Tagged with Josué Estébanez

antifa notes (march 20, 2019) : From Christchurch to Canberra

[Update (March 24, 2019) : ABC’s ‘Background Briefing’ has published a report which documents the links the alleged Christchurch killer had with the Australian far right, including the fact that he described prominent neo-Nazi figurehead Blair Cottrell as his ‘Emperor’, and expressed a desire to join Cottrell, his then-group the United Patriots Front, members of the True Blue Crew, Combat 18 and Antipodean Resistance at the June 2016 racist rally in Coburg: “Communists will get what communists get, I would love to be there holding one end of the rope when you get yours traitor,” Tarrant posted. See : Christchurch shooting accused Brenton Tarrant supports Australian far-right figure Blair Cottrell, Alex Mann, Kevin Nguyen and Katherine Gregory, March 23, 2019.

In other news, following the massacre, Nathan Sykes, the notorious neo-Nazi troll, Australia First Party member, The Daily Stormer trollumnist and editor of ‘United Nationalists Australia’ blog got arrest: ‘The decision to arrest and charge Mr Sykes was made by senior NSW police just hours after The Age and Sydney Morning Herald revealed how officers had shelved an investigation’ into threats he made against freelance journalist and lawyer Luke McMahon. See : Police swoop on right-wing troll over alleged violent threats, Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, The Sydney Morning Herald, March 22, 2019. See also : On Troll Hunting (Ginger Gorman), February 16, 2019.]

I haven’t had time to really process things inre the horrific massacre in Christchurch last week, but insofar as one of its effects has been to focus attention on the far-right in Australia & Aotearoa/New Zealand, I’ve endeavoured to share some of what I understand of the situation on Twitter. My initial reaction, in which I expressed shock but not surprise, is captured by Threadreader here; I examine some of the immediate effects of the massacre upon and provide a few details inre the far-right in Aotearoa/New Zealand here; I also took the opportunity to take a closer look at Senator Fraser ‘Final Solution’ Anning’s antics at his meeting in Moorabbin the day after the slaughter, along with ‘eggboy’, here. Finally, inre David Wroe and Max Koslowski’s article (March 19, 2019) on Australia’s right-wing extremist problem: Are we doing enough?, I provided some supplementary notes regarding the various groups they name here.

Obviously, a lot more could be said on the subject, has and will be. Some of this discussion has been useful and interesting, while other reflections have been far less so. Ghassan Hage’s White entitlement is part of the very structure of Australian society (The Guardian, March 18, 2019) provides useful context, while the ACRAWSA statement ‘For Muslim People’ of yesterday is worthwhile reading. Finally, Jason Wilson’s articles on Do the Christchurch shootings expose the murderous nature of ‘ironic’ online fascism? (March 16), Islamophobia is practically enshrined as public policy in Australia (March 17) & Eco-fascism is undergoing a revival in the fetid culture of the extreme right (March 20) are germane, as are the statements by Tame Iti and Marama Davidson.

See also : The Australian neo-fascists who swim in the same sewer as the Christchurch terrorist, Tom Coburg, The Canary, March 19, 2019.

At present, it seems likely that [T]he Christchurch killer did in fact have some interactions with other far-right figures in Australia at least, but given that investigations are ongoing, presumably those connections, if they exist, will come to light sooner rather than later. There’s also been a whole lot of other stuff going on that I’ve been unable to blog about, but a few highlights include:

• Senator Fraser ‘Final Solution’ Anning has doubled-down in the wake of the massacre, and continued to act like the compleat shitkvnt he is. Fortunately, I expect that his associations with (other) elements of the extreme-right in Australia, which are quite extensive, will also be explored in greater detail sooner rather than later.

