“Years ago, “FTW” used to have a very negative meaning: “f**k the world”. This was a term commonly used by social rebels, anarchists and anti-authoritarian types to express frustration with modern society. Gratefully, this antisocial meaning has dramatically faded in use in the 21st century, and people largely use “for the win” as the modern meaning for this acronym now…”
Statement of Rights and Responsibilities
Date of Last Revision: August 28, 2009
3. Safety
7. You will not post content that is hateful, threatening, pornographic, or that contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.
10. You will not use Facebook to do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory.
Facebook urged to switch off hate sites
Alex McClintock
[Fairfax]
January 24, 2010
Facebook sites inciting anti-Indian sentiment continue to flourish despite protests from Indians in Australia.
Gautam Gupta, secretary of the Federation of Indian Students, said: “These sites must be shut down but, on the other hand, we must keep track of these hate groups being formed. They can be online or offline. When they’re offline we call them gangs. These are essentially online gangs.”
[See also : Uni not worried by decline in Indian students, Nick McLaren, ABC, January 22, 2010: University of Wollongong “manager of international recruitment, Peter Day, says the decline that is already being experienced will be offset by students from other countries”.]
More than half a dozen Australian groups that are specifically anti-Indian are still active on Facebook. On top of that, there are many broadly racist groups, including F— Off – We’re Full [/Fuck Off We’re Full], which has 54,000 members and is growing at a rate of about 2000 people a week.
“I don’t think it’s just a Facebook problem – it’s a social problem, a problem in the society,” Mr Gupta said.
Speak English or Piss Off!!! recently posted a note stating: “We are actually winning the battle with Facebook to keep this page up and running.”
[“HAPPY NEW YEAR! hope every one is safe and had fun. After much time we are actually winning the battle with facebook to keep this page up and running, which is why it[‘]s been almost a month between posts. A full email will be posted when all is settled, but in the mean time SPEAK ENGLISH!!!” January 1 at 4:32am. NB. Shane, Emmanuel, Sam and 307 others like this.]
Darrin Hodges, administrator of the group F— Off – We’re Full, was unapologetic and said Facebook was inconsistent in the way it dealt with groups.
[Inter alia, Hodges is currently the spokesperson for the Australian Protectionist Party in NSW and a member of the Humanist Society of NSW; he is a former member of the Australia First Party and ‘white nationalist’/white supremacist website Stormfront. His anti-Semitism has been supplanted by Islamophobia.]
Alex Gollan, who set up the Facebook group Australians Against Racism & Discrimination, said it was not in Facebook’s interest to close racist pages that hosted advertising.
“Racism on Facebook is an overwhelming problem and it is massively out of control,” he said.
Darlene Ford, who teaches Indian students at Adelaide’s Cambridge College, said she followed Facebook procedure for reporting a group. She said she was frustrated by Facebook’s lack of action.
This month anti-racism groups and school principals condemned students from elite Melbourne private schools who joined the group Mate, Speak English, You’re in Australia Now.
Students from Sydney private schools Monte Sant’ Angelo, Trinity Grammar and MLC are members of Speak English or Piss Off.
So the English Defence League (EDL) held a rally in Stoke-On-Trent this weekend (Caturday January 23). Between 300 (Press Association) and 1,500 (BBC) came out to play, UAF assembled 300 in opposition, and the police arrested 15 (or possibly 5 or even 17).
The EDL has been keeping Malatesta the friendly anti-fascist ghost very busy: it’s amazing what a dead Italian electrician is capable of.
EDL Riot In Stoke
January 24, 2010
Following the violence, vandalism and arrests in Stoke yesterday the EDL have very mixed feelings about what happened. Despite a strong turnout the trouble has created a lot of bad publicity and schisms amongst supporters. However, there are also serious lessons for anti-fascists.
What Happened?
“Stoke today was a disaster. We rioted. We throw bottles. We attacked police. Some people were racist.” ~ EDL forum.
