Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Archive for the ‘Racism’ Category

‘An African “Homeland” for the Jewish Refugees?’ by CLR James from Socialist Appeal. Vol. 2 No. 51. November 26, 1938.

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This is a remarkable CLR James essay from 1938, where the writer explains that a proposal to deport Jews from Nazi Germany to Africa is a form of racist European colonialism :

The transference of Jews from Germany to Africa means the extension of the Palestine policy to Africa, the strengthening of European imperialism in Africa, with the additional crime that the emigrant Jews will be forced to occupy the position in Africa in regard to the Africans that the Nazis occupy in regard to the Jews in Germany. That is how the ordinary African will see it. He could not help seeing it otherwise.

Yes, one of the ideas floated by the Roosevelt administration when it was turning away Jewish refugees from Nazi persecution was to send them to Ethiopia or Uganda. ‘An African “Homeland” for the Jewish Refugees?’ by C.L.R. James from Socialist Appeal. Vol. 2 No. 51. November 26, 1938. New “Panacea” Put Forward by World Imperialists […]

‘An African “Homeland” for the Jewish Refugees?’ by C.L.R. James from Socialist Appeal. Vol. 2 No. 51. November 26, 1938.

Among Africans, as all over the world, there is widespread sympathy for the Jews and detestation of this latest brutality of the Nazis. Africans, more than most other social groups, can understand what it is that the Jews are being subjected to. They are ready to take common action against the imperialists, Fascists and “democrats” who have for generations subjected them to similar persecution in their own country. But the land situation in South and East Africa makes inevitable a wide-spread resentment among Africans at any proposal to send Jews there.

Wherever whites have been able to live in large numbers in Africa, there exists an economic, political and social situation of the most acute tension. The accepted policy is to take the best land for the whites and to segregate the Africans in areas too small for them. This is one of the means by which black labor is assured. Unable to earn a living and money for the Government tax in the restricted areas assigned to him, the African must go to the settler and seek employment at whatever terms the settler offers.

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More Than 500 USA Officials Sign Letter Protesting Against President Biden’s Israel Policy – International Solidarity With Palestine is Growing Very Rapidly

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International solidarity with Palestine is growing very rapidly. The Jewish state of Israel is conducting a war of genocide against people living in Gaza. The world’s population is also witnessing a Russian war of genocide against the people of Ukraine. These statements are not made lightly. Here is a recognised definition of genocide :

Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people[a] in whole or in part. In 1948, the United Nations Genocide Convention defined genocide as any of five “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”. These five acts were: killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, imposing living conditions intended to destroy the group, preventing births, and forcibly transferring children out of the group. Victims are targeted because of their real or perceived membership of a group, not randomly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide

The alarm has spread to the highest levels of the United States government. We re-publish a New York Times report, dated November 14 2023.


More Than 500 U.S. Officials Sign Letter Protesting Biden’s Israel Policy

The signers, representing some 40 government agencies, reflect growing internal dissent over the administration’s support of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

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Genocide in Gaza, Palestine; Genocide in Ukraine – Good Bad and Ugly Statements from the Left in Ireland

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Hypocrisy is shared by many political actors on the left and the right. We witness genocide against the Palestine people and genocide against the Ukrainian people. It is the job of the left to practice critical solidarity in each case. Ukraine’s political leader (Zelenskyy) is not left-wing. Palestine’s political leadership in Gaza is anti-left (Hamas). Resistance has to be enabled. Many on the left have a blind spot on this issue. In the case of Ukraine we must prevent the creation of a Palestine/Gaza in Europe by backing armed resistance against Putin’s genocidal invasion.

We present a meme and a counter-meme.

Spot the Inconsistency No.1 :

Spot the Inconsistency Number 2 :

Holly Cairns TD (Social Democrats Leader, Cork South-West) spoke in the Dáil (the Irish parliament) on this issue on October 12 2023. She got it right.

