antifa notes (december 18, 2011)

Muslamic Rayguns

Oops. I got this message from the recently-deported (and now seemingly returned) Englishman — and leader of the Australian Defence League — Martin Brennan in October, but only read it now:

Oi you stupid hippy left wing muslim sharia loving cunt, hasn’t Brookie told you i am returning on the 6th November…hope to see you at the airport with…wait…fucking TWAT written on your forehead…luls…God save YOUR>>>Queen you tosser!!! NFSE!

How rude.

Otherwise, the ADL in its various permutations seems to have been pretty quiet of late, and it remains to be seen if Brennan can fulfil his promise of whipping the convicts into shape. As for the English Defence League, EDL News provides a summary of their adventures in 2011 here, while Malatesta provides another account of the shenanigans associated with the EDL splinter group the Infidels here, from which the following is drawn:

One of the continuing difficulties faced by the far right is their complete inability to agree on anything for very long. Massive fallouts and accusations of ‘grass’ and ‘backstabbing’ (with the occasional ‘nonce’ thrown in) are frequent on their internet forums and it seems that the Infidels are no different. In case you don’t know, the Infidels split off from the English Defence League because of Mr Tommy’s ‘pro-Zionism,’ multicultural racism and being over-friendly to the gays. The Infidels boldly declared their fascist agenda on Facebook and had their first ‘National’ demo in Leeds which was a piss poor turnout as evidenced by the photos posted on the net of them gurning whilst holding beer cans in the drizzle and being outnumbered by plod. This was bizarrely deemed a ‘success’ which was subsequently soured by internal criticisms over the fact that they looked like a bunch of beer swilling racists. Which is what they are. Following the demo some ended up in the Slug And Lettuce for a cup of tea and a bun whilst others headed off to the Hourglass Bar for something a bit more exotic. For ironically, the Hourglass is a gay bar and rumours that there is now a Gay Division in the homophobic Infidels are untrue…

Closer to home, the more intellectual Islamophobes belonging to The Q Society recently played host to US activist/”outspoken researcher and bestselling author on Islam and Jihad” Robert Spencer. So too did ABC Queensland. Elsewhere, the Irish journalist Colm O’Broin (Islamophobia and Antisemitism: Same message, different minority., Middle Class Dub, October 31, 2011) compares Spencer’s account of Teh Evil of Islam to the Nazi Julius Streicher’s protrayal of The Jew in the wildly popular Nazi tabloid Der Stürmer. Of Spencer’s guest spot on the ABC, Jeff Sparrow asks “Would a peddler of hatred against any other minority have been treated that way?”

Speaking of Islamophobia, Mattias Gardell provides an excellent account of “the rise of a militant anti-Muslim far right in Europe” in ‘Terror in the Norwegian Woods’ (Overland, No.205, Summer 2011). Gardell has also written (in passing) on the subject of NSBM (National Socialist Black Metal), some of whose practioners were last week (inadvertently) given a platform at The Tote Hotel in Collingwood. In this case, the gig — Hellraiser IV — was organised by a local neo-Nazi called Jack (sometimes Gareth) Sansom, a relative newcomer on the local metal scene who employs the White Noise label to promote neo-Nazism.

White Noise

Of the term ‘White Noise’, Anton Shekhovtsov (Apoliteic music: Neo-Folk, Martial Industrial and ‘metapolitical fascism’, published as Anton Shekhovtsov, ‘Apoliteic music: Neo-Folk, Martial Industrial and “metapolitical fascism”’, Patterns of Prejudice, Vol.43, No.5, December 2009) writes:

The term ‘White Noise’ originates from White Noise Records, a label that released Skrewdriver’s single ‘White Power’ in 1983. Skrewdriver was a British band that openly promoted revolutionary ultra-nationalism through their records, and their performances sometimes turned into riots of neo-Nazi skinheads. Skrewdriver’s late leader Ian Stuart was a member of the British National Front (NF), while the band itself was closely associated with both the NF and the British National Party (BNP). In fact, Skrewdriver might be considered ‘the musical wing’ of the NF, as it raised funds for the organization and helped recruit new members. Moreover, in 1987, Stuart founded the Blood & Honour network that promoted ultra-nationalist bands, organized their concerts and served as a nexus for neo-Nazi skinheads in Europe and the United States. Since Skrewdriver played a type of Punk Rock music known as Street Punk or Oi!, the term ‘White Noise’ originally referred to Punk Rock acts that propagated extreme right-wing ideas. Currently, due to the generic variety of bands that play at Blood & Honour concerts, one can apply this term to any aggressive rock music that is imbued with an openly fascist or racist message.

