Norway Is Not Alone - But Nor Is Breivik

As the world rushes to write off Anders Breivik as an isolated, maverick madman, a lone phenomena with no enduring significance beyond the appalling acts of savage murder he carried out in Norway last Friday, British racists have hurried to his defence online. As we see in the post by English Defence League supporter, Michelle Miley, lauds him as a hero on her Twitter.com account above; and her colleagues similarly tweet (such an innocent terms for such violent bastards) in the extract below. Because Breivik's young victims were nearly all members of the Norwegian Labour Party, it seems Michelle and her friends reckon they had it coming to them. (A similar phenomenon errupted in Israel, where many Israelis also suggested the young Labour members got what they deserved because they had had a banner on the island criticising Israeli policy towards the Palestinians - Breivik meanwhile had cited his support for Zionism and Israel.)

English Defence League leader, Stephen Lennon, has rebuffed any suggestions - including Breivik's own claims - of any links between the Nordic terrorist and his supposedly peaceful organisation. And yet, in the next breath, he tells the Daily Mail that "others could be inspired to commit similar atrocities ‘within five years’ if they feel their voice is not being heard."

The worry of course is that, unlike the Norwegians, who have responded to the atrocities with a ringing re-emphasis of their open, multicultural society, British politicians will seek to "listen and learn" from the sympathisers of the EDL and the self-imploding BNP. This we already saw with David Cameron's crass speech about "muscular liberalism" earlier this year.

Cameron, his Communities Secretary Pickles, and a host of other rightwing commentators have dangerously lied and lied again about supposed "political correctness" taking over Britain. Complete fictions are made up about non-existent sharia courts taking over towns like Bradford and Dewsbury, no-go-zones for white people, Asian immunity from criminal prosecution and of course the perennial but complete myth (or lie) about bans on Christmas trees, Nativity plays and even Christmas itself. 

The deranged ravings of newspaper columnists like Melaine Phillips and Jeremy Clarkson could be ignored were it not for the fact that people like Anders Breivik directly quote their rubbish, including in his genocidal manifesto. Smirking Clarkson should perhaps be smiling a bit less if he stops to consider how he has added to the mood music that has provided such fertile ground for the Nordic murderer to create the political narrative to justify his slaughter and carnage. Perhaps he would like to test drive the victims' hearses for them and make some of his stupid remarks as they pull into the graveyards, again and again and again?

The fact is that the rightwing nationalism that is spouted by so many in this country is nothing to do with any real threat to our culture. I have lived in areas with high concentrations of Muslims for nearly a quarter of a century and am in no way proscribed from living my life in precisely the way I wish. The churches still function for those who wish to attend, school lessons are in English, the pubs are open, and young women can walk the streets as scantily dressed as they like. If anything is gradually changing, it is the cultures of Asian communities that, like so very many waves of immigrants before (including the English - once foreigners to these shores themselves), are slowly assimilating into the wider zeitgeist.

Extreme nationalism is very much what it says on the tin: it is exclusive; it sees those outside its genetic definition as The Other and as a threat. It is not about pride or self-worth. Rather it is about insecurity, lack of pride and rank xenophobia. It is propagated by self-serving interests that see it as a very useful means of diverting the grievances of those who are losing out in a society that is increasingly polarised between rich and poor. Instead, it focuses on the idea that poor white people are poor not because they no longer have trade unions and are paid crap wages by exploitative employers, but rather because the local council has built a playground in an Asian area rather than a white one. Divide et impera.

The British media has repeatedly played up the threat from a handful of Islamic fascists over and over again, while largely ignoring the actual and planned attacks by scores of white fascists. Again and again, the police have, to their credit, arrested members of the BNP and EDL for assaults on Asians. Huge caches of bombs, bomb-making equipment and even biological material such as deadly ricin have been found in the homes of active members of fascist groups in the UK, but you wouldn't know it from the press.

Even when attacks are carried out, such as those against the black and gay people targetted by the explosions carried out in the most vicious way by the London Nailbomber, whose shrapnel ripped an unborn baby from its mother's womb, the media dutifully declared him a lunatic loner - ignoring his former activities in the BNP and the other members of that party arrested for planning similar attacks. Leader Nick Griffin's assistant, Tony Lecomber, was even known in the party, for very good reasons, as "Bomber Lecomber", but the media instead concentrated on how the party was supposedly becoming respectable under his leadership.

