A-Infos (en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL Novembre - report, Two controversies Forum for political antiracism (fr, it, pt) [machine translation]

[Videos] One year after the 1st edition, the 2nd Forum "Continuing the initiative" a 
political racism was held on October 8 in Saint-Denis. With a variety of stakeholders 
(Fassin, Bouamama, Gresh, Benbassa, Lin Jung ...) who sought ways of common action, 
without falling into the soft consensus. ---- Racism is not a moral problem that fight by 
a single educational or indignant protest. This is a deliberate policy must therefore 
fight it politically. ---- This basic idea is the common denominator associations, 
militant.es and academics who participated in the 2nd Forum "Let us take the initiative" , 
October 8 at the labor exchange of Saint-Denis. ---- The diversity was real, from the 
Party of Indigenous of the Republic (PIR) to the League of Human Rights (LDH) and, 
assistance, militant.es Europe Ecology-Greens to Alternative Libertaire, through the PCF, 
Ensemble or the NPA. The absence of union members as speakers at the roundtables, however, 
shows that much remains to do to bind the fighting.

The call text did not hide any of the existing differences. He pointed them even to invite 
to the exchange.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLbk0aYhuHE4Vnpmx_XvHIyT3qI6ea0dmp&v=ou3IkHqq8EU
Debates about the international context and the existence of different racisms were rather 
consensual. Those on the issues of feminism or homophobia are unfortunately rather left to 
rot ...

Broad agreement, rather pessimistic moreover, has established itself in the international 
context. Islamophobia deployed in the West was analyzed as a tool to prepare people to 
accept the imperialist wars on the bottom of the so-called "clash of civilizations".

A tool to target a "fifth column" that would be hidden in the neighborhoods, in advance 
justifying the repression and police brutality.

So qu'Houria Bouteldja (PIR) pointed to the urgency of reducing the sympathy and Daech 
Soral in the neighborhoods, Laurent Lévy (Together!) Found the nationalist reaction that 
is gaining ground in France.

State racism: a misnomer?

Two controversies have finally crossed all that day: that of state racism and that of 
universalism.

Michel Tubiana (former President of LDH) and Esther Benbassa (EELV Senator) refused to use 
the term "state racism", explaining that there is not (yet) of racist laws that structure 
society French. They therefore prefer to speak of "racist practices of the state."

Said Bouamama (United Front of immigrations and neighborhoods, FUIQP) took against the 
foot, without showing fully convincing. He noted (correctly) the existence of the 2004 law 
against wearing the hijab in schools, or the one on the current Travellers. But he could 
not demonstrate that these laws were the heart of the functioning of the state.

Saimir Mile and Anina Ciuciu (Association Voice of Roma, photo) and Franco Lollia 
(antinégrophobie Brigade) have detailed everything that daily police and judicial violence 
in slums and ghetto neighborhoods of concrete. Thus they gave to see that it is not need 
specific legislation for the state conducts a racist policy felt by its victims in their 
flesh, making a little vain this semantic debate when it comes to build a political response .

https://youtu.be/684ol77DL_o

Anina Ciuciu (Association Voice of Roma)
Universalism = colonialism?

Youcef Brakni activist in Bagnolet (93) violently denounced the leftist organizations he 
has always found against him in his local fighting, accusing the universal values built 
around the "human rights" to take into account that values of the "white man" in a 
colonial approach.

In this vein, several speakers stressed the need to organize each "community" 
independently to address specific oppression felt by everyone.

A debate illustrated the point of caricature when Houria Bouteldja explained that the 
"white middle class" was an accomplice of French imperialism since she could eat cheaply, 
thanks to the raw materials extracted in a third-dominated world, and manufactured goods 
made in South plants.

All this is not wrong ... provided you have in mind that in this case the issu.es 
salarié.es immigration are equally complicit French imperialism than their white 
counterparts. .. But if making this kind of statement only serves to make the moral 
indignation and blame one or the other, it is not used much. The real questions are 
empowering countries South leonine trade agreements that hinder, and relocation of 
production. Issues of interest to any and all revolutionary internationalist, whatever the 
color of his skin.

But community self-organization does it necessarily opposed to a universal solidarity? For 
if the first is an inalienable right for those who wish to fight discrimination that 
target, the fact remains that the second - if it is not misguided paternalism in - is 
often needed to help the affected communities fragile to resist. And more fundamentally, 
this "universalism" of class we call proletarian internationalism remains an indispensable 
compass.

The day ended around strong testimonies about police violence and repression.

Appointments are announced for the spring in order to hear another voice in the midst of 
the electoral arena: a caravan across France, a national walking around March 21 
(International Day against Racism) ...

Jean-Yves (AL 93 center)

Website Continuing the initiative http://reprenons.info/

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Deux-controverses-au-Forum-pour-un
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