__________________________________________________________________________
The Internet Anti-Fascist: Friday, 28 December 2001
Vol. 5, Number 107 (#635)
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Announcements:
01) New issue of "Turning the Tide: Journal of Anti-Racist Action,
Research & Education"
Web Sites of Interest:
02) The aftermath of Theresienstadt
Book/Movie Reviews:
03) Chris Henning (Sydney Morning Herald), "Children's heroes have a
certain ring of racism: Harry and the hobbits might be fun, but they
should be recognised as appealing to the racist within us," 13 Dec
01
News On Fascist Actions Around the World
04) WDIV -- Detroit, "Church Targeted By Vandals," 27 Dec 01
05) Jay Reeves (AP), "Attacks Spur Alabama Racial Unity," 24 Dec 01
06) Kalinga Seneviratne (Inter Press Service), "Fears Rise of New,
Uglier 'White Australia' Policy," 27 Dec 01 07) AP, "Man Pleads
Innocent in Anthrax Hoax," 24 Dec 01
08) George Jahn (AP), "Austria's Haider Defies Supreme Court," 20 Dec 01
Rightwing Quote of the Week:
09) National Front88, "Write to Jewish Supremacists Facing 35 Years in
Prison," 29 Dec 01
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ANNOUNCEMENTS:
01) The new issue of "Turning the Tide: Journal of Anti-Racist Action,
Research & Education" is now out.
The quarterly tabloid is produced by Anti-Racist Action(ARA)/People Against
Racist Terror(PART) and features PART's perspective on "Fighting the Next
War, Not the Last One," as well as a piece on "The Homeland Theater of
Operations," by Michael Novick of Anti-Racist Action.
Two articles, "Combating White Supremacy in the Anti-Globalization
Movement," by Sonja Sivesind, and "Report on a Forum on Racism in
Progressive Movements," by Donna Lamb, take up the important and often-
neglected issue of racism within "the left," a dynamic often forgotten by
groups that focus exclusively on opposing right wing forces or naked white
supremacists like the nazis and Klan. Further addressing issues raised by
the on-going US "anti-terrorism" war, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, this
issue includes an eye-opening review of Zbiegniew Brzezinski's "The Grand
Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives," by Michael
Ruppert, one of the founders of LA's !Crack the CIA! Coalition, as well as
an International Human Rights Day declaration by RAWA, the Revolutionary
Association of the Women of Afghanistan.
A continuing focus of TTT and PART has been freedom for political
prisoners, and this issue is no exception. "Human Rights During Wartime,"
by Ohio 7 anti-imperialist political prisoner Jaan Laaman, and "Imperial
Foreign Policy," by Mumia Abu-Jamal, still on death row despite a federal
court ruling overturning his death sentence, provide important insights
from behind prison walls. Articles by Lorenzo Komboa Ervin, a former
political prisoner and Black anti-authoritarian, and by Matt Meyer of
"Resistance in Brooklyn," a supporter of the Jericho Amnesty Movement,
focus attention on particular cases such as that of Ali Khalid Abdullah as
well as the connection of political prisoners in general to the prison
movement and struggle against imperialist war. This issue also has contact
information for the important upcoming "Tear Down the Walls" international
conference on U.S.-held political prisoners and prisoners of war, to be
convened in Havana, Cuba in March under the auspices of OSPAAL (the Cuban
Organization of Solidarity with the People of Africa, Asia and Latin
America). [For more information, see:
www.thejerichomovement.com/teardownthewalls]. "The Executioners Blinked:
The Struggle to Free Mumia" looks at the critical case of Abu-Jamal, a
political prisoner still on death row and still facing the prospect of
execution after more than 20 years of unyielding resistance. The issue also
reports on a new generation of political prisoners such as L.A. anarchist
Robert "Ruckus" Middaugh, sentenced to three years in prison after being
the victim of a police riot on May Day in Long Beach, CA.
News reports in this issue include accounts of the racist Jewish Defense
League and fascist National Alliance making hay in the wake of the war and
state racism, and the arrest of two Anti-Quarantine AIDS activists on one
million dollars bail. The issue also provides detailed information on
several major upcoming conferences and mobilizations, including "Unlocking
Los Angeles: LA and the Prison Industrial Complex" in Pasadena CA, January
26; an Anti-Capitalist Convergence and National Student Mobilization
against the World Economic Forum in NYC, January 31-February 4; and
Barricada's "Festival del Pueblo" in Boston MA on May 1-5, 2002.
