Who Still Praises G.O.D.? - Combatting the Arguments of the Far Right
"We'll come united" by ekvidi is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
By RISE member
There are growing concerns around the likes of Gemma O’Doherty and others such as Justin Barret of the National Party. While Gemma was once a well respected journalist exposing corruption within Irish media, she now indulges in evenings spent thinking up racist conservative tweets. Controversy is clout in the online world and for Gemma the more outrageous she is, the more attention gathers around her. Alongside the likes of Grand Torino she is an Irish version of many well known conservative figureheads such as Ben Shapiro or Stefan Molyneux.
While many of these figures operate in the online sphere, we have seen the rise of far-right figures and ideas globally. Salvini in Italy, AfD in Germany, Bolsonaro in Brazil; and increasing far-right extremist attacks in the US. This has resulted in anti-fascists mobilisations in response.Seeds of resistance against far-right ideas have existed for awhile now in Ireland, one of the most well known being the anti-PEGIDA protests back in 2016. We have recently seen a strong backlash from rural communities attempting to address genuine concerns and battle racist ideologies simultaneously. The protests against the establishment of Direct Provision centres in Oughterard, and more recently in Leitrim, have seen a mixed bag of concern over Ireland’s immigration policies. An aspect of this was also seen at the recent Farmers’ Protest outside the Dáil. Farmers from across the country via tractor, came to voice their concerns over the unfair beef pricing and the neglect of small farmers. But alongside this was leaflets from the National Party and speakers from the Irish Freedom Party taking the stage.
While the protesters said ‘No to Carbon Tax’ and ‘We are willing to do our bit for the environment’, they also had some other mixed messages,’We have no problem with refugees in our area...provided the proper facilities are in place’. How do we tentatively engage in these discussions as socialists, pointing towards solidarity and not platforming racist sentiments when we do engage in these discussions? Sentiments that do serious harm to marginalised communities across the island.
While heading into a vibrant and productive discussion with a racist just doesn’t happen, I believe the ideas they spread can be combated. Justin Barrett understands that in communities that have been forgotten by the “Pale-centric” Dáil, there could be fertile ground for an atmosphere of preservation of traditional ideals. The concerns from rural Ireland i.e. transport, unemployment, housing, have validity, but the reaction to this anger can not be aimed at the migrant population.
Let’s take a look at 5 ‘arguments’ of the far-right.
There aren’t enough homes, we need to house the Irish first:
We can all agree that the government’s plan to ‘Rebuild’ Ireland has failed and will continue to fail. Murphy’s recent housing figures make little to no sense and it is clear he is lying about the delivery of social housing; both over-stating numbers and redefining ‘public housing’.
We can and do have the means to build homes at around €200,000 each. As Blindboy tweeted, if Dublin City Council voted for more homes rather than a €23 million facility for obscure water sports, that would be 115 gaffs.
If we took back our Apple tax that would mean 71,500 homes. With the legal fees it has cost us to appeal the EU’s decision, the most expensive, ‘no, no I’ll pay’’ of Irish culture (see: Ms Doyle), we could have built 35,500.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk3ds-VFKBs
Saying we need to build more homes is not enough, we need to build inclusive communities. Including playgrounds, football pitches, art centres, well-planned transport, and community halls; places to collectively organise and places to gather; to learn from each other’s experiences and build genuine solidarity, outside of the local pub.
2. We can’t handle a rapid increase in population:
Often times this argument is an expression of people’s genuine concerns. People are faced with long waits at the GP, council lists where people remain for over a decade and congested town centres. These are issues relating to a lack of public funding in vital services, not a population increase. There is enough wealth in the world to abolish poverty. The problem is unequal wealth distribution.
We see this argument also weaponised by eco-fascists, using a kind of modernised eugenics feeding off increasing environmental concern. Dealing with the incoming environmental catastrophe does not mean culling the population, as they may believe, it means an end to wasteful over-production and fighting for an eco-socialist planned economy.