• Predictably, the massacre has caused many on the local far-right to do one of two things: do an Anning, or run for cover. Of the former, Anning fanboy Neil Erikson has described the massacre as ‘karma’; others, chiefly (but not always) anonymously, have celebrated it. Among those choosing the second option are those gathered around ‘The Dingoes’ podcast, whose online presence has in the last day or two been scrubbed. This is presumably on the basis that one of the few concrete linkages between the killer and the local AltRight — in particular its resonance with various elements of their online culture — has been through way of the Aussie Shitposter meme, which The Dingoes helped to popularise and which the killer subsequently adopted, both on his Twitter account and on 8chan. See : Alleged mosque shooter’s meme popular with Australian far-right group, Patrick Begley, The Sydney Morning Herald, March 15, 2019. Begley writes that: ‘The Dingoes, who do not reveal their identities, run a podcast called The Convict Report that has in previous years hosted former Labor leader turned One Nation candidate Mark Latham as well as Nationals MP George Christensen.’ But while they may not reveal their identities, their identities have been revealed. See : TheDingoes.xyz /// The Convict Report /// DingoCon (July 8, 2017). And while The Dingoes have attempted to develop a more determined AltRight vernacular for Australian shitposters in particular, it’s also worth recognising their participation in a broader network centred on the US neo-Nazi website and podcast network ‘The Right Stuff’.

See also : Cabinet’s National Security Committee to receive briefing on right-wing extremist risk, SBS (AAP), March 18, 2019 | Only NSW Gov. program preventing far-right extremism had funding cut in 2014, Avani Dias, JJJ’s Hack (ABC), March 20, 2019.

• Another effect of the massacre has been to cause some mild embarrassment to the Australian government. Hence for the last nine months or more, various attempts have been made by local racists to import Milo Yiannopoulos to the country for a speaking tour. Currently, responsibility for the tour has been assumed by Damien Costas and Penthouse Australia. While the Minister, David Coleman, denied a visa to another speaker, Gavin McInnes, late last year, prior to the massacre, against the advice of his Department but following a campaign by Pauline Hanson and Newscorpse, he was happy to issue one to Yiannopoulos. After the massacre, that decision was reversed, and it appears as though the tour, after numerous other delays, will now be cancelled. See : Milo Yiannopoulos promoter Damien Costas on thin ice, Myriam Robin, Australian Financial Review, March 17, 2019 | Sydney porn king bankrupted over unpaid debts, Andrew Hornery, The Sydney Morning Herald, March 20, 2019.

• Finally, last week veteran anti-Muslim agitator Ralph Cerminara (‘Australian Defence League’ / ‘Left Wing Bigots & Extremists Exposed’) was sentenced to a spell in prison for assaulting his neighbour. See : Former leader of far-right movement jailed for foul-mouthed attack on neighbour, Sally Rawsthorne, The Sydney Morning Herald, March 14, 2019.

Notes

The massacre has generated a vast commentary. The following are just some of the items which have caught my eye and which I think are interesting. I may add to the list over time.

hero

After New Zealand Shooting, Far-right, Racists Claim Victimhood, Hail Killer as Hero, Brett Barrouquere, Southern Poverty Law Centre, March 15, 2019
How a Spanish neo-Nazi became an international ‘hero’ of the far right, Juan Diego Quesada & Fernando Peinado, El País, March 26, 2019 (‘Josué Estébanez is considered a cult figure by extremists, including the New Zealand mosque shooter, for killing a left-wing activist on the Madrid subway in 2007.’)

kiwi far right

Along with the New Zealand National Front, another smol neo-Nazi group that has come under some scrutiny in the wake of the Christchurch massacre is the ‘Identitarian’ ‘Dominion Movement’. Its leader is a bloke called Jarrad Randell-Walsh. See also : Austrian far-right activist raided over possible donation from New Zealand shooting suspect, ABC, March 27, 2019.

