In all periods of history, humans have migrated. Sometimes to conquer new territories and
settle in masters, sometimes to seek refuge. ---- Immigration: a class divide across the
world. ---- In the context of capitalist globalization, social dumping is widespread. On
the one hand the capitalist impunity relocate production where workers / her deprivation
of rights, social protection and decent wages. And condition of the exploited of may
resemble those of slaves as in textile workshops in Bangladesh. ---- On the other hand,
millions of immigrants, old and new, arrivals in developed countries do not enjoy it
guarantees obtained (often after many years of struggle) by the local proletariat.
Immigration is exploited to divide the working class, to break the social gains to cause
phenomena of national unity or consensus against the most vulnerable and fragile.
The Schengen Agreement, the electrified fence to "protect" the southern border of the
United States or areas of lawlessness Ceuta and Lampedusa generate a monstrosity that
class struggle must kill: global capitalism can move instantly to optimize profits while
workers are doomed to a hopeless choice: confinement in a hopeless poverty or drowning at
the gates of a mythical West. Face the murderous cynicism of those who declare (as
Rocard): "France can not accommodate all the misery of the world" and at the same time
install Renault Romania, call centers in the Maghreb, the textile industry in Bangladesh,
which send their troops to Africa to restore the order and planquent their profits in the
Cayman Islands, our response is above all the absolute right to travel and immigrate and
unconditional legalization of all undocumented migrants.
Colonialism and post-colonialism
Colonization was not only a business development or looting of wealth. She was also a
murderous ideology theorizing inequality, slavery, the superiority of Western civilization
on the colonized peoples and the idea that colonialism brought these peoples progress and
modernity. Colonialism destroyed companies deemed archaic and inferior. He imposed or
tried to impose its beliefs, "values" lifestyle.
All immigration in France initially experienced racism, discrimination and often violence.
Over time, some of immigration in France is now "integrated", that is to say, it differs
little culturally and economically from the rest of the population. It is of Italian
immigration, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Armenian, Jewish ...
It is not at all the same colonial or post-colonial immigration. In contrast, very limited
progress has been achieved for a moment questioned. Massively, often millions of people of
French nationality, living in ghettos and suffer daily discrimination in employment,
housing or education and mass unemployment, racism and controls facies. Besides the
countless racist crimes or "blunders" police remained unpunished. Among the causes of this
scandalous situation, we must never forget that the word has not been said about slavery,
colonization or crimes committed during the war in Algeria. Assassins generals who smoked
Algerians at the time of conquest or swung Malagasy from airplanes are always celebrated.
Papon Bigeard were ministers or years after their crimes and the truth on October 17, 1961
has not been recognized. There was even a big "consensus" on the annexation of Mayotte.
It is significant to see that everyone moves to whether secularism was not raped at
Chanteloup-les-Vignes but almost no one is moved by what Chanteloup-les-Vignes: ghetto
where the majority of the population, post-colonial origin is excluded, live below the
poverty line and more likely to get away with traffickers rather than continuing to hope
in a "republican equality" that is decidedly not address these dominated. Similarly, the
authorities react to all anti-Semitic acts, even unproven, are strangely silent when women
(veiled) Argenteuil are assaulted in the street. There is a "Republican" speech, which
states that a priori the Republic allows equality. In its history, the Republic was fully
adapted to colonialism, racism, discrimination and of course the dictatorship of capital.
Republican discourse and the values ??he exhibits are completely hollow for the
proletariat from the colonial or post-colonial immigration.
Racism or racism?
Of course, we can give a general definition of racism essentializes populations according
to their origins or their assumed identities, spreading hatred and prioritizes human
groups. A too broad definition allows all confusions.
The extreme right has created AGRIF (General Alliance against Racism and for the Respect
of the French and Christian Identity). Even the MRAP has adopted a text which speaks of an
"anti-white racism" and fortunately this has caused waves within it.
The issue of racism intersects basically the dominant and the dominated. Racism is one of
the means used by the dominant to maintain their domination.