Subscriptions to the quarterly publication are $15 a year in the US, $25
internationally, but people in the US can obtain a free sample copy of the
latest issue by sending their name and street address to ARA/PART, PO Box
1055, Culver City CA 90232; 310-495-0299; or by email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Join the "stop police abuse" list at <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stop-
polabuse>
-- People Against Racist Terror (PART), PO Box 1055, Culver City, CA 90232
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
<http://www.antiracist.org/issues.html>
Send for a sample of our quarterly print publication:
Turning The Tide: Journal of Anti-Racist Action, Research & Education"
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WEB SITES OF INTEREST:
02 The Aftermath of Theresienstadt
<http://www.interlog.com/~mighty/poetry/poetry11.htm> and
<http://www.interlog.com/~mighty/personal/domino.htm> and two new links to
extraordinary stories:
<http://www.irenemuskal.org/> <http://www.geocities.com/yetisurvived>
-- Judy Cohen, editor
survivor-witness
<www.womenandtheholocaust.org>
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BOOK/MOVIE REVIEWS:
03) Children's heroes have a certain ring of racism: Harry and the hobbits
might be fun, but they should be recognised as appealing to the
racist within us
Chris Henning (Sydney Morning Herald)
13 Dec 01
We are in deep Pottermania. No child is without its thick spectacles,
pointed hat and moon-and-stars cloak. Other fantastic creatures are banging
on the gates, demanding to be let in: orcs, elves, ents and the rest of
Middle Earth are about to break through into our consciousness when the
Lord of the Rings marketing blitz gets under way.
Why this sudden bugaboo frenzy? And why now?
The appeal of the Lord of the Rings is fundamentally racist. Middle Earth
is inhabited by races of creature deeply marked off from one another by
language, physical appearance, and behaviour. It is almost a parody of a
Hitlerian vision: orcs are ugly, disgusting, brutal, violent - without
exception; elves are a beautiful, lordly, cultured elite; in between are
hobbits, short, hairy, ordinary, a bit limited, but lovable and loyal and
brave when they have to be.
Individuals within races don't vary from the pattern. To know one is to
know all. The races are either dangerous or they are benign. An orc - any
orc - is without question an enemy. A hobbit would never side with an orc.
Tolkien's entrancing vision has long been extraordinarily popular, not
least with the far Right. If you have doubts, call up a few white
supremacist sites on the Web. Tolkien is recommended reading for families
hoping to bring up their children in a wholesome, racialist atmosphere. It
sets the racist mental framework in an appealing and unchallenging way.
What about Harry Potter? Surely he can't be a racist too? He's just a kid
going to school.
Well, no and yes. He's probably not recommended reading among the
supremacists. They are often Christian fundamentalists, a group which is
down on witchcraft and any form of paganism. The devil's work, you
understand.
But ... but ... Harry and his friends are members of an elite. They are not
a race, but their powers are handed down the generations from parents to
children. The skills must be inherited before they are developed with
teaching at Hogwarts. The reader quickly identifies with this genetic
elite, the wizards such as Harry, and despises the talentless, boorish
muggles.
How we laugh when the Dursleys get into difficulties! They deserve it. They
are, after all, just muggles - hapless, fat, brutal and stupid. They're all
like that. Go on, Harry, hit them again and watch them cry.
Our response is no different from our view of orcs in Lord of the Rings. It
is a racist view of the world, and to that extent, Harry Potter's appeal is
to the racist within us.
But it's fun. And only boring people want to criticise it or condemn or ban
it. Millions and millions of children - and adults - all over the world
love J.K.Rowling and all her works, just as they love Tolkien and all his.
Just because Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings can be seen as racist is no
reason to ban them, restrict their circulation or protect the vulnerable
from them. Far from it - they are wonderful stories. But we should see them
for what they are, and know that that is their appeal. We should ask why
their appeal is so great.
Our clever and amoral Prime Minister has just won a third term, against
expectations, by appealing to the racism and insecurity at the heart of the
Australian psyche. Can these two disparate things be related in some way?
Perhaps they are related this way. We have been so isolated in our little
consumerist, suburban cocoons, being told relentlessly how important we are
as individuals - not as a group. Multiculturalism tells us that no culture
has primacy over another, no habits are superior. We must tolerate
everything. We must esteem our own culture, our own values, no higher than
others.
Globalisation tells us that nothing has a value unless it can be expressed
in dollars, that flexibility, change and choice are all the highest
virtues, that a hankering after tradition or group values is the worst kind
of vice.