As expected the EDL gathered at the RV point at the train station and were taken by the cops to Wetherspoon’s where they were able to drink under close scrutiny. According to one EDL forum poster there was trouble in the pub between two firms: “we tried to break it up right away, but the c**ts on the bottom floor throwing s**t did not help.” Outside there were some speeches through an apparently feeble PA system and some got restless and tried to break out to march. According to the EDL forum, the police started to kettle them into a smaller and smaller space, there was a clash with the cops and this sparked off wider unrest with the EDL fighting the police and throwing things at them. The EDL forum claims heavy-handed policing and there is no need to doubt this. The EDL represent a volatile challenge to the police who know they are up for confrontation which naturally makes the cops nervous and over-react. Anyone who has been on a rowdy demo or attended a football match will have experienced this.
“Uncontrolled violence. Rioting. Vandalism. All committed in the name of the EDL.” ~ EDL forum.
As the demo dispersed 500 EDL marched through a predominantly Asian area smashing windows and damaging cars which led to further clashes with the police. According to the BBC there were 17 arrests, 1,500 EDL, 300 UAF, and 600 cops. The EDL’s website still claims to be “peacefully protesting against militant Islam” but yesterday’s behaviour makes this statement nonsense. Stoke was always going to be a potential problem with a strong football firm and local BNP support and the EDL made a concerted effort to get there in numbers yesterday. The police created the pre-conditions for the trouble: putting them in the pub, kettling them and increasing the pressure. Then it kicks off. The police were outnumbered yesterday and the EDL took liberties climbing on and then almost turning over a police van which will no doubt have infuriated the cops.
‘Lamppost Incident’: The EDL Reaction
There are mixed reactions on the EDL forum with some of the moderates calling for better organisation and exclusion of known trouble makers and some worried about band-wagon jumpers simply turning up to kick off with the cops. Supporters are also concerned over the alcohol fuelled aggression and calling for internal policing, even handing over unruly elements to the cops – which is not going to please the extremists as this is tantamount to grassing. One poster listed the reasons for the trouble: “EDL [in-]fighting. Football firms fighting, attacking the police. Police equipment stolen. Police vans turned over. Lamppost incidents. Racial chants. Speeches not being respected. People not shutting up during a one minute silence. The occasional Nazi salute.”
The view from the inside is pretty much the view from the outside and it lists the kind of behaviour that has been witnessed at every EDL demo so far. Forum members are calling for official membership cards but this could be dangerous if the list falls into the wrong hands as the BNP membership leaks showed. As of this time, the EDL leadership have yet to make a statement about Stoke.
There was the usual sieg heil-ing despite the leadership’s requests not to. The EDL still deny any far right links and on the forum there is resentment of the Nazi presence which could lead to a repeat of yesterday’s infighting. The EDL are ranged right across the far right spectrum with supporters ranging from ‘patriotic’ to the Nazi nutjobs out for violence. The moderate EDLers are clearly worried over the effect the Nazis have on public perception. They are also wary of agent provocateurs and there is state interest. A skinhead in full regalia being interviewed by TV was deemed suspect: “Without a doubt he was a plant. I know his ilk and have met his doppelganger (same s**t same person just can’t prove it) many times before.”
EDL Support
The EDL is increasing its support on the streets and the demonstrations are increasing in violence and confrontation. However, they are also operating in the short-term. Whilst meeting up for a drink and a crack at the cops and opponents is all good clean fun they are increasing the pressure for the further curbing of civil rights and increasing the likelihood of demonstrations being banned. The government has also raised the level of Terror Alert to Dangerous which has implications for any form of dissent, particularly anti-war demonstrations. The EDL are also attempting to legitimise Islamophobia which similarly helps the government’s agenda as the support for the Afghanistan and Iraq situation is waning and the election draws nigh. The EDL supports the state case for more legislation, surveillance and aggressive policing. The left and far right have both accused the EDL of being state engineered and it is difficult to not suspect this given the stated facts.