Spotting the signs of white supremacy in New Zealand, Mava Enoka, Noted, February 21, 2018
The story of White Supremacy, William Ray, Radio New Zealand, March 26, 2019 (‘Since the attack in Christchurch, many people have called for New Zealand to examine its history of white supremacy. In this special episode of Black Sheep, William Ray looks at the origins of this ideology, how it warped and changed over time, and how people have fought against it.’)
The ‘growing’ white nationalist group with a ‘harmful and violent’ ideology, Thomas Manch, stuff, March 26, 2019

memes & manifestos

Shitposting, Inspirational Terrorism, and the Christchurch Mosque Massacre, Robert Evans, bellingcat, March 15, 2019
New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds, Michael Edison Hayden, SPLC, March 15, 2019
Decoding the racist memes the New Zealand shooter used to communicate, Tess Owen, Vice, March 16, 2019
White supremacism in Australia, long a virulent strain, is amplified by the Internet, Robyn Dixon, The Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2019
‘Replacement Theory,’ a Racist, Sexist Doctrine, Spreads in Far-Right Circles, Nellie Bowles, The New York Times, March 18, 2019
Nazis Have Always Been Trolls, Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, March 21, 2019 (‘They rely on murderous insincerity and the unwillingness of liberal societies to see them for what they are.’)

policing

No mention of right-wing extremist threats in 10 years of GCSB and SIS public docs, Jane Patterson, Radio New Zealand, March 20, 2019
A single police officer in the Bias Crime Unit tasked with monitoring hate crime across NSW, Hagar Cohen and ABC Investigations, ABC’s Background Briefing, March 22, 2019
Social media giants face regulation as publishers, not just postmen, Max Mason, Australian Financial Review, March 22, 2019
Christchurch mosque attack prompts Home Affairs boss to threaten greater scrutiny on white supremacists, Andrew Greene, ABC, March 22, 2019

reflections

Today, we mourn. Tomorrow, we organise., Faisal Al-Asaad, Overland, March 17, 2019
Christchurch attacks are a stark warning of toxic political environment that allows hate to flourish, Greg Barton, ABC, March 17, 2019
In Australia, the terrorist’s homeland, anti-Muslim hatred is rife, Nasya Bahfen, The Spinoff, March 18, 2019
After Christchurch, the political class must stop positioning racism as a democratic demand, Aaron Winter & Aurelien Mondon, Open Democracy, March 20, 2019
Spencer Sunshine on the Implications of the Christchurch Massacre, It’s Going Down, March 20, 2019
Hi everyone, please stop doing some or all of the following things, Ketan Joshi, March 20, 2019
Christchurch terror: How did this happen?, Byron Clark, Daphne Lawless, Tyler West, and Ani White, Fightback, March 21, 2019
White Supremacy in Australia Set the Stage for the Christchurch Massacre, Antony Loewenstein, The Nation, March 21, 2019
Things I’ve Learned About Homegrown Terrorism by Following the Alt-Right, Royce Kurmelovs, Vice, March 22, 2019
Political Correctness — From The Other Side, Bashi Hazard, Meanjin, March 26, 2019

terrorisms

A history of recent attacks linked to white supremacy, Lois Beckett, The Guardian, March 16, 2019
Christchurch: True Blue Aussie Terrorism, Paul Gregoire, Sydney Criminal Lawyers, March 19, 2019
Radical White Terrorism, Intercepted [podcast], March 20, 2019

Statement From The Australian Muslim Community on Christchurch and Islamophobia

See the website (March 25, 2019):

As a community, we are shattered by the recent act of terror in Christchurch.

For years, we have warned against the use of racist and discriminatory language in media and politics. We warned that this creates a culture of fear and hysteria that would inevitably result in exactly this type of attack.

We also acknowledge our brothers and sisters in the Indigenous community who have resisted white supremacist violence on this continent for over two centuries.

We owe it to the victims of this massacre to bear witness to the truth of why they died. Their deaths cannot be used to whitewash the reality of how this occurred.

While our political leaders have expressed sympathy over the deaths of our brothers and sisters, there has been little responsibility taken for their own role in creating a political climate that has demonised the Muslim community for decades.

Sadly, we remember the numerous times the Coalition have used the Muslim community as targets in vicious debates around immigration, multiculturalism and national security.