For many people, the consequences of this - communities destroyed or
undermined, values set at nought, habits despised - have been profoundly
dispiriting. One Nation has played on this sense of loss, offering racist
policies with mixed success. John Howard took over where One Nation failed,
and revived his political fortunes.
Harry and the hobbits, with their takeaway racism, offer the same comfort
for the whole world: join our tribe, be special with us, despise our
subhumans.
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NEWS ON FASCIST ACTIONS AROUND THE WORLD
04) Church Targeted By Vandals
WDIV -- Detroit
27 Dec 01
Racist graffiti was found Wednesday on an Eastpointe church with a
predominantly African American congregation.
Police said vandals used pink spray paint to put a swastika and racial
slurs on Mercy Faith Temple COGIC. The graffiti was found on the rear of
the building.
Church officials refused to comment on the incident. They said that they
feared retaliation and were concerned about possible damage to their
relationship with neighborhood residents, according to Local 4.
Neighbors have complained in the past about loud music coming from the
church, but the congregation was welcomed in the community overall, Local 4
reported.
Investigators said that the incident probably happened on Christmas Eve or
Christmas. They are asking anyone with information in the case to contact
Eastpointe police.
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05) Attacks Spur Alabama Racial Unity
Jay Reeves (AP)
24 Dec 01
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Thousands of blacks and whites joined in chanting
"U.S.A!" when two New York City firefighters passed by in Montgomery's
Christmas parade on Dexter Avenue, better known as a scene of both civil
rights marches and Ku Klux Klan rallies.
Although blacks and whites usually live in different neighborhoods in
Alabama, people of different races have joined hands both literally and
figuratively since Sept. 11.
In addition to the Dec. 3 Christmas parade, dozens of white people attended
an open house after the attacks for an Islamic mosque located in a crime-
plagued black neighborhood.
"There's an unusual cohesiveness between blacks and white," said state Rep.
Alvin Holmes of Montgomery, a black Democrat best known for complaining
about racial bias, particularly in state government.
"I do think there has been a recognition that some of the stuff we let
divide us is pretty petty," said Jim Evans, a white Baptist minister and
head of the Interfaith Alliance of Alabama, which works to foster ties
between people of different faiths.
Still, Evans worries that part of the unity between the races in Alabama
stems from many people perceiving a new "them" - Muslims or anyone else who
appears to be of Middle Eastern origin.
In some cases, people moved from being racist "right into a position of
being ethnically and religiously biased," he said. "We didn't get rid of
those things, we just shifted them."
After the attacks, some Alabama Muslims reported harassing phone calls and
negative comments, and a death threat was tacked to the door of a Middle
Eastern restaurant in Tuscaloosa.
But at the same time, some Alabama Muslims say they have received an
outpouring of support.
Leaders of the Birmingham Islamic Society were surprised by the large
number of people who attended the open house held in October. The
organization's school, the Islamic Academy of Alabama, had been closed in
the first days after the attacks as a precaution against possible
reprisals.
"There has been an outpouring of compassion, for sure," said Ashfaq Ashfaq
Taufique, president of the society.
- - - - -
06) Fears Rise of New, Uglier 'White Australia' Policy
Kalinga Seneviratne (Inter Press Service)
27 Dec 01
SYDNEY -- Media debate here about the economic and social costs of
immigration is rekindling suspicions that the government of Prime Minister
John Howard may be quietly considering the re- introduction of some sort of
a 'White Australia' policy.
"Despite what a few hyperbolic types might allege, the 'White Australia'
policy is dead and gone," said Dr Gerard Henderson, executive director of
the Sydney Institute, writing in 'The Australian' recently. "However, if
influential Australians have their way, it might soon be replaced by a
Muslim Immigration Restriction Act or perhaps, a Judeo-Christian Australia
policy."
Australian diplomats and politicians, however, will be quick to dismiss
such suggestions, even pointing out that Pauline Hanson's racist One Nation
Party was soundly beaten in the November polls.
But the fact is that in order to win back voters from the far right anti-
immigration party, Howard's anti-immigration rhetoric reflected very much
the platform of One Nation.
He even went as far as suggesting during the campaign that some of the boat
people from Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites) whom Australia has
refused to let in could be terrorists.
In order to protect Australia from "international terrorism", the issue of
resurrecting some sort of a 'White Australia' policy is been quietly raised
through the media, with a subtle economic focus given to it.
Until the mid-1970s, Australia had a policy that specified that only those
with European ancestry could migrate to Australia. It was designed to stem
the "yellow peril" -- the possibility of large numbers of Asians,
especially Chinese, flocking to Australia.