There is also the prospect of the EDL filling the vacuum created by Nick Griffin on the far right. As far right antipathy to the BNP increases over finances, jobs for the boys, the non-white membership issue and suspicions over the legitimacy of Griffin as a leader, the EDL are in a position to capitalise on it politically. By organising a political party they will no doubt attract the more extremist voters and benefit from general anti-Muslim sentiment in certain areas. This could also operate as a right wing vote splitting tactic which could well be part of the state agenda. Whether the EDL members have the political will to sustain election campaigns is doubtful unless they can attract former BNP organisers used to generating local supporters.
Learning The Lesson
The anti-fascist turnout yesterday was dismal. Only 300 assorted UAF, community leaders and anti-fascists turned out compared to 1,500 EDL. The EDL tried to break through the police lines to get at the protestors but the cops held firm. Luckily for the anti-fascists as there would have been serious violence. Having the cops protecting anti-fascists gathered in such small numbers is not good. The next official EDL demo is in Dudley on April 4th but there are intimations that Oldham and other towns may see the EDL gather in the more immediate future. Anti-fascists need to get organised to stop them gathering momentum and oppose them in much greater numbers.
[BACKGROUND]
The English Defence League is holding a demo in Stoke today which, whilst inevitably causing disruption, will get support from the Stoke football firm the Naughty 40 and associated hooligans, unaffiliated youths looking for trouble and BNP supporters in one of their key areas.
It’s been an interesting week for the EDL: not content with today’s demonstration, four members were jailed for the initial Luton demo, divisions within the ranks have been highlighted and Amit Singh, the EDL’s ‘Sikh activist’, has been outed for racist comments. The EDL will be meeting at Stoke train station at 11.30 where they will no doubt be contained by the cops. Already there has been disagreement on the EDL forum about liaising with the police with some supporters urging a more confrontational policy: “we should have no cooperation with the pigs” and “we will f**k over the police.” The EDL will be escorted to Wetherspoon’s where they will be confined for a few hours to drink and shout before being escorted back again. There is a likelihood that the local BNP will turn up to canvass the area. The chances of actual confrontation at the main demo are drastically reduced given the usual police presence. At previous demos in Glasgow and Manchester, EDL supporters have been prevented from joining the main mob and confrontations with these strays unable to get to the RV point on time has occurred. Unity recently reported schisms in the EDL with ‘spiritual leader’ Paul Ray ostracised by extremist factions, Kelway and Joel Titus still flying the ‘multiracial’ flag and hardcore Nazis like Heaton and Pinkham maintaining the nut job presence. There is always the possibility of inter-firm rivalries boiling over. As yet all the firms have put their differences aside but it only needs some outrage like the Thierry Henry handball incident to spark off resentments.
Stoke BNP
The good people of Stoke are having a hard time in the recession with high unemployment; the predicted public sector cuts are not going to help matters: these factors create fertile ground for the BNP who also flag up fears over immigration (as do the mainstream press). Despite Stoke being a BNP stronghold all is not well. In the past they have managed to keep Nick Griffin and central HQ at arm’s length whilst building up a solid base of support. However, the local council group leader Alby Walker quit his post over ‘ideological differences’ and the opportunist Simon Darby has been sent in to contest the general election. Having an outsider dropped in to capitalise on their efforts has annoyed the relatively independent branch. The question now is – will Walker stand against Darby thus splitting the racist vote and sending a message to Griffin whilst doing so? Historically, bitter infighting and ego-clashes have always damaged the far right at crucial times.
The EDL & The BNP
The BNP continue to deny any links with the EDL in the same way they deny any expose: by saying ‘not true’ and then not proving it. The EDL still deny having BNP members amongst them despite the fact that so many BNP members are photographed at demos and the continued denials are beginning to lack conviction. They may not be a BNP ‘front group’ but the BNP can only benefit from the publicity and airing of resentments as the EDL attempt to legitimise racist views. The EDL may fly Israeli flags and multi-racial placards but this is either provocation, irony or smokescreen.
Anti-Fascism: Lessons From The Past
In their political naivety the EDL still see UAF, Muslim community groups and Antifa as the same thing. Antifa is not there to ‘support Islam’ but to operate in an anti-fascist role. The EDL is a fascist street gang who intimidate local people, Muslims and political opponents alike: although there are local football firms involved the majority of the EDL come from outside. The EDL black shirt/hoodies, violence, nationalism, racism and intolerance are all synonymous with fascism and historically the battle against fascism has been on the streets as much as the ballot box. Whether the EDL deny being fascist or not they are doing the work of fascists, using exactly the same tactics as fascists and are fired by the same hatred as fascists.
