR EDHI

Tribute To Abdul Sattar Edhi

By Taimur Rahman

In the 1980s when Pakistan’s largest and most advanced city became engulfed in a Tsunami of violence, when the people began to fight and murder each other on the basis of ethnicity and religion, when the state was a fascist religious military dictatorship that fostered sectarian violence, Edhi rose above the hatred and violence and raised the slogan of humanitarianism.

His call for compassion for the poor, oppressed, and downtrodden resonated with all the grief stricken people in every corner of Pakistan. There is no gali, no mohalla, and no village or mountain where the name of Edhi does not arouse in the heart of the subjugated feelings of hope and love.

When I Heard of Edhi

I was a student at the time that I heard of Edhi’s work and from that moment I was a devotee of the man who showed us what it meant to call ourselves human. I, along with millions like me, became a lifelong supporter of Abdul Sattar Edhi.

And although we participated in many charities that sent money to the Edhi Foundation, it would be two decades later that I would finally meet the great man who inspired us all.

My first and last meeting with him was in his office. Yes the same office with broken pieces of old furniture from where the largest ambulance service was run. It was then that I witnessed the real stature of the man who used to joke about his own simplicity with the words “ab tu sadgi bhi mujh say sharmati hai”.

Edhi’s Commune

Edhi, his family, and his comrades, lived and still live in a commune. Very few bourgeois people work for Edhi because he pays only working class wages. They also get very few holidays. But dedicated socialists love working. For him because he worked harder than anyone. Most of his organisation is full of leftists.

Edhi doesn't beg in fancy hotels. He used to beg on the streets. More than the rich and famous it is the poor and middle class people who work and give tons of money to Edhi. He would even refuse big donations made by capitalists. Especially if they came with strings attached.

Edhi Is Not Mere Charity

Some bourgeois charities are created to weaken left-wing states. Some are created to undermine communist parties. Some are created to weaken national liberation movement. Some are promoted to weaken trade unions or peasant unions.

Which movement did Edhi weaken? Which trade union did he ever undermine? Which communist party did he damage? Which national liberation movement did he speak against? Answer is none at all.

He was a working class individual who cared for his class. In a more radical environment he would have been a Norman Bethune (caring for the poor in a revolutionary movement). But in the context of a counter-revolutionary sweep of the violence that gripped Karachi in the 1980s supported by a dictatorship that was fracturing the movement along ethnic lines through violence by the MQM and religious fascism of the right wing, he stood as a rock against these reactionary tides of history.
He gave refuge in his organisation to revolutionaries who were being persecuted by the ruling class and the state.

He put together money to eight feet dispensary in Mithadar. And although unlettered just by sheer force of example he inspired millions who rallied to his banner. Some gave their life savings. Some gave their property. Some gave their labour. Some even gave their lives in the line of duty. Today, there are 335 centres with 1,800 ambulances in the country, hundreds of volunteers. His centres are abroad too, in the US, Canada, Afghanistan, Nepal and the Middle East.

"In the west, governments take care of their own. In third world countries like ours, there’s no such arrangement. But it’s a two-way street. The awam dodges taxes, defrauds the government, and the government in turn lines its pockets to allow this to happen. You get the government you deserve, and meanwhile the poor and the needy get left out in the cold. So there’s a crying need for social workers from private quarters. The day this mutually beneficial arrangement stops, there’ll be enough funds in the national coffers to start taking care of the people. That day, I’ll become redundant and relinquish my job to the state. But since this isn’t likely to happen, I have no choice in the matter. It’s a responsibility I have taken upon myself, and I’ll carry on doing it under any circumstance.” Eidhi sb
So to turn around and say that his struggle was mere "charity" to undermine the left is TOTALLY RIDICULOUS. He was a dedicated leftist. Whose humanitarian work arose in the historical circumstances of urban ethnic war unleashed by the state to destroy the democratic movement.
Edhi in Politics

Edhi stood for election in 1965 from the platform of the Combined Opposition Parties (COP). He supported Fatimah Jinnah against the dictatorship of Ayub Khan.

In 1970 Edhi ran as an independent candidate from Lyari. Edhi Sahib refused to spend any money on his campaign and would even refuse to treat potential voters with a cup of tea!

In 1975, he was back as a candidate in a by-election in the Karachi from NA250.

In 1985 Edhi once again decided to contest an election. The PPP decided to support him. Edhi eventually dropped out of the race for unknown reasons.

After this, Edhi quit politics altogether, even though he was offered party tickets by the PPP in 1990 and 1993; and, according to some, by the Musharraf-backed PML-Q in 2002.

