Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Archive for the ‘Ernest Mandel’ Category

Russian and Ukrainian activists silenced at Greek MeRA 25 party event – Tankie Politics in Action

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A shameful story from Athens – source : https://freedomnews.org.uk/2023/03/10/russian-and-ukrainian-activists-silenced-at-mera25-event/ also : https://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article65987; also

Russian activist Artem Temirov writes on what he sees as a concerning trend within the Hellenic left to fall into a knee-jerk “anti-imperialism” that is in fact anything but.

Author’s note: A significant part of the Greek Left for a very long time has been plagued by narrow anti-Americanism that has replaced genuine anti-imperialism. As a result of that even supposedly more moderate voices on the Left often fell in the trap of siding, even if in a subtle way, with regimes that supposedly oppose the West, regardless of how authoritarian and oppressive they might be. This has created an increasingly widening gap between this Greek Left current and leftist dissidents that come from countries whose governments are perceived by the former as “anti-imperialist”. It seems that the former are disinterested in listening to those who have come to seek refuge and avoid arrest and torture. There have even been recorded cases of representatives of the more hard-line pro-Putinist Left in Greece physically attacked an Iranian refugee at a public event, because the latter protested the pro-Putinist, pro-Mullah propaganda he was hearing. The case presented below, if much milder in regards the confrontation, represents continuation in this worrying trend of Greek leftists refusing to listen to the voices of those who have lived under the boot of supposed “anti-imperialist” regimes. This comes to indicate an ideological dogmatism, as well as a loss in trust in the abilities of common people to self-organize and initiate from below revolutionary change. In the imaginary of such leftists greater hope for social change is placed not on the potentials of popular self-determination and self-emancipation, but on foreign geopolitical powers. This must be perceived as drastic counter-revolutionary regression towards Stalinist type of thinking that can only nurture authoritarian logics.

Last year, my wife and I arrived in Greece. While I am a Russian citizen, my wife is a citizen of Ukraine. She left Kyiv a week after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and I left Russia a few days later because it became dangerous to stay there with an anti-war position, with both us always holding left-wing and antifascist positions. In Greece, we are living under a temporary protection program for Ukrainian families.

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Ukraine and Ireland – International Women’s Day 2023, Dublin

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An Irish Left With Ukraine contingent attended a Dublin International Women’s March from the Spire (O’Connell Street) to Dáil Éireann in Kildare Street. Free Russians Ireland and Women-Life-Freedom (Iran) were also present at the event, which was called by the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) and the socialist-feminist organization ROSA.

About 700 people – mainly young women from many different parts of the globe – participated.

Ukrainian women and the racist genocidal Russian invasion were barely mentioned by the platform speakers. Here are some photos :

Refugees are welcome in Stoneybatter and Dublin 7 – The Triangle, Sunday March 12, Stoneybatter, 2-5pm

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Dublin 7 welcomes refugees!

Join us this Sunday for a family fun day with music, food and games.

Let’s build solidarity in our community and send a clear message that refugees are welcome in Stoneybatter and Dublin 7.

All welcome!

International Women’s Day 2023 in Ireland – Show Solidarity With the Women of Ukraine – Wednesday March 8, The Spire, O’Connell Street, Dublin

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On 8 March, Wednesday, #IWD an International Women’s Day march assembles 17.30 at The Spire, Dublin.

The Irish Left with Ukraine, part of the European Network with Ukraine will attend will attend to show our solidarity with the Ukrainian resistance and the Ukrainian feminist resistance.

. #IWD2023March

Links : https://www.facebook.com/groups/irishleftwithukraine @EuropeanWith https://ukraine-solidarity.eu/

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Have British Tories Thrown Jeffrey Donaldson’s Democratic Unionist party to the Wolves? Is the”Windsor Framework” the “NI Protocol” in Different Clothes?

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Readers may wonder :

Has British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thrown the Democratic Unionist party of British-occupied Ireland to the wolves? Early indications suggest the answer is Yes.

The cause? Brexit.

Sunak’s former boss Boris Johnson’s negotiated a 2019 “Oven Ready Brexit” which featured the “Northern Ireland Protocol” (NIP) in 2019. This facilitated a landslide Tory General Election victory in December of that year. Things were different in the six-county bit of Ireland (Northern Ireland) and Scotland. In both of these locations, the Brexiteer forces were soundly rejected by the voters. Sunak now claims the NIP has been replaced by the “Windsor Framework”.

Establishment media outlets are ecstatic, claiming the Third British Brexit Prime Minister of 2021 has “Done the Impossible”

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2023/02/28/windsor-framework-brexit-deal-what-the-papers-say/

There is one significant dissenting note, which is almost certainly closer to the truth. It comes from the outstanding British Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell :

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Europe must open its doors – Irish Times Editorial, February 28 2023

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The Irish Times, one of Ireland’s main daily newspapers, highlights hypocritical European Union migration policy, and effectively calls for an end to the racist “Fortress Europe” Régime

Yet an emphasis on measures directed exclusively at strangling the smuggling networks ignores the context of mass migration and will do little to turn back a tide of human desperation rooted in a flight from wars and oppression. It is an attempt to evade treaty and moral obligations to provide succour and protection for those in peril.

Irish Times Editorial, February 28 2023

Europe needs to offer safe pathways to migrants coming to its shores – the current focus on enforcement and barriers to migrants is misplaced.