It is crucially important to highlight two features of White Noise. First, this type of music is characterized by overt racism or revolutionary ultra-nationalism. White Noise bands do not veil their messages and some of the bands’ names—not to mention the albums and song titles—speak for themselves: Race War, Totenkopf, Final Solution, Jew Slaughter, Legion 88, Konkwista 88, Angry Aryans, Brigada NS, RaHoWa etc. Second, White Noise is associated with either direct violence against an Other or the political cause, however marginal, that inspires it. It is quite often the case that White Noise musicians do not conceal their membership in revolutionary ultra-nationalist groupuscules, larger organizations or even electoral parties. As mentioned above, Skrewdriver worked alongside the NF, while the Romanian band Brigada de Asalt (The Assault Brigade) is an integral part of the neo-Nazi organization Noua Dreaptă (New Right), presumably backed by the Romanian radical right-wing Partidul Noua Generatie (New Generation Party). A large number of White Noise bands appear on the so-called ‘schoolyard’ CDs compiled and released by the radical right-wing Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (National Democratic Party of Germany) for free distribution among German youth.

Surprisingly, the term ‘White Noise’ does not seem to cover Black Metal bands that promote ultra-nationalist ideas. In this case, journalists and scholars use the term ‘National Socialist Black Metal’ (or simply NSBM) to refer to the same White Noise socio-political message when it is disseminated by Black Metal music.

Probably the best account of the early evolution of black metal is Kevin Coogan’s 1999 article on ‘How Black is Black Metal?’; Who Makes the Nazis? site further explores fascism and marginal subcultures, including NSBM.

Gimme That Old Time Fascism

Last week (December 13), 50-year-old fascist Gianluca Casseri went on a shooting spree in the Italian city of Florence, killing two and wounding several other Senegalese immigrants before commtting suicide. Casseri was allegedly involved in the fascist (squatted) social centre network known as Casapound. (Oddly enough ‘Casapound’ was for a period of time the nom de guerre of local fascist activist Luke Connors.) The movement has recently been linked to members of the Italian Parliament and to Blood & Honour, the Australian franchise of which works in close collaboration with Sansom’s White Noise (see : Alfio Bernabei, Italy: Blood and Honour fascists form potential parliamentary link, Searchlight, November 2011). In any case, in the aftermath of the murders Italian police have arrested a few muppets belonging to some bizarro fascist cult known as Militia, and there’s been the usual tut-tutting about racism.

According to a report in Der Spiegel (‘A Big Leap in Right-Wing Currents’: Italy Killings Underscore European Extremism Problem, Annette Langer, December 15, 2011):

…Casseri has… become a hero of the right-wing extremist scene in the country, praised as a true Italian and a “white hero” worthy of renown and respect on the racist website stormfront.org. Casseri “cleaned up,” a task for which he deserves thanks, a statement on the website read.

A support group on Facebook entitled “Gianluca died for us” has already been “liked” by more than 6,000 users. Comments include this one: “Florence was only the beginning. We’ll clean up all of Italy.” A “fascist delirium” has broken out in the country, daily La Stampa wrote on Wednesday.

For right-wing extremists, the reasons behind the killings are obvious. The situation has long been unbearable, the multi-ethnic society ticking “like a time-bomb about to explode,” anti-Semitic website NonConforme wrote.

Old-school fascism in Italy has been replaced by even more radical and dangerous symbols of neo-Nazism, said right-wing extremist expert Ferrari. “In the last 10 years we’ve observed a big leap in right-wing currents across Europe,” he told SPIEGEL ONLINE.

Perhaps the closest contemporary Australian equivalent to Casapound is the tiny student grouping Nationalist Alternative, whose activities are regularly promoted on the Stormfront Down Under forum. The glee with which Casseri’s crimes have been received by Stormfront users finds its echo in the reaction by some to the recent tragedy off the coast of Indonesia. Taking particular delight in the deaths is local boy Mitch Johns, whose excitement at the news of possibly hundreds of dead asylum seekers is commemorated by The Anti Bogan blog in its 500th post.

Kids these days eh?

Finally, while there’s been a good deal of public wailing and gnashing of teeth over the apparent string of murders committed by neo-Nazi militants in Germany, in the Ukraine the murder of another young (17-year-old) anti-fascist in mid-November appears to have gone relatively unnoticed.

Same old same old…