In 1993, General Hamid Gul promised to make him President if he would help the army to overthrow the elected government. He refused. They became so angry with him they threatened to kidnap him. He had to go into exile.

Edhi the Revolutionary & Socialist Humanitarian

When Operation Clean-up was launched in Karachi's Sohrab Goth area. Drug dealers and death dealers were stoking ethnic violence by deliberately targeting innocent people to create anarchy and chaos.

“First, they came in groups of five to ten and shouted slogans inciting a particular ethnic group living in the area to join up with them. Once they managed to get these people with them, they started firing at random. When residents of the area emerged from their homes, they opened fire on them, stopping only when their victims fled. The mob then moved in, ransacked houses, looted them and finally set them on fire.”

“I’ve also told people to gather large amounts of stones and keep them on the roofs of their houses, so that if a situation of the kind were just witnessed arises again, they can use these in self-defense. For every five of them that gets shot, they’ll at least get one from the other side. Every human being has the right to self-defense.”

He was accused of being a communist. Edhi responded by saying “agar ghareeb ki madad karnay walay ko communist kaha jata hai tu main communist hun”. Edhi was inspired by Karl Marx, Maxim Gorky, Lenin from the age of 13.

Mullahs were angry with him because his service did not just work for Muslims but for all people. Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Shia, Sunni, Ahmedi, Wahhabi, Edhi Foundation would care for you no matter your religion. Edhi sb, responded to them by saying “My ambulance is more Muslim than you”.

They said he will go to hell because he took care of children out of wedlock which encouraged bay rah rawi. He responded by saying “Mujhay maulvi bedeen boltay hain, bolnay do. Mujhay tu waisay bhi jahanam main jana hai. Kyun keh jannat main tu khushal log hon gay. Saray khushal hon gay.

Main jahanum main ja kar dukhiyon ki khidmat karon ga. Mujhay tu jahanum main jana hai”.

Edhi sarmayadaron, jagirdaron, mullahs ki jannat main nahin jai ga. Edhi ghareebon, dukhiyon, beyar-o-madadgar bachon ki anson ponchnay kay liyay dozakh ki aag bhi qabool kar lay ga.

Jis shakhs nay na is zindagi main, aur na hi aglay jahan main apnay liyay kuch manga - na doodh ki nehrain, na hooron ki sobat…

jis shaksh nay manga tu sirf yeh keh aglay jahan main bhi us ko moqa milay ke wo dukhiyon ka khiyal rakh sakay.

Jis shakhs kay liyay dukhiyon ki khidmat karna hi jannat ho, us ko yeh Kafir kehtay thay.
During Haj, Edhi Sahib refused to pelt the pillars symbolising the devil. Instead, he kept the pebbles in his pocket, saying that there were bigger devils in Pakistan and he will pelt them instead!

Jo Edhi ki insan dosti ki mukhalifat karta hai, meray liyay vo hi shaitan hai.

Faisal Edhi

No institution can survive without good leadership and an individual that symbolises what the movement stands for. Now that Edhi sb is no more, a new symbol of the movement is needed to take Edhi Foundation forward.

I've known Faisal since we worked together for earthquake relief in 2005. I don't say these words for him because he is Edhi's son or because he is my friend. I support him because he has worked for decades by his father's side and only through sheer hard work earned his place in all our hearts to be considered the ideological heir to Edhi's humanitarian legacy. Qadam Barhao Faisal Edhi, Pakistan is with you.

Conclusion

Once someone said to Faiz sb "Faiz sb, aap shair tu buhut achay likhtay hain, magar parrhnay ka andaaz aap ka theek nahin hai". Faiz sb responded "Janab sab kuch hum hi karain? Kuch aap bhi karain na". One man cannot be expected to do everything. Edhi did what he was good at. Practically organised people and helped in their problems. The vast majority of those who could supposedly have made the right analysis never bothered to get out of their cushy little worlds. Edhi braved bullets and threats and did something to better the lot of the suffering poor. For that he ought to be honoured by all those who have any regard for the suffering of the poor.

The rest is up to us.

So to return to why Edhi is important to us I have to say that the violent fire that burns in the napaak neighbourhoods of Pakistan will inevitably alight the very curtains you used to screen the eyes of your home and family from the outside world.

It is only by grasping Edhi’s message of socialist-humanitarianism that we can extinguish this fire that threatens our very existence."