We remember when Liberal Party Senators lined up to kiss, hug and shake hands with Pauline Hanson – a woman who has referred to Islam as a ‘disease’ – following her openly Islamophobic return speech to Parliament.

We remember when Liberal Party Senators openly congratulated Fraser Anning after his explicit reference to a ‘final solution’ when discussing Muslim immigration.

We remember when Peter Dutton suggested that sections of our community should never have been allowed into this country in the first place.

We remember when elected Liberal Party representatives campaigned to remove Section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act under the guise of protecting ‘free speech.’

We remember when Liberal Party Senators joined One Nation to vote in favour of the white nationalist slogan ‘It’s OK to be white.’

This climate of hostility breeds discrimination, harassment and ultimately violence.

A truly safe society is one where no community should fear that they will be made scapegoats or demonised for the sake of cheap political point-scoring.

If our leaders are truly committed to building a society where our community can live in safety, they must make real assurances that they will not resort to this language of racism and division.

Josué Estébanez : 26 years jail

26 years for man found guilty of Madrid metro murder
Typically Spanish
October 19, 2009

The court considered ideological hate motivated the killing of a young anti-fascist protestor

The soldier on trial for the murder of a young anti-fascist demonstrator at a Madrid metro station two years ago will spend the next 26 years in prison: 19 years for the fatal stabbing of 16 year old Carlos Palomino and another 7 years for the attempted murder of the teenager’s friend who came to his aid.

While the accused, Josué Estébanez, denied that he was a neo-Nazi during his trial, the provincial court in Madrid considered, as the prosecutor had argued in the case, that ideological hate was behind his motives for the stabbing, giving him a lengthier sentence for the murder.

Carlos Palomino died on 11th November 2007 when the train was stationed at Madrid’s Legazpi station. He was travelling with others to protest at a far right demonstration in Usera when he was stabbed, and there were reports that his killer gave a Nazi salute when he inflicted the fatal wound. The accused claimed when he was questioned in court that he was acting out of instinct and fear for his life when he saw himself surrounded, describing himself as just a patriot who likes to see the Spanish team win at football.

However, witnesses to what happened gave evidence in court that they saw him with his knife already prepared for use when they entered the stationary train at Legazpi. In addition to the lengthy prison term, he must now pay the victim’s family 100,000 € compensation.

See also : Condenan a Josué Estébanez de la Hija a 26 años de cárcel, lahaine.org, October 19, 2009 (y Sección especial en La Haine sobre el juicio contra el asesino de Carlos: Ni olvido ni perdón).

Amadeu Casellas

Amadeu Casellas is a Spanish prisoner who has spent more than 25 years in jail as a result of his participation in dozens of bank robberies in the late 1970s, money which was then used to fund worker’s struggles. Unlike Estébanez — who has been sentenced to 26 years for murder and attempted murder — none of Amadeu’s expropriations involved bloodshed. Throughout his life, Amadeu has been a committed and active person, participating in many actions: in the streets, as well as in the prisons.

In 1973, when he was a 14-year-old factory worker, Amadeu discovered anarchism. He believed in the armed struggle, and the necessity and desirability of social revolution. In 1976, he robbed the Banco Mercantil de Manresa. During the next two-and-a-half years, he robbed more than 50 other banks. In 1979, he entered prison (where he was ‘welcomed’ with a severe beating).

During his imprisonment, Amadeu has undertaken many hunger strikes, as well as engaged in other forms of protest, and worked tirelessly against injustice: concerning prices inside prison; against the irregularities in and super-exploitation of prison labour; in opposition to grossly sub-standard medical treatments and the issuing of falsified reports on prison conditions. Such activities have resulted in his being severely punished, and classified as a ‘Grade One’ prisoner — to be placed in isolation — and he has been systematically transferred from one prison to another: punishments intended to break his spirit. Despite this, he has continued to report abuses of prisoners’ rights, and to document and to expose brutalities inside of and forming a fundamental part of the Spanish prison system.