In the 1920s, Mussolini’s Fascists maintained a violent campaign against the left and rose to power despite the best efforts of the Arditi del Popolo — anti-fascist defence squads — to counter this, most notably at the battle of Parma in 1922. In the UK in the 1930s, Mosley’s BUF followed the same strategy by holding confrontational street meetings in working class areas which were frequently broken up by anti-fascists and communists. Mosley was protected by his [Elite 1 Squad/the ‘Biff Boys’] bodyguard knowing full well that he could be forced from the streets: his political arena (as it is the EDL’s) not having access to the Parliament of conventional politics. The fascist leadership were interned in 1940 under the Defence Regulation 18b ruling. Hitler gained power through a combination of populist rhetoric and the Brownshirt’s intimidation of opponents. This was not helped by a catastrophic schism between communists and socialists. After WWII, despite the ‘defeat of fascism’ (apart from Spain of course), Mosley returned with his virulently anti-Semitic street meetings which were violently confronted by the 43 Group. In the 1960s, the fascist street presence was similarly countered by the 62 Group. In the 1970s, following the rise of the National Front and repeated attacks on left wing meetings and SWP paper sales, the militant anti-fascist Squads came into existence and successfully checked fascist aggression, particularly in Manchester and London. However, given the increasing autonomy of these militant anti-fascist groups the SWP leadership proscribed ‘Squaddists’ as counter-productive and expelled key members who went on to form Red Action. After various convolutions and affiliations Red Action joined with anarchists and other more independently minded anti-fascists to form Anti Fascist Action (AFA). AFA successfully challenged the fascist street presence and the BNP changed their strategy declaring “no more meetings, marches, punch ups.”
So, the message to anti-fascists is clear: the EDL are using the same tactics that fascism has always used by maintaining a hostile and intimidating street presence to push their racist views and as history holds lessons for the fascists so it holds lessons for us: the EDL must be opposed wherever they meet!
The English Scottish Defence League is holding an anti-Muslim rally in Edinburgh on February 20; Edinburgh Anti-Fascist Alliance is not. happy. The ‘Australian Defence League’, on the other hand, has yet to organise any rallies, but it does have a Facebook. The absence of football firms (or their equivalent) to provide them with warm bodies is an obstacle for the Australian-based bigots, but if Alan Jones can once again be convinced to lead the charge against Middle Eastern grubs, a Worker’s Paradise is once again surely just around the bend.
On December 10, 2009, a gig took place in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick.
The gig featured a dozen or so punk bands.
One of the bands scheduled to play was ‘The Worst’.
As it happens, ‘The Worst’ did not play, having been dropped from the bill.
There were several reasons for ‘The Worst’ being dropped.
1) ‘The Worst’ are one of the bands who scabbed on the community boycott of The Birmy.[1]
2) The vocalist for ‘The Worst’, known as Chunga, had previously expressed very strong opposition to the boycott — and his contempt for the “wankers” and “cocksuckers” (et cetera) who joined it — on his blog.
All these tossers that care sooo much about shutting down The Birmy need to get a fucking life!!! Them accusing us [of] supporting racists for playing at a pub… is no better than being a [N]azi! […] The crusty wankers who think they’re so good for being anti-racist are no fucking better than the [N]azis… They think they’re better than everybody!!! And they dislike anyone who doesn’t share their beliefs… Fuck off you cocksuckers and get a life!!!
Anyway… anarchy is a fag… that’s all I have to say to you Mr Moran… See how fast words travel my friends? Be careful what you write on the internet… Coz you never know when some stalker is gonna put it on there [sic] website. Thanx to the people who have supported us… and to the random [sic] people letting us know about this anarchist knobjockey Mr Moran…
“Mr Moran” is a reference to the anarchist and anti-fascist blogger ‘slackbastard’. The claim he is ‘Andrew Moran’ originates among Australian neo-Nazis, and has been in circulation since late 2005/early 2006.