ANOTHER WARNING CALL AS TO FASCIST INFILTRATION

By Eric Draister

I hope people realize that fascists, and fascist ideology, have infiltrated anti-imperialist circles all over social media, and in the political space in general. From variations on arguments ranging from "Hitler wasn't such a bad guy" and "Jews created the refugee crisis to destroy White Christian Europe" to the Illuminati-Rothschild-Freemason-Lizard people, this shit is everywhere.

They are the same people who find every reason to justify fascist ideologies from anti-Muslim hysteria to anti-gay, anti-Jewish, anti-immigrant "traditionalism" and all other manner of fascist bullshit. And they parade this filth as if it's both right and true, and anyone who challenges these lies is a "Zionist" (irrespective of the issue or the politics) or a "puppet" or a "traitor" or a "liar" or a "najdi" or "anti-Resistance." Notice the inability to substantively challenge anything in a meaningful way.

I'm sorry but there is no middle ground here. To be silent in the face of such disgusting garbage is to tacitly approve of it. Fascists are not to be reasoned with...they are to be smashed. No compromise to be had.

I admit I was not as aware of the depth of this infiltration until the refugee crisis really began last fall. I am embarrassed and apologetic that I was slower to address this issue than I should have been. I will not make that mistake again.

I would just add that, in my opinion, everyone has a responsibility to address these ideologies and those who espouse them aggressively. There is no room to "agree to disagree"...sorry, either you confront fascists or you protect them. That is the truth.


WHEN IMMIGRANTS NEEDED IT THE MOST, WHY CORBYN SAID NOTHING AT FIRST PMQs WITH THERESA MAY?



PMQs (Prime Ministers Questions) is the most important national political exchange/convo: last week an unelected new and the most right wing prime minister took to the dispatch box at PMQs, with the most right-wing government ever in a context of the most right wing situation (and growing) we have ever had, with the connected massive rise of racist attacks during and after the referendum, and low with a gift minister, David Davis, who openly advocated mass forced deportations (source).

Corbyn laid out his first strategic opposition to this new right wing unelected government. He said NOT ONE WORD about immigrant, African or Asian communities and the attacks and ordeals and growing anxiety they are experiencing as a result of the brexit colonial triumphalism (source).

No apologies from me, but immigrant people are equal human beings and we deserve TO EXIST, and more so we should be in the FRONT of political opposition and advocacy against this right wing westminster regime. We should never accept being made invisible like this, and should force supposed leaders to articulate as a matter of urgency and primacy, the defence and liberation of ALL immigrants as THE way of defending all the oppressed. I will never accept a situation or leadership that treats us immigrants as not even second class considerations.

- Sukant Chandan, Sons of Malcolm

ERDOGAN DEFACTO ADMITS DEFEAT IN SYRIA, MOVES AWAY FROM NATO TOWARDS RUSSIA


I think its quite clear now that the failed coup was an attempt by USA-UK-'israel'-Saudi to attempt to give a grave warning to Erdogan to not defacto admit defeat in Syria in its depraved supremacist death squad project and by apologising and starting to normalise relations with Moscow, and even start in that direction on Damascus.

Turkey is busy denouncing the USA, demanding former Erdogan ally tuned now turncoat Gulen back, the Russian media is abuzz with happiness that Erdogan is turning away from the usa and towards Moscow [1].

Russian fascist leader Dugin, who is *THE* leader of a lot of these infiltrating fascists, some of whom are paid directly from his organisation, is full of excitement about it too, in this typically egotistical piece from Ankara [2], shows clearly the shift of Ankara towards Moscow.

The Nato's supremacist death squads, who are much of the western left's darlings in Syria have known for a while the game is up, but that fact is getting through even more [3].

What this means is:

1, This is further proof of a major historical defeat for Nato and imperialism and its death squad project, although its by no means the end of it and

1a, Although this is a defeat for them now this tactic of using death squads is and will be further used across the GlobalSouth especially in the majority Muslim lands, and as we can see especially in France and now Germany, will be used by in the 'West' also.

2, This is a historic defeat for Nato etc, and a great victory for the GlobalSouth although with the amount of death and destruction that continues and escalates, it doesn't really feel like it in many ways.

3, This will mean that the global anti-imperialist movement will be strengthened, Turkey enter into better strategic relations with Russia and also China and Iran etc, will mean an important capacity building politically and economically (militarily also) for the GlobalSouth preparing itself for growing imperialist wars of destruction as we have already seen in many countries (Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Mali, Syria etc).