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Ukraine: Voices of Resistance and Solidarity – Dublin Book Launch Report and Video

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We wish to thank Independent Left, Conor Kostick, Donnacha Ó Bríain, Halyna Herasym and Nóirín Greene for this report and visual record. Source : https://independentleft.ie/voices-of-resistance/

Ukraine: Voices of Resistance and Solidarity

27/02/2023

Ukraine Book Launch Voices of Resistance and Solidarity
Irish book launch of Ukraine: Voices of Resistance and Solidarity

Ukraine: Voices of Resistance and Solidarity is a book edited by Fred Leplat and Chris Ford, published by Resistance Books and Ukraine Solidarity campaign. It contains essays by Mick Antoniw, Welsh Labour MP; John-Paul Himka, history professor; Taras Bilous, activist for Sotsialnyi Rukh / Social Movement; Yuliya Yurchenko activist for Ukraine Solidarity Campaign and Sotsialnyi Rukh / Social Movement; Oksana Dutchak, co-editor of Spilne/ Commons; Viktoriia Pihul, Ukrainian feminist; Nataliya Levytska, Deputy Chair of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine; Vitalii Dudin president of Sotsialnyi Rukh / Social Movement; Bogdan Ferens, founder of the Social Democratic Platform; Eric Toussaint, spokesperson of the CADTM International; Ilya Budraitskis, activist in the Russian Socialist Movement; Niko Vorobyov, Russian-British freelance journalist; Gilbert Achcar, Lebanese socialist; Simon Pirani professor of modern languages and cultures; Stephen R. Shalom, editor of New Politics; and Dan La Botz, editor of New Politics.

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Russia’s imperialist genocidal and ethnic-cleansing invasion – Appeasing Putin’s aggression will not bring peace – Opposite Messages : Sinn Féin and the Labour Party Versus People Before Profit

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On the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine, February 24 2023, 12 elected left-wing Oireachtas members had a letter published in one of Ireland’s main daily papers, the Irish Times. A number of correspondents rejected the contents of this letter.

On the same day two party leaders, Sinn Féin President MaryLou McDonald and Ivana Bacik of the Labour Party brought an opposite message to thousands of protesters in Dublin’s O’Connell Street.

Both Bacik and McDonald clearly backed occupied Ukraine against the Russian imperialist and ethnic-cleansing invader.

Putin must immediately withdraw his army and end his criminal invasion

Sinn Féin President MaryLou McDonald
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Thousands Support Ukraine in Dublin – Russian Troops Out Now! – February 24 2023

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Thousands gathered in Dublin on February 24 2023 demanding an end to Russia’s Imperialist and Genocidal invasion of Ukraine. Here is a pictorial and Video Report

Speech of Ivana Bacik, Labour Party Leader (Video)

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0dcqZX7v3qekOf6Ut3Cin6X5g

Speech of MaryLou McDonald, President of Sinn Féin (Video)

https://share.icloud.com/photos/087CLtnYBxl7Q7Wpz-uzKetng

Both Bacik and McDonald clearly backed occupied Ukraine against the Russian imperialist and ethnic-cleansing invader.

Putin must immediately withdraw his army and end his criminal invasion

MaryLou McDonald, Sinn Fëin President

The only left-wing contingent on the demonstration was Irish Left With Ukraine (ILWU). The ILWU is affiliated to the European Network for Solidarity With Ukraine (ENSU). https://ukraine-solidarity.eu/24-feb-2022-global-day-of-action

All over the world ENSU supported protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine are happening from February 21-26 2023.

John Meehan February 24 2023


The February 24 Pro Ukraine Dublin Demonstration – Demanding immediate withdrawal of the Russian imperialist and genocidal army – is on the front page of the Irish Times. The other front page story refers to former Fianna Fáil (FF) leader and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Ahern had to resign from his party in 2011, to avoid expulsion. The Irish state’s Mahon Tribunal found that Bertie’s finances were not squeaky clean. “After the publication of the final report, Fianna Fáil sought to expel any of its members that were found to have received corrupt payments. Bertie Ahern, Pádraig Flynn, G. V. Wright, Don Lydon, Finbarr Hanrahan and John Hannon all resigned from Fianna Fáil before they could be expelled.” Mr Ahern was recently re-admitted to the Fianna Fáil party, a decision the current party leader and Tánaiste Mícheál Martin may be regretting this morning. – JM February 25 2023.

Front Page, Irish Times, Saturday/Sunday February 25-26 2023

The first anniversary of the imperialist military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022 – Statement by Irish Left With Ukraine (ILWU)

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The Ukrainian people are foremost on our minds as they suffer under and resist the Russian invasion. Anyone who considers themselves an opponent of imperialism should be in support of their resistance.   

We in the ILWU — socialists, anarchists, feminists, trade unionists, anti-imperialists — have watched with dismay, however, as many on the Western left who have campaigned vigorously against US imperialism have failed to recognise the need to do the same with respect to Russian imperialism. If Ukraine has the right to self-determination and to resist the dismemberment and partition of their state then Irish socialists should expend their energy on seeking out practical means of supporting the Ukrainian people’s struggle. This struggle echoes the same fight Ireland undertook over a century ago.

Some left-wing organisations oppose deliveries of weapons to Ukraine. They are fast becoming isolated in the international labour movement. Trade unions, social movements, and organised left-wing parties across the European continent are mobilising in support of the Ukrainian right to self determination.

Indeed some left-wing organisations oppose deliveries of weapons to Ukraine. They are fast becoming isolated in the international labour movement. Trade unions, social movements, and organised left-wing parties across the European continent are mobilising in support of the Ukrainian right to self determination.

Support Irish State Mine Clearance in Ukraine

The ILWU makes this statement to publicly register our support for Irish assistance, by the Irish Defence Forces, with mine clearance in Ukraine. Mine clearance is humanitarian work that will save lives, will clear land to enable farming, and will make towns and villages habitable once again. Defence Forces personnel will use their specialist demining skills to train Ukrainians in this activity.

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