I often wonder, would there be the same outrage if college students, priced out by the rental market in the capital, returned to their hometown in droves? Arguably not. The concern over population increase really has more to do with who makes it up rather than the numbers.
Some other questions are hidden in there, who are ‘productive’ members of society, who can give back in a ‘valuable’ way? A common argument weaponised against those on the dole.
We’ve heard Leo use these arguments, attempting to scapegoat the most vulnerable in society like migrants and people on social welfare. Pointing blame at people who are ‘cheating the system’ not at their failed capitalist project, who lets the fraudsters of the world, like Dara Murphy, off the hook.
This argument of ‘looking after our own’ should really mean looking after the working class of all nationalities and not looking after the wealthy elite and their profits. All the workers of the world are being exploited by their bosses! Uniting to resist our everyday suppression should really be the answer!
3. Migrants are not working and are sponging off the government:
It is entirely unjust that refugees do not have the right to work, or a very limited right too. Job access is another major issue. In Oughterard for example, the average commute for workers is 30 minutes by car, presumably to Galway city.
Without a car, rural isolation becomes another facet to our mental health crisis sharply experienced by our migrant population. The Irish Refugee Council stated those in DP are more likely to face depression and suicide.
The token system that is enforced on those in Direct Provision is patronising and greatly limits accessibility to local produce and people’s own cultural food.
This difficulty is another stress on refugees living in DP who suffer under such limitations. It is implemented at state level and not a decision made by refugees themselves.
This being said refugees and migrants have lots more to bring to our community than just their capital, but they also don’t need to ‘bring’ anything at all.
Ireland’s neutrality is being brought into question, i.e. PESCO and Fine Gael politicians recently voted against increased search and rescue missions in the Medditerranean. The Irish government is complicit alongside other EU countries in endangering the lives of migrants and refugees. Ireland should be opening our arms to those fleeing the danger the Irish government has played a role in inflicting.
4. The Communists are taking over; the spread of Cultural Marxism
No, the reds are not under the bed. We are out on the streets. The communists and the socialists’ only agenda is to make all our lives better. The only people that should really be afraid of the rising of class consciousness and the spreading of leftist ideas are the rich.
If you are struggling to pay your rent, or in mortgage arrears, working a dead end job, on medication to get through your work day or feeling hopeless about the future, the left is not who you have to fear.
We need to stand together, not in fear but in anger, anger aimed towards the capitalist class who exploits us everyday. Who steal our wages in the name of surplus; a profit that lines their pockets not yours. The wages that are the pittance we are thrown just to arrive at work the next day. Paying for the transport to go to work, the food to sustain us through work and the healthcare to keep us healthy enough to work. Then we have no say in the taxes deducted from those wages, taxes that the government uses for infrastructure that will be handed over to a private enterprise. Who then will ask you for your hard earned wages to use whatever service they have been kind enough to provide in lieu of the state.
5. But, but, but freedom of speech
Those on the far-right often claim they are protecting freedom of speech, and many people who are drawn in by this see it as an ideologically neutral position. But it is often accompanied by anti-socialist/anti-communist scare mongering.
While there has been an increase in what some might refer to as ‘self-policing’, this represents a changing Ireland which will no longer tolerate casual racism. When you actually engage with this argument around free speech it becomes clear that it is often used as an excuse for more explicit racism. Along the lines of, ‘Sure what do you call those people these days, I can’t say anything anymore.’
There is a conflation between hate speech and free speech. When you use freedom of speech to claim others should not have the same rights as you, that’s not true freedom.
Confusion over language use comes from an understanding of culture, often misconstrued with tradition, as being stagnant. The definition of culture is that it evolves and adapts; a change in language use is a reflection of that.
It is also important to stress that, while capital is free to cross borders without question, people escaping countries of unrest (typically orchestrated by the West) do not have this ability. While millionaires have the freedom to escape their taxes, local government has no freedom to invest in necessary services.