Last year (2008), after undertaking a 76-day hunger strike, Amadeu won a seeming victory against prison authorities, gaining the right to be re-classified as a ‘Grade Three’ prisoner (thus making possible weekend release, the procurement of work outside of prison and, thus, some more genuine ‘rest’ and productive labour) and thereby hastening his release.

Sadly, his ‘victory’ has been ignored by prison authorities.

On July 15, 2009, Amadeu once again went on a hunger strike, which has now (October 20) lasted almost 100 (97) days. This latest hunger strike was prompted by additional punishments he was subjected to after having written various communiqués in which he detailed — using actual names — some facts relating to the people in charge of the Catalonian prison system.

Since July 2008, Amadeu has spent more then 200 days on hunger strike.

Since September 25, Amadeu has been force-fed. His family and lawyers find it extremely difficult to talk to him. Many “prison workers” and jail unions have tried to sanction his lawyers. He is also being kept in isolation: when Amadeu wants to smoke, all other inmates in the penitentiary wing of the Terrassa Hospital are forced to return to their rooms (/cells).

As well as the hunger strike, Amadeu has recently felt forced to go on a ‘thirst’ strike — this so as to be able to receive visits from his family and lawyers. This (first) thirst strike has been successful. From October 4, he has, however, commenced another, as prison authorities are again trying to transfer him to another prison (on the basis that “his health has improved”).

Actions and demonstrations in support of Amadeu have taken place, in Spain as well as in other countries, and a call for decentralized actions has been made, at least until such time as his status as a ‘Grade Three’ prisoner is recognised, and he is no longer on hunger strike. It should be noted that Amadeu’s position depends solely on the decisions of the Catalonian prison and political system (not that of Spain’s).

See : Amadeu Casellas : 95 días en huelga de hambre, rojo y negro, October 17, 2009 | Amadeu Casellas: llibertat!.

Carlos, 1 year without you, 1 year with you

A documentary on a year of anti-fascist activism in Madrid, following the murder of Carlos Javier Palomino, a 16-year-old skinhead stabbed to death on a Madrid subway on November 11, 2007, allegedly by a Spanish neo-Nazi (and soldier), Josué Estébanez.

Estébanez is currently on trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 29 years gaol.

From the Spanish-language press (Público in Madrid), translated into bootiful Spanglish by a machine:

The ‘ friend neonazi ‘ of the supposed killer of Carlos Palomino
Henriqur Mariño
Público
September 16, 2009

The Coordinating Antifascist one contributes a supposed proof that Josué E. of H. has links with the ultraright one


Above : Josué, with the supposed neonazi

Josué Estébanez, supposed person in charge of the death of the minor Carlos Javier Palomino, extreme right-winger might be related to the movement. This is what the Coordinating Antifascist one of Madrid supports, that it has spread a photo of the military man along with a person who, according to the organization, realizes a ” gesture of fascist connotations “.

The image shows to the accused to kill Carlos Palomino, who is being judged these days in the first section of the Provincial Hearing of Madrid, along with a male identified by the antifascist ones as Markuss, a “neonazi” of the quarter of Madrid of Orcasitas.

Josué has pushed back before the court that is a neonazi or sympathizes with the ultraright one, as he has narrated from the room Óscar López Fonseca. Also he denied that it should go to a racist march when he met in the Meter of Madrid Young pigeon, which was going to an antifascist counterdeclaration when it received a thrust that provoked the death.

Nevertheless, the Coordinating Antifascist one of Madrid insists that the person who accompanies Estébanez in the top image realizes ” a gesture of fascist connotations with three elevated fingers up “.

It would be a question, according to the organization, of the ” formula of the oath that the members of the SS were doing “. In particular, ” road surface is located with the right arm elevation and the first three fingers of the left hand pointing up, at the time that they were saying: I swear to you, Adolf Hitler, Führer and Chancellor of the Reich, loyalty and value. I promise obedience up to the death to you and to the Superiors for you designated. That God helps me”.