Now, some respected economists, sociologists and influential media
commentators are openly debating economic arguments to justify the re-
introduction of a discriminatory immigration policy.
For instance, Wolfgang Kasper, emeritus professor of economics at the
University of New South Wales, argued that because "no community can
function effectively without shared institutions or values", immigrants
should be screened for their ability to be part of these factors in
Australia.
Writing in the November issue of the 'Quadrant' magazine, Kasper added that
a set of shared institutions and values are precious social capital. He
noted that although all people may be equal, they carry deeply held
cultural and institutional baggage of greater or lesser value for life in
Australia.
"Of the various institutional systems developed by man, probably none is
more resistant to accepting new ground rules than the Middle Eastern
tradition. This is not a consequence of biology and race, but of
environment and race," said Kasper, arguing that this means Middle Eastern
migrants can have friction with ordinary Australians.
Thus, Kasper called for Australia's immigration policy to be restructured
to include a selection criteria that have to "measure the readiness or
otherwise of newcomers to fit in with our open society".
Another key figure to join in the debate is John Stone, former secretary to
the treasury and ex-senator of the National Party. He was a member of the
shadow Cabinet in 1988, when the then opposition leader Howard raised the
issue of restricting Asian immigration. Stone was one of his strongest
supporters in the shadow ministry.
In an article in 'The Australian' entitled, 'We only want those who are
prepared to be like us', he called for a new immigration policy that
discriminates not on the basis of race but culture.
Stone said: "Australians must fundamentally rethink the stupidities which
for 20 years now have dominated our immigration policies and, along with
them, our official policies of multi-culturalism." He defines
multiculturalism as "non-assimilation" to the mainstream culture.
"Our future immigration policy should have nothing to do with immigrants'
skin colour or ethnicity," added Stone. "It should have everything to do
with whether those concerned are capable of assimilating into Australia's
basically Judeo-Christian culture, and disposed to do so."
Espousing the theory of the superiority of the European Judeo- Christian
culture over all others, he added: "All cultures are not equal, and it is
ridiculous (and since September 11th much more dangerous) to keep insisting
that they are."
Sydney Institute's Henderson disagrees, pointing out that Muslims have been
in Australia since 1860. While the Islamic population has been growing
rapidly in the last 20 years, majority of them are not Arab, and majority
of the Arabic immigrants are not Muslims, he explains.
"It is reasonable to expect that all Australian residents -- whether of the
Judeo-Christian culture or otherwise -- obey our laws and respect our
pluralistic traditions. For most parts this has been the case," observed
Henderson.
This latest bout of nostalgia for the less complicated times of the 'White
Australia' policy by the country's conservative white establishment has
been triggered by the Howard government's refusal lately to allow Middle
Eastern and Afghan asylum seekers to land on Australian soil.
The government's rhetoric has been uncomfortably close to that which was
used to shut out non-white immigrants from Australia for most of the 20th
century.
But former human rights and equal opportunities commissioner Chris Sidoti
says that groups trying to change the Howard government's stance on asylum
seekers have been wasting their time. He suggests that they should focus on
changing community attitudes.
"I don't think we've got yet the answer to how those kinds of fears can be
laid to rest, but certainly we've wasted a hell of a lot of time in trying
to persuade this government to change its policy," Sidoti said at the
launch of the Australian Human Rights Register earlier this month.
The register accused the Howard government of subjecting asylum seekers to
violence and encouraging xenophobia with its policy toward boat people.
Sidoti says that the alternatives to detaining asylum seekers, proposed by
non-government bodies, have been ignored by the government. "That was a
miscalculation, a strategy that has not worked," he said. "We should spend
more time talking to the community."
A report released by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in
December says that the level of racism against those who do not fit into
the stereotype of the 'typical Australian' was increasing across Australia.
Since the Sep. 11 attacks in New York and Washington, reports of cases of
racism against all ethnic communities have increased, adds the report.
- - - - -
07) Man Pleads Innocent in Anthrax Hoax
AP
24 Dec 01
SEATTLE -- A white supremacist accused of mailing white powder and racist
literature to a woman during the height of the anthrax scare is being held
without bail.
Donald Bruce McAninch, 45, pleaded innocent to "threatened use of certain
weapons of mass destruction," mail theft and mail fraud. He was ordered
Friday to remain in federal detention pending trial in February.
The pizza delivery driver had pleaded guilty to past mail-related crimes
and was sentenced in 1991 to 21/2 years in prison.
