Sunday, January 18, 2015

Cartoon bombing

We are all trying to find the narrow path – defending the French Republic against the twin threats of fundamentalism and fascism (and fundamentalism is a form of fascism). But I still believe that the best way to do this is to fight for our Republican ideals – secular and democratic.‘ - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf
We are all trying to find the narrow path – defending the French Republic against the twin threats of fundamentalism and fascism (and fundamentalism is a form of fascism). But I still believe that the best way to do this is to fight for our Republican ideals – secular and democratic.‘ - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf
We are all trying to find the narrow path – defending the French Republic against the twin threats of fundamentalism and fascism (and fundamentalism is a form of fascism). But I still believe that the best way to do this is to fight for our Republican ideals – secular and democratic.‘ - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf
We are all trying to find the narrow path – defending the French Republic against the twin threats of fundamentalism and fascism (and fundamentalism is a form of fascism). But I still believe that the best way to do this is to fight for our Republican ideals – secular and democratic.‘ - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf
We are all trying to find the narrow path – defending the French Republic against the twin threats of fundamentalism and fascism (and fundamentalism is a form of fascism). But I still believe that the best way to do this is to fight for our Republican ideals – secular and democratic.‘ - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf
We are all trying to find the narrow path – defending the French Republic against the twin threats of fundamentalism and fascism (and fundamentalism is a form of fascism). But I still believe that the best way to do this is to fight for our Republican ideals – secular and democratic.‘ - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf
We are all trying to find the narrow path – defending the French Republic against the twin threats of fundamentalism and fascism (and fundamentalism is a form of fascism). But I still believe that the best way to do this is to fight for our Republican ideals – secular and democratic.‘ - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf
LAST week, a horrid assault was perpetrated against the French weekly Charlie Hebdo, who had published caricatures of Muhammad, by men who screamed that they had “avenged the prophet”. A wave of compassion followed but apparently died shortly afterward and all sorts of criticism started pouring down the web against Charlie Hebdo, who was described as Islamophobic, racist and even sexist. - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf
LAST week, a horrid assault was perpetrated against the French weekly Charlie Hebdo, who had published caricatures of Muhammad, by men who screamed that they had “avenged the prophet”. A wave of compassion followed but apparently died shortly afterward and all sorts of criticism started pouring down the web against Charlie Hebdo, who was described as Islamophobic, racist and even sexist. - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.9yrCF3Ng.dpuf




"LAST week, a horrid assault was perpetrated against the French weekly Charlie Hebdo, who had published caricatures of Muhammad, by men who screamed that they had “avenged the prophet”. A wave of compassion followed but apparently died shortly afterward and all sorts of criticism started pouring down the web against Charlie Hebdo, who was described as Islamophobic, racist and even sexist...We are all trying to find the narrow path – defending the French Republic against the twin threats of fundamentalism and fascism (and fundamentalism is a form of fascism). But I still believe that the best way to do this is to fight for our Republican ideals – secular and democratic."
Olivier Tonneau "On Charlie Hebdo: A letter to my British friends."

This article reveals much more than the author intends.
He is right that fundamentalism is the cultural product of the failure of the ideals of the French Revolution.
But his naivety shows through when he is ‘shocked’ by the ban on Palestinian marches.
The ideals of the French Revolution will never by realised by the ‘Republic’ so long as it is propped up by liberals with illusions in the bourgeois state.
That the march in defence of free speech should have been led by dictators, torturers and mass murderers tells us that bourgeois society is bankrupt.
We should all know this by now.
In the immediate aftermath of the French Revolution, the liberation of the slaves in Haiti was revoked by Napoleon because of the interests of the profits of the French bourgeoisie.
For all its liberty, equality and fraternity the French state will never extend these values to the colonial and semi-colonial workers they continue to oppress and exploit whether in former colonies such as Syria or in the banlieues at home.
The rise of Islamic fundamentalism fills the gap left by the liberals who preach liberal, secular values, but deny the need for a new social revolution to realise these values in practice.
This vacuum exists because the liberal left from the Communist Party (which supported the French side in the Algerian war) to the feeble so-called revolutionary left in France today that politely protests French imperialism, has failed to smash its powerful state at home.
The left should stop dreaming of the failed French Revolution and study the Paris Commune of 1871 which for the first time in history saw the only class that is capable of realising liberty, equality and fraternity, the proletariat, momentarily take power, only to be drowned in the blood of reaction.
Modern France is like the tragic Paris Commune recycled as a soap opera, now played out on the wider stage of the former empire kept alive only by bombs and mercenaries, but where the proletariat now plays the lead in a farce dressed up as jihadis and adolescent cartoonists.
Such is the decrepitude of the old Empire, including its official, bought and sold liberal left, all it will take is for the jihadis and cartoonists to combine their talents and throw out the old garbage of Napoleons, dictators and warlords, smash their rotten state apparatus, and bring the international commune into life.
But for that to happen revolutionaries have to present a clear analysis of the decline and fall of capitalism, and what is needed for a new communist society to replace it.
http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/statement-paris-attacks/ - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/15/charlie-hebdo-for-kiwis-an-open-letter-on-fundamentalism/#sthash.GcCcv4QJ.rASAMaat.dpuf

The article by Olivier Tonneau reveals much more than the author intends. He is right that fundamentalism is the cultural product of the failure of the ideals of the French Revolution. But his naivety shows through when he is ‘shocked’ by the ban on Palestinian marches.

The ideals of the French Revolution will never by realised by the ‘Republic’ so long as it is propped up by liberals who defend a reactionary imperialist state. That the march in defence of free speech should have been led by dictators, torturers and mass murderers tells us that bourgeois society is bankrupt. We should all know this by now.

In the immediate aftermath of the French Revolution, the liberation of the slaves in Haiti was revoked by Napoleon in the interests of the profits of the French bourgeoisie. For all its liberty, equality and fraternity the French state will never extend these rights to the colonial and semi-colonial workers they continue to oppress and exploit whether in former colonies such as Syria or in the banlieues at home.

The rise of Islamic fundamentalism fills the gap left by the liberals who preach liberal, secular values, but deny the need for a new social revolution to realise these values in practice. This vacuum exists because the liberal left from the Communist Party (which supported the French side in the Algerian war) to the feeble pseudo-Trotskyist left in France today that politely protests French imperialism, can never bring itself to smash the ruling class and its powerful state at home.

The left should stop dreaming of the failed French Revolution and drawing adolescent cartoons in its memory and study the Paris Commune of 1871 which for the first time in history saw the only class that is capable of realising liberty, equality and fraternity, the proletariat, momentarily take power, only to be drowned in the blood of reaction.

Modern France is like the tragic Paris Commune recycled as a soap opera, now played out on the wider stage of the former empire kept alive only by bombs and mercenaries, but where the proletariat is the lead in a playground farce dressed up as adolescent jihadis fighting the shadow of empire and adolescent cartoonists throwing ink bombs.

Such is the decrepitude of the old Empire, including its official, bought and sold liberal left, all it will take is for the youthful jihadis and adolescent cartoonists to offer their talents to the socialist revolution to throw out the old garbage of Napoleons, dictators and warlords, smash their rotten state apparatus, and bring the international commune into life.

But for that to happen revolutionaries have to present a clear analysis of the decline and fall of capitalism, and what is needed for a new communist society to replace it. That means an international Marxist party and program that can replace the bankrupt bourgeoisie, their intellectual hacks and cartoon bombers.