In Europe, for decades, anti-Semitism was the common denominator of all the currents of
the extreme racist right. Jews, believers or not, were then "rogue" considered assimilated
Asians, crazy obstacle to dream of building ethnically pure states. The West got rid of
his major responsibility Semitism on the back of the Palestinian people by saying to the
Jews: "Now, you have a country and you leave when you want." Zionism was the Jews who
espouse the cause of the colonizers in the service of the West. Jews in the West are now
part of the "dominant" and anti-Semitism has declined sharply. In other times a case such
as DSK would have caused an anti-Semitic outburst. Today the main leaders of the European
extreme right are openly pro-Israel and anti-Semitism of Jean-Marie Le Pen is less
reflected in the party he founded.
After September 11, 2001, Bush endorsed the theory of the "clash of civilizations" and
said the "war of good against evil," evil being Muslim or deemed such. Islamophobia has
replaced anti-Semitism as a common feature of the racist far right. It is absurd to deny
the existence of Islamophobia. It does not hit the Emir of Qatar. Those who accept that
wealthy capitalists redeem all laugh because they are Muslims or not. Islamophobia strikes
dominated. Islamophobia Breivik think Islam breaks the purity of Norway. When M?nard said
in Seine-Saint-Denis, he was born more Muslims than French, it's the same fantasy. When
Marine Le Pen compares the street prayers to the German occupation, it does not apply to
other religions. It attacks the Muslims or Muslim people "appearance." Just as
anti-Semitism hit all Jews, believers or not.
A particularly odious racism looks like a resurgence of eternal hatred and contempt
ordinary. Anti-Romani racism is need in a society in crisis to have lower than itself.
This is the idea that social cohesion requires a common hatred against a group of people
we have excluded. It reminds the Middle Ages the elimination of society lepers,
prostitutes, heretics ...
Strategy to oppose racism in the name of "moral values" as did SOS Racism in the 80s is
quite inefficient. On the one hand because SOS Racisme is the appendix patronage of a
party that extended the racist security policy whenever he was in power, but also because
we do not fight racism without asking the social question .
All racisms are aimed at precarious dominated populations, keeping in insecurity and
divide the proletariat.
The continuation of the policy of the French government against Roma, or Undocumented
Comoros considered illegal immigrants to Mayotte is clearly racist.
Segregation, discrimination and struggles
Walking Beurs dated 1 June 1983. It ended with a massive demonstration of more than
100,000 people. This event had no religious character. She led the development of the MIB
(Movement Immigration and Suburbs). Since 1983, all worsened. The companies and mass
unemployment closures have hit more neighborhoods. Public and voluntary services were
disintegrated tissue much more than elsewhere, leaving the inhabitants of the cities to
fend for themselves against a backdrop of racism and exclusion. Segregation in housing has
accentuated the ghetto character of these neighborhoods that are dilapidated due to lack
of maintenance or new construction. At school, all the indicators of success is returned
in the late 1990s and anyway, many graduates neighborhoods still experiencing insecurity
and unemployment.
If all powers have left neglected neighborhoods, they multiplied discriminatory laws and
security laws. The law on religious signs at school was clearly that the Muslim religion.
The law on the burqa was an imaginary enemy, but it clearly meant the poor Muslim women as
a problem. Beyond laws, youth killed by police with impunity in Grasse, Clichy-sous-Bois,
Villiers-le-Bel, or sending all the "forces" in Seine-Saint-Denis quell the anger have a
sense: Residents are branded as dangerous and as constituting the problem of French
society. It is the abandonment of neighborhoods that religious began to thrive and provide
a form of identity and social ties that have too often gone. It is also on this
abandonment that leads to horrors like the inhabitants of a deprived city expelling Roma.
It is possible to break the vicious circle. For the 30th anniversary of the March of the
Beurs, a demonstration was held in Marseille to call the "Northern Areas, strong
neighborhoods" group (QNQF) to scream indignation against the abandonment of neighborhoods
and its consequences: young idle without killing each Kalashnikovs for control of drug
trafficking. A few days later, a major community centers in these neighborhoods threatened
with expulsion, met the main strengths of these neighborhoods in a gigantic party. Our
place is on the side of those who struggle with the excluded those which represent a
significant part of the proletariat living in France. Yet when Comorian took to the
streets to shout their pain after the plane where many of them have disappeared accident,
"whites" were very rare in the event.