4, However, there are some very awkward elements to this development as well. Personally, I will never support Erdogan's supremacist politics, using and abusing Islam for this sordid depraved project of his no matter how much he shifts away from Nato to our global side. As long as he has this fascistic ideology, I will welcome any move of *Turkey* away from imperialism towards the GlobalSouth, but I am not going to give any political support to Erdogan. We have to accept and work with contradictions: I support Russia arming the GlobalSouth, but I dont support its promotion of fascist politics, I support India's right to deepen in BRICS and pro GlobalSouth role on many levels, but I oppose the BJP/RSS supremacist sectarianism; I support the East Ukranian anti-Nato united front, but I don't support the leading part of it which is fascist-oriented right wing nationalists.

Erdogan's agenda going forward if deepening an alliance with anti-imperialist forces is a generally helpful thing to anti-imperialism but his agenda is still a big one across especially the Muslim world.
Will Erdogan/AKP be put under manners by Iran & Egypt (AGAIN pointing to the urgent necessity of Egypt & Iran getting on with a strategic unity!), or will they continue their dirty games on a lower level and try and hegemonise and de-fang Gaza and play a dirty role across the region?

5, Erdogan is turning Turkey even more fascist, the repression is massive and terrifying. The Turkish left and Kurdish movement is very weak, the former much weaker than the latter. They have no strategic power, although the Kurdish movement have some, but in a context of Moscow and Erdogan becoming buddies, where does that leave the Kurds? In a not very great place, does this mean the PKK and YPG will deepen their ties into a strategic one towards Nato? Or will they manage to find some accommodation between Damascus, Moscow and Ankara? Erdogan is a abusive control freak who is vengeful and nasty. It's going to be a task to not get him to want to murder every pro PKK person etc. But he has ate humble pie and apologised to Moscow, so let's see.

6, At a time of fast growing confusion and divisions and infiltration by fascists in anti-imperialist and generally 'radical' circles, now is not the time to trust in a growing GlobalSouth leadership as we had until circa 2010. Now is the time to try and develop collective unity and political leadership no matter how difficult this task, as the stakes are now too high, full fascism in the West is on the horizon clearly, a new round of vicious imperialist wars is about to be unleashed, with possible major bombing of China, possibly also against India, Russia, Iran and wars in 'latin' America and Africa, both covert and overt, about to be unleashed.

The period from 1999 to 2010/2011 was a GlobalSouth giving increasing leadership, remember the conferences with Chavez, Gaddafi, Mugabe, Ahmadinejad, Lukashenko, Morales, Castro, Correa and others all building up their unity and leadership? Those golden era days are GONE! Sadly some of them are dead and gone.

What we have now are a lot of these forces on the political retreat or even historic political defeats, near total collapse of leadership and giving global leadership, this is resulting in clearing the path to fascism. It's very frustrating there is no leadership being given from Morales, Correa, Castro, Mugabe, China etc. But they are all very consumed by their own challenges of trying to maintain their position in the brink, or in the case of China frantically batting away imperialist war plans against them, and preparing for the big showdown. China *might* just have to give more leadership to the West as the USA and less so UK especially continue their war plans against it. But there is no guarantee! We are on our own! We have to politically act, build and develop leadership like we are on our own.

- Sukant Chandan, Sons of Malcolm

Friday, 22 July 2016

TITO AT BANDUNG


[source]

QUESTION: The public here has followed the work of the Afro-Asian Conference at Bandung with exceptional interest. This interest is quite natural, because the principal theme at Bandung was peace and democratic co-operation among nations. For this reason, Comrade President, now that the Afro-Asian Conference is over and its results have been made known, Radio Belgrade is asking you to give us an answer to this question: How do you appraise the work and decisions of the first Afro-Asian Conference and what, in your view, is its contribution to the stabilisation of peace in the world?

ANSWER: I must admit that the results of the first Afro-Asian Conference have come as a pleasant surprise to me. For, although I expected that the Conference would be of enormous importance, I did not anticipate that so many problems would be dealt with and that in the majority of cases agreement would be reached.

The number of Asian and African countries which took part in the Conference and the tremendous interest in the Conference prevailing among Asian and African countries show that matters have reached an historical turning-point, in that the people of the two continents are determined to decide their own future for themselves, as far as this is possible. It goes without saying that the results of the Conference can only inspire all friends of peace and international co-operation with fresh hope and confidence that the front of peace in the world today constitutes a powerful factor in the struggle to avoid another war and achieve international co-operation.

We, Yugoslavs, are particularly delighted with these results, for the conception which prevailed at the Conference is completely in harmony with our conceptions, both in respect of international co-operation and the strengthening of peace and also in respect of the right of Asian and African countries to settle their own problems.