As it happens, a number of anarchists took part in organising the gig. In light of the above — the status of ‘The Worst’ as scabs; Chunga’s drawing of a political equivalence between supporters of the boycott and Nazis, expressed contempt for anarchism and ‘fags’, and his repetition of a neo-Nazi rumour regarding the identity of a local, Melbourne anarchist — they decided to withdraw their assistance. This included the provision of a PA.
In conclusion: anarchists in Melbourne, including those who work in the music industry, have no interest in providing practical support to scabs or to groups and individuals openly hostile to anarchism. Put simply: if groups and individuals choose to support venues which provide a platform for neo-Nazism — such as The Birmingham Hotel when it was under fascist-sympathising management — then they should not expect anarchists (and other principled anti-fascists) to provide them with any form of practical assistance in future.[2]
[1] The other, Melbourne-based bands who scabbed on the boycott and who are still gigging are: Bulldog Spirit, Charter 77, Marching Orders, Napalm Hearts, Rankwaste, Scape, Slick 46, THC, The Boots and Wot Rot.
[2] The boycott was successful as it forced the fascist-sympathising manager — Gary Wayne Kitto — to leave the pub, following which new, non-fascist friendly management took over and revitalised it as a live venue. An indication of Gary’s political sympathies is demonstrated by, among other things, his decision to play songs by the US-based Klansman “Johnny Rebel” (Clifford Joseph Trahan) prior to the 2005 Ian Stuart Donaldson memorial gig. Johnny Rebel’s repertoire includes songs with the titles “Nigger, Nigger”, “In Coon Town”, “Who Likes a Nigger?”, “Nigger Hatin’ Me” and “Some Niggers Never Die (They Just Smell That Way)”. (Source: ‘B&H Australia I.S.D Sept 3, 2005.’, Blood & Honour, Number 33.)
On December 11, 2009, the Berlin District Court decided that the Free Workers’ Union Berlin (FAU-B) could no longer call itself a union or grassroots union. The court decision was confirmed on January 5, 2010. This is the culmination of a series of attempts by the Neue Babylon Berlin GmbH to legally hogtie the strongest and most active form of workers’ representation in the company.
This attack on the basic right of freedom of association is a de facto ban of the union. The way we see it, it is the workers who decide how they want to organise. If it isn’t overturned, this verdict will not only represent an affront against the FAU-B but also against any form of independent grassroots organising.
Prospective Australian citizens will start started sitting the new citizenship test from today October 19, 2009.
To find out how well your listeners readers of slackbastard would go in the test, a sample of questions similar to those used in the test are included.
The new 20 multiple-choice questions test is not easier than the old one but it is fairer; mandatory questions have been removed giving equal weight to every question in the test, and the extent to which former PM John HoWARd’s obsessive pre-occupation with Sir Donald Bradman has corrupted the test has been severely curtailed.
The test assesses prospective new citizens on their understanding of Australian civics, the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, and the possibility of their refusing to obey orders issued by Australian authorities.
Topics include Australia’s democratic beliefs, laws and government as well as the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship and the penalties attached to a refusal to obey orders issued by Australian authorities.
All test questions were initially drawn on a paper napkin by a handful of highly-placed and quite inebriated public servants during the course of an extended lunch-break, and later re-written by some underlings to compose the testable section of the revised citizenship test resource book, Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bondage, which can be found on the citizenship website.
Do you have an adequate knowledge of Australia, the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship and the penalties attached to a refusal to obey orders issued by Australian authorities? Let your listeners readers of slackbastard test themselves today, on air the ah, Internets!
1. What do we remember on Anzac Day?
a. The landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli
b. The arrival of the first free settlers from Britain
c. The landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove
d. Colonial Australia’s love-hate relationship with British imperialism
2. What are the colours of the Australian Aboriginal Flag?
a. Black, red and yellow
b. Green, white and black
c. Blue, white and green
d. What flag?