The left, the extreme left and the unions to immigration.
First an observation: the small number of party members or members of immigrant.
There is a main reason. The discourse that is required is roughly one: "Be like us, adopt
our values ??and defend you." There is a kind of condescension towards them with the idea
that the "true" values ??(feminism, secularism, socialism ...) are Western and the
population of immigrant should get rid of archaic to access modernity .
This paternalism can even turn clientelism. PS (as UMP) considers the population of
immigrant as an electorate that can be bought as the right has done Corbeil or seduce with
politicians who access responsibilities and dangle the myth of emancipation (as Samia
Ghali Marseille).
The left mythifies the "Enlightenment" without seeing the contradictions of this
historical movement in particular vis-?-vis the colonized and their descendants. Even in
the revolutionary currents, clairvoyance was uncommon at the time of the anti-colonial
struggles.
Social movement must not defend the social gains against populations of immigrant whose
presence is seen as a threat against those rights. It is open to all and therefore this
third of the proletariat discriminated and stigmatized. Equal rights is inseparable from
the defense of existing rights and the conquest of new rights.
Take the episode protests during the massacre of "Cast Lead" by the Israeli army. At
first, political and trade union forces are left to the streets. But once they have seen
Muslim women veiled slogans in Arabic, they are removed. It's pretty pathetic.
Anti-racism and equal rights they imply assimilation, forced integration and abjured the
difference? The immigrant doivent-ils/elles be "bleached"? No, a thousand times no.
Anti-racism is a mutual enrichment, it is a peaceful confrontation of cultures and
backgrounds that each can choose what helps emancipation. "Living together" and equal
rights, it is not the only model (baguette and beret?) And deleting the original culture.
The assimilation or integration should be a possibility of choice and not an obligation.
Anti-racism is to make the host society is benevolent and egalitarian, it is not an
injunction.
Condescension of an entire French left or extreme left can go a long way. The name of
feminism or secularism, some have designated immigrant as backward. They resumed odious
assimilation Islam / Islamism. They were associated with stigma campaigns. Should we name
names? A group as "secular Riposte" today joined the National Front has a current that
pushed his "republican" values ??up Islamophobia most uninhibited. More serious in our
ranks, many do not see this as a newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" (with or without Sarkozy Val)
has become. Or do not see what "feminists" as Elisabeth Badinter or Caroline Fourest spoof
on immigration.
Universal values ??are not Western by gasoline. Secularism, feminism, and in general our
"values" are inseparable from the class struggle. When these values ??are used to
stigmatize dominated, they turn their backs on emancipation.
Self-organization and solidarity
There is a major challenge: to unify the proletariat, giving meaning to the old slogan:
"immigrant workers, French workers, same bosses, same fight." It is interesting to see
that the manifestation of neighborhoods in Marseille, the end of the old slogan: "first,
second, third generation, we are all children of immigrants" was replaced by "we are all
Marseille." Beyond the local folklore, there is a way. Post-colonized demand their rights,
they do not beg. They are at home.
There is within them lots of associations with which we can make a connection. The
neighborhood community centers often allow the survival of affected areas. They provide
tutoring, transmission of culture, assistance to the unemployed, community life,
resistance. Free radios that allow districts to express exist everywhere.
There is also QNQF already mentioned, national associations as ATMF (Association of North
Africans in France Workers) or FTCR (Tunisian Federation of citizens on both sides). These
lay associations fight virulently fundamentalist in their country of origin. In France,
they are spearheading the fight against Islamophobia because they know that stigma affects
everyone, believer or not. The French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP) has a common banner
with these associations ("Arabs and Jews United for Justice in Palestine") and two joint
missions took place in Palestine. This is both the best way to combat all forms of racism
(anti-Semitism, Islamophobia) and to give meaning to the concept of living together with
equal rights. ATMF FTCR and UJFP were together at Argenteuil to protest against unpunished
attacks against women. To the junction with the secular and progressive associations is an
obligation. Break ostracism neighborhoods are victims, including left, is imperative.
Pierre Stambul
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