Prosecutors accuse him of mailing an envelope containing white powder to a
woman with a Chinese surname because of her "actual or perceived" race. He
also allegedly placed pornographic and racist material in people's mail and
ordered magazine subscriptions for minority individuals and anti-prejudice
advocates.
McAninch was caught mailing letters by FBI (news - web sites) surveillance,
court documents said, and police traced his fingerprints to 17 letters
containing racist leaflets and sexually explicit photographs left at a
middle school in March.
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08) Austria's Haider Defies Supreme Court
George Jahn (AP)
20 Dec 01
VIENNA -- In a rebellion against Austria's highest court, far-right
governor Joerg Haider has refused to accept a ruling benefiting the Slovene
minority in his province and challenged its chief judge to resign.
It is just the latest controversy for Haider, the governor of Carinthia
province and the former head of the Freedom Party, a partner in Austria's
federal government coalition. Like previous conflicts involving Haider and
his party, this dispute also focuses on ethnicity.
The Freedom Party is known for its strong anti-foreigner platform and
Haider has been criticized for statements seen as racist and sympathetic to
Nazis.
Austria's Supreme Court last week ordered signs for communities in
Carinthia where the Slovene minority makes up at least 10 percent of the
population to be in both the Slovenian and German languages. At present,
bilingual signs identifying towns and villages are mandatory for
communities with a 25 percent Slovene population.
Though the Supreme Court decision is binding and not subject to appeal
Haider dismissed it. Instead, he accused chief Judge Ludwig Adamovich of
conspiring with Milan Kucan, the president of neighboring Slovenia about
the signs before the court brought the decision.
In an interview with state radio Thursday, Haider suggested that instead of
increasing the number of signs, all signs should be removed. In exchange,
he offered unspecified concessions to the Slovene minority.
Earlier, he called for Adamovich's resignation or impeachment. Adamovich on
Wednesday denied any conspiracy and said he was ready to face impeachment
proceedings to prove his case.
Representatives of Carinthia's Slovenes on Wednesday asked state
prosecutors to examine if there were grounds to charge Haider with
"defiance of the law," a criminal offense.
Senior opposition politicians and human rights groups also were strongly
critical.
"There can't be a case of someone thinking laws are made for 7.5 million
men and women in this country but not for the governor of Carinthia," Heinz
Fischer, the chief parliament speaker and a senior member of the opposition
Socialist party, told state radio Thursday.
Haider was most recently in the news for demanding that non-European
refugees be barred from seeking asylum in Austria. Previously, he made
disparaging comments about the head of Austria's Jewish community. A few
years back, he praised members of Adolf Hitler's Waffen-SS as decent folks
and extolled some aspects of Hitler's rule.
Reflecting the concern he and his party arouse and opposition to Freedom
Party participation in the government, the European Union (news - web
sites) last year imposed eight months of sanctions on Austria shortly after
the coalition was sworn in.
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RIGHTWING QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
For those who believe that fascism is only a thing of the past
09) Write to Jewish Supremacists Facing 35 Years in Prison
National Front88
29 Dec 01
Courtesy of public records:
Irving David Rubin
20965-112
MDC-LA
PO BOX 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90053
Earl Lesle Krugel
20966-112
MDC-LA
PO BOX 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90053
There are no laws preventing people from writing letters to these two
hateful Jewish Supremacists and terrorists. Inform them you feel safer
knowing they are locked up and facing 35 years in a prison that
_concentrates_ inmates, not unlike Germany during WW II. Inmates in the
state they are currently being held are required by law to work, not unlike
the inmates who were incarcerated at Auschwitz. In this instance, work
will NOT set them free. Their prisoner trust account is so low that they
cannot purchase items in jail and make collect phone calls to their fellow
terrorists ($1.50 per minute) ordering them to kill people. The poor
little terrorists.
Hopefully, both Jews will never see the light of day again. Sending them a
National Socialist flyer (one with a big Swastika) or two might not be a
bad idea, but I wouldn't put a return address on the envelope lest they
notify Jewish cells of your address and order them to murder you. People
who have been on the receiving end of their anti-Gentilism activities are
now in a position to inform them they have lost their battle.
End game.
* * * * *
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and
educational purposes only.
__________________________________________________________________________
FASCISM:
We have no ethical right to forgive, no historical right to forget.
(No permission required for noncommercial reproduction)
- - - - -
back issues archived via:
<ftp://ftp.nyct.net/pub/users/tallpaul/publish/tinaf/>