3. Which official symbol of Australia identifies Commonwealth property?
a. The national anthem
b. Australia’s national flower
c. Commonwealth Coat of Arms
d. A gun
4. Which of these is an example of freedom of speech?
a. Newspapers can write about any topic
b. Men and women are treated equally in a court of law
c. Australians are free to not follow a religion
d. Alan Jones
5. Which of these is a responsibility of Australian citizens aged 18 years or over?
a. To attend local council meetings
b. To vote in elections
c. To have a current Australian passport
d. To not think too long or hard
6. Which of these statements about passports is correct?
a. Australian citizens can apply for an Australian passport
b. Permanent residents can hold an Australian passport
c. Australian citizens need a passport and visa to return to Australia
d. You can buy anything if the price is right
7. What happened in Australia on 1 January 1901?
a. The Australian Constitution was changed by a referendum
b. The Australian Constitution came into effect
c. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was formed
d. Something rotten
8. What is the name of the legal document that sets out the rules for the government of Australia?
a. The Australian Federation
b. The Australian Commonwealth
c. The Australian Constitution
d. The Golden Rule
9. Which of these is a role of the Governor-General?
a. The appointment of state premiers
b. The signing of Bills passed by the Australian Parliament
c. The appointment of the Head of State
d. The symbolic maintenance of an archaic legal system rooted in British feudalism
10. Which of these statements about state governments is correct?
a. All states have the same constitution
b. Each state has its own constitution
c. The states have no constitution
d. The abolition of the state would constitute a marked advancement in human progress
Outrage over anti-immigration leaflet
Rosie Lewis The Sydney Morning Herald
January 22, 2010
ANTI-IMMIGRATION leaflets posted in letterboxes in the inner-west have outraged ethnic community leaders and a senior Federal Government official.
The leaflets read: ”600,000 immigrants arrived in the last 4 years. That’s more than Tasmania. More than Aborigines. More than Newcastle. More than we need.”
They are part of a campaign led by an anonymous group identified only by a triangular design in the bottom right corner of the leaflet.
The chairman of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia, Pino Migliorino, questioned the leaflet’s intentions. “It’s really interesting that in the lead-up to Australia Day you get such vagrant behaviour … It’s a day that’s supposed to unite us and it becomes a day that can manipulate.”
Mr Migliorino said the nation’s leaders should stand up for migrants. “The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister need to take the front foot and show they appreciate migration … What we need to do is actively seek to lessen the incidence of racist violence.”
But the parliamentary secretary for Multicultural Affairs, Laurie Ferguson, said the Government supported immigrants. “The Prime Minister recently announced … a belief in Australia having a larger population.”
Mr Ferguson said the information on the leaflet misrepresented the attitudes of Australians.
The chairman of the Ethnic Affairs Commission of NSW, Stepan Kerkyasharian, said Australia Day should be about celebration, not racism. A recent survey by the Scanlan Foundation found 60 per cent of people supported the migration level.
Note:
A story regarding the silly leaflet in question was written by Ebs and published in the Life in Chippendale blog on Monday, January 11.
The leaflet, as noted by Life in Chippendale, is the second in a possible series, the first being distributed in November 2009.
Both leaflets have been distributed in the vicinity of Humanist House, which for the past eight years has hosted meetings of a fascist group. These meetings, conducted under various names and in various guises, were suspended only a few weeks ago, after public protests in October and November, and some turmoil within the group which owns and manages the building: the NSW Humanist Society. While there has been one article (The Sydney Morning Herald, November 15, 2009) in the press about this issue, the real story is the campaign of fascist infiltration of the Society, and the election of a range of colourful characters on to its Committee of Management…
See also : The website of Robbie Thorpe, committed activist on issues relating to Australian history, Indigenous sovereignty, lack of treaty, land-rights justice, genocide and national denial. Robbie is from the Krautungalung people of the Gunnai Nation, the traditional owners of Lake Tyers, Victoria | Support the Walk Off : January 26, 2010.
So a significant number of the ultras (ultra/beyond/fanatic — sometimes tragic) who follow Melbourne Knights/Croatia are fascist; tho’ the occasional conflict between rival football/soccer fans in Australia is more often a product of ethnic or national rivalry as it is a ‘political’ (or simply sporting) dispute.