John Meehan October 13 2023

Irish troops to provide weapons training to Ukraine despite Government’s ‘non-lethal’ assistance pledge – Irish Times News Report, August 18 2023

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“Department of Defence insists training does not impact neutrality and that there was no attempt to mislead public” – Irish Times

A copy of Conor Gallagher’s report is here :

Paul Murphy TD (Dublin South-West, People Before Profit) has issued a deeply mistaken public response, consistent with his party’s previously stated opposition to any military anti-imperialist solidarity action in support of the Ukrainian masses’ fight against a genocidal Russian invasion. Source :

This is a grim PBP Left-Evasionist chapter, part of the shocking story: failure to show anti-imperialist solidarity with the masses of Ukraine who are resisting a genocidal Russian invasion.

On July 29 2023 the PBP helped to organise a well-supported anti-racist rally in Dún Laoghaire, a town which proudly hosts a magnificent statue honouring the Irish anti-imperialist gun-runner and human rights activist Roger Casement.

PBP speakers drew attention to the many reasons we honour Casement today : but they overlooked a vital fact : this Easter 1916 rebel imported weapons from Kaiser Wilhelm’s German Empire in order to strike a blow against the then mighty British Empire.

John Meehan August 18 2023

“Hate campaign over asylum seekers’ hostel drives French mayor out of town”. – Irish Parallels? – Grim Weekend in Dublin.

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Contributors to the Cedar Lounge Blog are discussing a grim weekend in Dublin and other parts of Ireland. Racists are active :

That was a grim weekend in Dublin. 

There have been confrontations between anti-immigration protestors and gardaí after protester marched to the International Protection Office on Mount Street in Dublin city centre.

Since March a growing number of tents have been pitched outside the office and in surrounding streets.

The protestors shouted at asylum seekers, telling them they were not welcome and there were also confrontations with gar

https://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2023/05/15/a-different-strategy-from-the-protestors/#comment-828054

Contributors are asking if similar events are occurring elsewhere – this report from France concerns Yannick Morez, mayor of a small town in north-west France. Arsonist Racists have forced Morez to leave his elected office and town while the central government fails to confront the far-right criminals. There are disturbing parallels with current events in Ireland.


Hate campaign over asylum seekers’ hostel drives French mayor out of town

The mayor of a small town in north-west France announced his resignation this week following a vicious, months-long hate campaign whipped up by the far-right over the creation of a hostel for asylum seekers in a residential area close to a school. Yannick Morez, who is to move out of the town he has lived in for 32 years, said his decision was prompted by an arson attack on his home and the disinterest of the authorities to the successive threats made against him. The resignation caused a political storm this week, over both the apparent lack of support and protection given to the mayor, and the rising tensions and climate of violence in French political life.

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Confronting the Irish Far Right – Solidarity with Paul Murphy TD and Jess Spear – “this was a new low and should never happen again”

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On Monday April 24 2023 a serious incident occurred outside the family home of Paul Murphy TD (People Before Profit, Dublin South-West) and his partner Jess Spear.

Family home of Paul Murphy TD targeted by protesters – “Far right protesting outside our home right now. We were literally preparing to give our newborn baby a bath”

Our friends at the Cedar Lounge Blog have highlighted the story :

Fair play to Seán Crowe TD (Sinn Féin), a constituency colleague of Paul Murphy, who issued a strong solidarity statement. All other left wing deputies, elected representatives, activists etc should endorse Crowe’s statement. That is a minimum. Paul and his partner Jess Spear must be unconditionally supported, and the left should move forward, openly organising and marginalising far-right anti-civilization thugs.

Statement Issued by Seán Crowe TD (Sinn Féin, Dublin South-West) :

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Family home of Paul Murphy TD targeted by protesters – “Far right protesting outside our home right now. We were literally preparing to give our newborn baby a bath”

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April 24 2023 at 8pm – Far-Right protesters in Ireland’s capital city Dublin protested outside the house of an elected member of the Dáil (parliament), the People Before Profit Deputy Paul Murphy. This is a sinister escalation. Solidarity with Paul Murphy TD and his partner Jess Spear.