Fascism is a term that comes from the Latin fasces - the bundle of rods for beating and axes for beheading the opponents of the Roman state. They were selected by Mussolini back in the 1920s as the symbol of his movement of nationalists and have been aped by his admirers and ideological brothers ever since. This aggressive symbolism has reinforced the martial rhetoric of nationalist leaders, who have framed their ideologies very much around conflict which deems their political opponents to be traitors and mortal threats to the survival of the national Volk. Consequently, the most extreme response is at least psychologically sanctioned and so whether or not he acted alone, Breivik is not ideologically alone. And however comforting it may be to declare him mad, the only delusions in such circumstances are our own - for these are cold, calculated acts with a clear purpose, however horrifying. We do not dismiss al-Qaeda as illogical mad people; so why do we hurry to excuse white extremists by declaring them to be conveniently mentally ill and so not really responsible for what they have done?

Mainstream politicians across our Continent are failing to address the social and economic inequalities that are at the heart of our crisis. Instead, they play up to the xenophobes by gestures such as the ban on the veil in Belgium and France, the illegal deportation of gypsies by Sarkozy and the stigmatising of the Muslim community as fundamentally hostile in Britain due to the actions of four men in July 2005. They do so at great peril, ultimately, to us all - because by doing so they will never solve the root causes of discontent. Rather, they will simply fuel the anger and desire for more and more scapegoats, greater violence and, in some minds, provide the justification for more massacres like the one we have witnessed.

It falls to those of the Left, the internationalists, the humanistic, to show the different path, to argue incessantly for real solutions, real equality and community. The real stories from Friday should not be the frightening scenarios of ceaseless conflict and division conjured up by Anders Breivik and Melanie Phillips and their twisted fellow travellers. Rather, they should be the stories of the ambitions and hopes of those whose young lives were snuffed out when they were just about to begin. We owe it to them to listen to their voices, which were for democracy, tolerance and humanity rather than the narrow and perverted bigotry that so arrogantly decided to silence them.

Comedy versus Bigotry - the Myths of Muslamic Law

It is painful to watch - an interview by Press TV, the Iranian Government-funded British news station, with a young man about to attend a march by the rightwing street organisation the English Defence League. Rehashing a smattering of prejudices and myths about "Muslamic law" taking over Britain and rape camps supposedly set up by Muslims, he declares that "Iraqi law" is being imposed in London as it apparently has been elsewhere, although he can name neither the laws nor the places concerned. So he is going to march because the wants "Britain to be about British."

An enterprising anti-EDL activist has taken the man's words and with the use of the latest in vocal manipulation technology has fashioned a satirical song, Muslamic Rayguns, which may be more than a little too catchy for its own good. It is a classic example of using comedy to counter bigotry, to emphasise the intellectually barren argument and lies employed by racists. For example, last year, a myth was put round that the police were arresting people for flying England flags in the run up to the World Cup for fear of offending Muslims. It was hokum, of course, just as are all the stories about banned Christmas trees and the utter lies about Winterval festivals replacing Yuletide (even inventing a story that the Pope had condemned them when he had made no mention of these completely fictitious events). However, not to be deterred by the truth, one enterprising racist dressed up in a police-like uniform and went round various streets in Worksop warning people to take their flags down and take their team shirts off.

And yet the media gleefully reinforce the Winterval stories (and even Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has lied about the need to stop them - when they don't exist and never did!), while no one made anything of the very real story about the fake policeman last year. Consequently, people like the young man in the video end up feeling angry and confused.

It is of course the tried and tested tactic of "divide and rule". As he calls for "Britain to be about British", the EDL marcher is yet another example of how whole swathes of people are disenfranchised and disenchanted. The TV interviewer says, more than a touch sarcastically,"People are angry, but can't explain why."

Lies about lies - a fictitious story about a fictitious issue

The reason they can't explain is pretty straightforward - they are isolated from opportunity in a society which is less socially mobile than ever before; where the gap between rich and poor is wider than it has been for over a century and is simply getting worse; and the newspapers feed a constant diet of sensationalist and untrue stories about hordes of illegal immigrants supposedly sucking up the nation's wealth. It is only a short step from there for them to identify and target their wrath on those they see as belonging to such groups - Asians, especially Muslims, and others deemed to be the cause of their poor treatment by society.

But set the white man in the video alongside an Asian man of a similar age and the chances are they will have a lot in common - poor housing, few job opportunities, low incomes and stereotypical hostility from the media. The media owners' biggest fear of all is not that these men are potentially in conflict with each other - rather it is that they ever find out just how much they share and turn together to face the bastions of privilege and wealth that are the real barriers to them achieving fairer and happier.lives.

But until the Left can persuade them otherwise, we need to resist utterly the menace and real violence that the would be patriots of the EDL and similar bring with them as they parade the streets and hurl abuse and punches at those they see getting in their way. They've been to our multi-racial town twice this year and say they will be back soon, fuelled by lurid tales about "no go" areas for white people - yet another lie as I know only too well. But don't expect the Daily Mail to let that get in the way of a story that sells and keeps people down and divided.



"Muscular liberalism" - just fascism with a smile?