…Across Europe, the story’s the same. There’s the ‘Old Firm’ derby in Glasgow, which pits the predominantly Catholic side, Celtics, against the mostly Protestant side, Rangers.
There are the bands of ‘Ultras’ in Italy who abide by the far right politics of Italy’s Northern Alliance and routinely direct racist chants at black players and maliciously throw them bananas.
Even the United States, so safe from soccer’s influence for so long, is getting into the act. Groups like the New York Red Bull’s Red Skins, a group of socialist-anarchist skinheads, have garnished a reputation for brawling with stadium authorities. Fans of Ohio’s very own Columbus Crew fought with supporters from England’s West Ham United during a friendly match in 2008.
Why soccer and not other team sports? Maybe it is the popularity of the game that causes people to rally. But it is clear that the politics of the game is going a long way into making what is dubbed the “beautiful game” into an ugly sport.
I haven’t looked closely, but I can find no trace of the New York Red Bulls ultras. Still, there’s the New Yawk-based RASH-Northeast, The Partisans in Chicago, redskins in Colombia (Bogota), redskins in Russia and of course St Pauli.
Life may scatter us and keep us apart; it may prevent us from thinking very often of one another; but we know that our comrades are somewhere “out there” – where, one can hardly say – silent, forgotten, but deeply faithful. And when our path crosses theirs, they greet us with such magnificent joy, shake us so gaily by the shoulders! Indeed we are accustomed to waiting. – Antoine Saint Exupery, Wind, Sand and Stars
No place here for nationalist thuggery
Selma Milovanovic The Age
January 19, 2010
“A festival of primitivism.” This is how a picture caption in today’s Jutarnji List, the best-selling tabloid in Croatia, summed up this year’s instalment of ethnic violence at the Australian Open, where a group of young Croatian-Australians gave the Nazi salute and chanted fascist slogans as they spat on a press photographer.
The mob, who were ejected for disruptive behaviour and smuggling flares into Melbourne Park on the first day of play, seemed to have learned nothing from past years…
In response, a few points.
First, there’ll always be a place for nationalist thuggery: where would the state be without it?
Secondly, there have been much better festivals of primitivism than the Australian Open.
Thirdly, Croatian fascism has a long and proud history in post-WWII Australia, one that has involved close links with mainstream conservative politics, and which extended — in the early 1970s in particular — to the use of terrorism.
Of the mainstream, perhaps the most remarkable convergence of interests has been between local anti-Communist/fascist Croats and the Liberal Party, in particular its NSW branch. The key figure in this story is — or rather was — the former Nazi propagandist Ljenko Urbančič. Urbančič carved out a highly successful career in the NSW Liberal Party, forming and heading the faction within it known as the Uglies, one which continues to play a dominant role. Until recently, the faction was led by The Hon. David John Clarke, MLC (2003–), for whom Urbančič was a mentor and close ally. Clarke has, in turn, performed the same role in relation to Alex Hawke, currently — and with the full endorsement of former Tory PM John HoWARd — the Federal Member for Mitchell (one of the safest Tory seats in the country). Hawke previously served as an adviser to Clarke, as well as former Communications Minister Helen Coonan.
And while Communism collapsed some 20 years ago now, the flirtation with Croatian fascism has not, with Coonan, Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, as well as Clarke, attending a commemoration in 2007 of Croatia’s inglorious independence in 1941: seeDr. Cam on Helen Coonan’s fascist flirtation (May 3, 2007). Note that, in September 2007, the Eastwood RSL played host to Croatian ‘New Right’ intellectual Tomislav Sunic (who appeared as part of the fascist ‘Sydney Forum’). Locally, the Melbourne Croatia Social Club played host to a neo-Nazi gig in October 2007, and a few months later, Festival Hall was the venue for the ‘controversial’ Thompson (aka Marko Perković). A thinker as well as a musician and singer/songwriter, in 2004 Thompson was barred from performing in Amsterdam. In response, Perković stated: “I have nothing against the Jews, but neither did Jesus Christ, yet still they crucified Him.”