Far-Right Protesters outside the home of Paul Murphy TD
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Written by tomasoflatharta

Apr 24, 2023 at 10:26 pm

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN THROWS LEFT SUPPORTERS UNDER THE BUS – by Brendan Ogle

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The Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for several hours to a captive audience in a Moscow palace on February 21, describing LGBT Rights as “Pure Satanism”. Brendan Ogle, a UNITE Trade Union official in Ireland, responds. Source : https://www.facebook.com/camilo.ogle

It had to come to this.

In fact for those watching, those not completely blinded by their understandable hatred of US and NATO imperialism, it came to this a long time ago. But yesterday it happened in horrific awful technicolour. Putin threw left supporters – and there are still far too many of them – under the bus.

A year from his invasion of Ukraine Putin’s war with what he calls ‘the west’ has now openly gone full #FarRight. The language of the toxic fascist inspired racist protests that took place here and elsewhere recently is 100% Putin’s language. He helped to create it. Yesterday in a lengthy monologue in front of a room of nodding donkeys applauding rapturously in case they got a nerve agent in their lunch, he described LGBT rights as ‘pure satanism’, engaged in transphobic hate speech and described paedophilia as the ‘new norm’ in the west.

A year from his invasion of Ukraine Putin’s war with what he calls ‘the west’ has now openly gone full #FarRight. The language of the toxic fascist inspired racist protests that took place here and elsewhere recently is 100% Putin’s language. He helped to create it.

Yesterday in a lengthy monologue in front of a room of nodding donkeys applauding rapturously in case they got a nerve agent in their lunch, he described LGBT rights as ‘pure satanism’, engaged in transphobic hate speech and described paedophilia as the ‘new norm’ in the west.

Sound familiar?

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“We condemn the hatred expressed towards people seeking refuge and seeking asylum” March with Le Chéile, February 18, Parnell Square Dublin, 1.30pm

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John Lyons, am Independent Left Dublin City Councillor representing Artane/Whitehall, is supporting the Le Chéile Ireland for All Solidarity march at Dublin’s Parnell Square on February 18 at 1.30pm. John’ report is below. Irish Left With Ukraine is one of many organisations supporting this anti-racist mobilisation.


Over recent weeks there have been protests in the area targeting people seeking refuge in Ireland. It has been sad to see and it consequences can be traumatic for those directly targeted and can further disadvantage all our efforts to fight for a better Ireland for all as we can only secure housing for all, a better health service, more community, sports & social funding if we are united, not divided.

This country is extremely wealthy but we have a problem: the political class led by Fine Gael & Fianna Fail care only for the better off & wealthy.

They don’t care about our families, our communities.

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“Well, 4 of us protested against the far right this afternoon – It’s now got around 85 thousand views and rising” – A FÓRSA trade union official, Andy Pike, was in Parnell Square, Saturday 4.2.2023

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Well, 4 of us protested against the far right this afternoon Lots of abuse from some but more support from passers by. We at least made a point. @forsa_union_ie @apike1.

4 FÓRSA trade unionists counter-protest against the racist far-right – 85,000 plus internet likes – Parnell Square, Dublin, 4.02.2023

It’s now got around 85 thousand views and rising. Over 200 abusive comments as well. Going to keep those comments open just to allow them to disgrace themselves even more. Keep it coming, you only show yourselves up for what you are #IrelandForAll

It’s now got around 85 thousand views and rising. Over 200 abusive comments as well. Going to keep those comments open just to allow them to disgrace themselves even more. Keep it coming, you only show yourselves up for what you are #IrelandForAll

Surprised a picture of 4 folk with a tatty banner and home made placards has 50k views. Its attracted so much abuse we are more convinced than ever of the need to support Refugees. That’s why we will be supporting @LeCheileDND 1.30 at the GPO tomorrow so do come along if you can twitter.com/apike1/status/…


The Irish Times published this Una Mullally report on Monday February 6 2023 :

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