British Premier David Cameron made a frankly bizarre speech in Munich yesterday, but one packed with prejudice, lies, ignorance and danger.

In summary, after the standard coda that he wasn't referring only to Islam when he talked about extremism and terrorism, he pretty much referred only to Islam when he talked about extremism and terrorism. Sounding rather like an advocate for the odious English Defence League, which was holding one of its biggest ever rallies on the same day, Cameron set out his views on racial and religious relations in Britain.

EDL members expressing themselves.

As EDL members paraded round Luton, a town with a significant Muslim minority, shouting "Allah, Allah! Who the fuck is Allah!", Mr Cameron was busy claiming that white people are essentially persecuted for expressing any vaguely racist views. By contrast, he felt Asians and other ethnic minorities are allowed to express any prejudice or call to violence they wish. Consequently, without being particularly clear about what he intends to do other than cut funding for Muslim community groups, Cameron proclaimed the death of multiculturalism - music to the ears of the fascist street thugs as they proceeded on their demo. In its place, he wants something he referred to as "muscular liberalism".

There is nothing but lies and myth to sustain this worldview. Some racists have been prosecuted in the UK, and rightly so. Some have been white (though BNP leader Nick Griffin was famously acquitted for calling Islam a wicked faith - not much suppression of his speech there, then); but Muslims like Sheik Omar Bakri have been expelled from Britain for their hostile comments; and the infamous Abu Hamza remains in jail for incitement of racial hatred. Meanwhile, the Islamist group Al-Muhajroun was banned by the last Government for glorifying terrorism, along with Islam4UK, Call to Submission, The London School for Sharia and Islamic Path. In all, 46 groups are proscribed, the substantial majority of them Islamic.

So where is this impunity from the law apparently enjoyed by Muslims? Perhaps somewhere other than in the anti-terror realm?

Is it in other criminal cases? Do Muslims enjoy immunity from prosecution for drug dealing? Theft? GBH? As Muslims are 2.7% of the British population, but account for over 12% of the prison population, it seems if you are Muslim you are actually six times more likely to be in jail than if you are white. And indeed, black and Asian people combined, although making up around 6% of the general populace, compose nearly 20% of those in jail. Of course, you'd not know that from the press or the EDL, but you might expect better from the Prime Minister.

So perhaps it is in making comments that Muslims are allowed to say things that whites are not allowed to say? Maybe they can make remarks that white people can't. Perhaps white people aren't allowed to criticise aspects of Islam they don't like? Well, one couple did get into bother from being frankly very insulting to a Muslim guest at their bed & breakfast by calling her headscarf a form of bondage, but when a prosecution followed, they were acquitted - although I suspect no one seeking a pleasant stay would visit their establishment.

Other vicious comments by whites go unchallenged, and not only those made by the likes of the EDL and BNP. Just this week, the BBC's Andrew Neil asked his studio guests what they thought America and Britain could do to stop the pretty moderate Muslim Brotherhood coming to power in Egypt. Undeterred by the somewhat more informed words of journalist Rageh Omar, Neil pondered ominously, "Should we not be fearful of the revolution being hijacked by the forces of darkness?" (@ 7 minutes in)

Anti-Muslim comments aren't allowed. Apparently.

The Egyptian crisis has shown the lack of understanding of Muslims by Cameron and his Government. Britain and its allies have maintained the brutal Mubarak for 30 years, contentedly supporting his suppression of any opposition and conniving with his attempts to portray the Muslim Brotherhood as the likely successor regime should he fall.

Although yesterday Cameron attempted to mollify his critique of Islam by pointing to the demonstrations in Cairo as proof of shared Muslim and western democratic values, this morning, his Foreign Secretary William Hague, carefully sidestepped questions about whether Mubarak should resign. Insisting yes, he really does support change, it seems Hague wants Mubarak to stay in power while previously banned liberal parties have time to develop and organise so they can challenge the Muslim Brotherhood in any elections. In other words, elections will be fine as long as the result is what Britain wants.

And that is basically where Mr Cameron's domestic muscular liberalism sits: you are free to be whatever you want to be, as long as you are what we want you to be. It is contradictory, warped and false. It is a design intended simply to bolster the Tories' falling poll ratings via scapegoating demagoguery rather than genuinely address real difficulties in inter-community relations.

But we live in a world where reality is set aside whenever it challenges perception, rather than the other way round. As my wife witnessed in our local town centre one day, when an Asian man parked on a double yellow line and went off inside a shop. A traffic warden came along moments later, remonstrated with the returning driver and placed a parking fine ticket on the windscreen. Next to my wife, an elderly (white) woman turned to her and, bewildered by what she had just observed, said,"That warden will be in trouble now. They're not allowed to fine Asians, you know. My son told me."