As for Croatian fascism in Australia, the late Denis Freney provides the following account; on Croatian terrorism, see: ‘Firebombs and fascists’, Jeff Sparrow and Jill Sparrow, Radical Melbourne 2, Vulgar Press, 2004, pp.147–151.
The HDP (Croatian Movement for Statehood) never hid its admiration for the Ustasha puppet regime established after Hitler’s troops conquered Croatia and the rest of Yugoslavia in 1941. Like other Ustasha groups in the West, it celebrated April 10, the date the neo-Nazi regime was established. It glorified the Ustasha fuehrer Pavelic and General Luburic who were responsible for the massacres of hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and anti-fascist Croats.
The HDP leader was Nicola Stedul, who left Yugoslavia in 1956 for West Germany to join the movement headed by Pavelic and later a rival one, the HNO (Croatian National Resistance) headed by Lubiric. He was an HNO representative in Australia from 1966 to 1971, a time when the HNO and other radical Ustasha groups carried out a series of bomb attacks. The then Liberal Government and ASIO outrageously covered up for those responsible for these bombings. The SWP at the time condemned these terrorist attacks.
The HNO, which later became the HDP, was also on record as carrying out numerous terrorist attacks in Western Europe. In one attack, HDP hero, Miro Baresic, assassinated the Yugoslav Ambassador in Sweden in 1971. He was released the following year when Ustasha terrorists hijacked a jet. He went to Spain, then Paraguay, where he joined the death squads of the dictator Stroesner. Baresic was arrested in the USA by the FBI and returned to prison in Sweden.
The neo-Nazi credentials of the HDP were as clear as a pike-staff. But they also tried to woo the left. Stedul formed the “Socialist Party of Croatia” in exile precisely for the purpose. In Australia, they approached Left Labor figures …and the SWP. Only the SWP welcomed them.
In 1982, the HDP tried to march on May Day in Melbourne and received a hostile reception. The SWP took up their cause and for the next few years campaigned vigorously on their behalf against every other section of the left and progressive movement who pointed out the HDP’s attitude to the Ustasha and its terrorist and neo-Nazi links. It was pointed out that in the early 1970s, war criminals here such as Srecko Rover tried to woo the Left and that early Ustasha and then the HDP had a well documented record of trying to woo the Soviets ever since the Tito split with Stalin in 1948.
What were the reasons for the SWP’s blind endorsement of these Ustasha? SWP leader David Holmes wrote in August 1983 that “the HDP leaders are revolutionaries…As a result of the collaboration between the HDP and the SWP and also through the development of the class struggle in this country, many more Croatians will come to see the need to build a revolutionary workers’ party here and fight to overthrow capitalism.”
It is easy to see the very special “entrism” involved here. It is into a whole community – there were then over 150 000 Croatian migrants in the Australian workforce. The HDP had some support among them. By “collaborating” with them, the SWP hoped to recruit among that community which would see the need for a “revolutionary workers’ party” (that is, naturally the SWP/DSP). It is a very big raiding party involved; a couple of hundred SWPers taking over the Croatian community… Such is the stuff of dreams!
Enough then to ignore what the HDP actually wrote about the Ustasha regime, enough to even lionise the terrorist neo-Nazi Baresic in the columns of Direct Action (now “Green Left Weekly”).
The SWP did recruit a few HDP members into their ranks, but after all their abject apologising for the HDP, its leaders here soon broke off links with the SWP, precisely because the SWP was trying to recruit its members. Even then, the SWP refused to criticise the HDP or admit its error, speaking of it following a “rightwing drift” in 1984, although its extreme-right credentials were available well before.
See also : Joan Coxsedge, Ken Coldicutt and Gerry Harrant’s Rooted in Secrecy: the clandestine element in Australian politics, esp. ‘One, Two, Three — Ustasha Are We!’, pp.43-59.
Two Greek anarchists are making molotov cocktails. One says to the other: "So who will we throw these at then?" The other replies: "What are you, some kind of fucking intellectual?"