Freedom has been redefined by capitalism, where it is applied to money but not people. Freedom for the few is not freedom at all. Freedom needs to exist in all aspects of society. Imagine if people were not constrained to working long hours to just about cover their rent, but had the time to have hobbies and develop skills.
Freedom, as Marx stated, must exist in every aspect of our lives, in order to exist at all,
“Whenever one particular freedom is threatened, freedom itself is threatened. Freedom is always freedom, whether it is expressed in printers’ ink or in terms of land and possessions, in terms of conscience or in a political meeting”
The truth is the left is not threatening people’s freedom, the capitalist establishment has taken away our freedom. Socialists are fighting to regain control of how society is run, where we are engaged in our communities on a fully participatory and democractic basis.
Many I’m sure will disagree in engaging with these sentiments at all. The left needs to understand the new face of facism, to understand when people are fascist, and when they have fascist tendencies. We need to understand why people are drawn in by their arguments and be able to combat it. Mobilising against the gatherings of the far-right are effective, as Richard Spencer said himself, ‘Antifa is winning’. Some inspiring actions are taking place, for example the Fingal community getting active to prevent Gemma O’Doherty gaining any serious traction in the by-elections.
I believe that many people can be convinced that unity and solidarity is the way for a better future. That is the only way we can ensure all people have access to healthcare, transport, unionised work and real affordable homes. Socialists are equipped to answer some of these complex questions, with a level of empathy rather than competition. Often we won’t have the answers, but importantly we strive for cooperation to enable communities to struggle together to tackle some of these burning issues. To empower communities in realising that the seeds of division are sown by capitalism through economic policy and ideology.
Masses taking to the streets to show the reactionary right in Ireland that they do not have a stronghold here, is paramount.
Some organisers of the recent housing protest took a strong stand against the Irish Yellow Vest movement, which has reactionary elements within it. The Irish Yellow Vests Facebook page has shared articles from Infowars, a conspiratorial right wing website, they have thanked the support of violent facist group Lega. They also do not disallow racist content on their page, with the smaller Yellow Vest pages posting Islamaphobic and transphobic content.
The upcoming, ‘Rally for Peace on Earth - Against the Politics of Hatred’ is organised by SARF - Solidarity Alliance against Racism and Fascism, United Against Racism and INAR - Irish Network Against Racism. They have a growing list of supporters on their Facebook page including trade unions, traveller support groups, environmental groups, trans-rights and abortion rights groups.
The rally is organised for Saturday 14th December at 1pm outside the Dáil. It is very important that the numbers show up. A defiant message to the reactionary far-right but also to the TDs like Noel Grealish and election candidates like Verona Murphy, who think their racists comments are popular with voters.
While FG and FF may not be explicitly peddling a far-right agenda, they are propping up Direct Provision and sustaining economic inequality, increasing racist tensions and watering fertile ground for far-right extremism.
The far-right rely on economic hardship to take on issues of class, such as housing, attempting to divide the working class rather than unify us against the capitalist class. To prevent the spread of these ideas the working class of all backgrounds need to get organised, to see the integral role they play in society. To understand that as a collective we are stronger.
The protest on the 14th of December should be the beginnings of a united anti-facist coalition in Ireland, with those on the left and community organizers. We need to work alongside migrant groups who have lead this fight in Ireland for years. This is a practical way we can collectively debunk racist ideas but also show the far-right they are not welcome.
When we build movements, around housing and climate, we need to ensure we acknowledge the acute effects such crises have on migrants and refugees. These movements need to also clarify the need to reclaim resources from the rich and that the working class, inclusive of all nationalities, should have genuine democratic control over our society.
We need to be voting left, we need to create real alternatives to neoliberalism by collectively organising and we need to consistently take to the streets. It is vital to end capitalist exploitation and start building a socialist society with freedom of expression at its core.