(en) Regard Noir Group - Anarchist Federation: Past the shock
and fear (fr)
Past the shock and fear, it is difficult to find words that do not ring hollow after the
evening of 13 November. If we know that other killings occur frequently in the world, so
if we are internationalist solidarity with the victims of the attacks in Ankara, Nairobi,
Suruç, Beirut, Tunis and elsewhere, we can not pretend that these attacks we had not
particularly affected. As a Parisian militant attacks have hit places we frequent, streets
that we walk, hit of knowledge, comrades and friends. We will say things as we feel them
and believe. ---- We assure the families and relatives of the victims our sympathy. We
realize that this will not change much for them and them, but it may help us make sense of
it all. ---- Keeping a cool head is not easy under the avalanche of media discourse and
politicians who, under the pretext of solidarity, trying to exploit our emotion. What
these discourses work to obscure is that the attacks are the result of a political,
economic and social situation: the roots of these murderous acts plunge into war, poverty,
stigma and exclusion in France and in the countries in which it operates militarily. The
ideologues who use religion to guide the resentments generated for their own political,
economic and military thrive on that basis. Actually prevent these killings, it is above
all fight against the conditions that made them possible. France is at war for a long
time, Mali, Central Africa, including Syria. The measures and reactionary discourse in
France for years, reinforce the stigmatization and exclusion of Muslims or similar. The
anti-social policies of successive governments, the war for the poor and workers led by
the bourgeoisie completes the recipe for this explosive cocktail which our leaders, all
parties are responsible.
We must not give in to civil war logic. Like in the attacks in January, the main goal
sought by the sponsors of the attacks is to reinforce the stigmatization of Muslims hoping
us get into a war of civilizations logic, and to establish their influence on these
marginalized populations. This is not relativize the facts to note that the majority of
victims are Muslim attacks, in Muslim-majority countries. The speeches on the closure of
mosques called fundamentalist or radical build an immediate parallel between
"fundamentalist" and "terrorist", the transition from one to the other being presented as
a simple slip, while the use of armed violence proceeds a different logic. In fact,
through this type of speeches, about the "refusal of amalgam," are just hypocrisy.
Let us not be fooled by the political campaign for national unity. Co-responsible for
these attacks are now in power in the media, and all political parties: the Left Front
which supported military interventions, the National Front which everyone knows the
positions. By encouraging the stigmatization of those considered as "foreign" by attacking
people from other countries, and more generally contributing to social inequality, the
ruling class has a major responsibility. Their unity allowed our demonstrations and
stigmatize migrants. Unions withdraw their calls to strike and threats to the social
movement become more insistent. Their unity is a matter of communication for us to accept
the state of emergency.
On the other hand, we consider that the attacks of November 13 may have targeted "France"
but it is the proletariat which was mainly affected by, through its places of living and
leisure. It is neither the Senate nor the Fouquet's, which were hit. These are ours, in
their diversity, who have been victims of these attacks. The French state is not suddenly
become our ally. Remember the past repressive measures after the attacks of January. The
State which is as our defense does not protect us as much as it claims, since its very
existence and action is the basis of inequality and injustice, conditions such massacres.
Now what to do? How not to give in to the media and political sirens? How to fight so that
such events are no longer possible? How to resist the xenophobic offensive that is sure to
sweep? We need to get out of the logic of the "clash of civilizations" promoted, whether
they admit it or not, by the French ruling classes, and taken over by the Islamic State.
Our camp has not changed, our allies are not and will never be in power. In the struggles
that lie ahead, our place is firmly alongside the repressed unionists, collective
resistance to the war to the poor, of migrants, Muslim or similar fighting against stigma
and all those who suffer attacks because of their beliefs or background. This social camp
is that of solidarity among the rest of us from below that can live only modest means who
suffer injustice every day from above. Today as yesterday and tomorrow, we must come
together, we combine and organize to fight the ills that society, by pulsing or joining
charitable associations, local support networks and accompanying most oppressed. Engage,
advocate, make freedom and equality concrete values in the acts of daily life.
We must not accept orders to stay at home, not to act, to "let the police do their job."
Instead, we must come together to show that the division of our class attempts do not,
they are murderers in power or illegal assassins. The bombing of retaliation against Daesh
show that our leaders do not count change how they act. Their front line is not ours. If
front line there must be, it must be against the state, whether Islamic or not. Civil war
will not take place.
We need hope. The spontaneous expressions of solidarity, donations of blood, "open", calls
for peace, the crowds gathered in tribute to victims repulsive fascists in Metz and Lille,
are all positive notes. Growing these flashes of solidarity against fear and security
order advocated by our enemies. Anarchists need to stand up against injustice wherever
they beat and wherever they come from. If the political situation takes the path of
attack, state or not, against immigrants, believers or progressive activists, our enemies
will find us in their path.
Courage, the bad days will end.
http://www.regardnoir.org/passes-le-choc-et-la-frayeur/
