01) AFTER THE PARIS ATTACKS: FAR RIGHT ON THE RISE

 

By Adrien Welsh, PV correspondent in Paris

 

            On January 8th, the weekly satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo was the target of an armed attack in Paris. The famous cartoonists Jean Cabut ("Cabu"), Georges Wolinsky and Stéphane Charbonnier, who both collaborated with the newspaper L'Humanité (historically linked to the French Communist Party) were among the victims.

 

           This is the deadliest attack in France since 1961 when a bomb ‑ placed by the Secret Army Organization (OAS), an ultra‑right paramilitary group fighting to maintain French colonization over Algeria ‑ exploded under a train, killing 28 people.

 

            It didn't take long for solidarity actions to be organized. Caricaturists around the world drew tributes. On the evening of the tragedy, thousands of people around France gathered to mourn, many holding the placard Je suis Charlie (I am Charlie).

 

            Political declarations also came fast enough. President Francois Hollande called for "national unity", urging people to gather in the streets, and identifying a "direct, savage attempt to attack [France's] dearest republican principles, freedom of speech."

 

            The Socialist Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, invited former President Nicolas Sarkozy and his rightist party UMP as well as other political formations to the "Republican March" on Sunday, January 11. Rallies that day gathered about 3.7 million people in total, of which 2 million in Paris, as most important political forces called people to the streets.

 

            Sarkozy's Party also called for "national unity", saying that everybody "attached to the values of our Civilization, whatever their partisan choices are, have to be united against barbarism."

 

            The ultra‑right and xenophobic Front National declared that jihadism is not only a question of foreign policy, but also "an internal threat". They were the first to use this tragedy as a political manoeuvre, calling for a referendum on the death penalty, stronger border controls, and a fight against the "decadence" of the French nationality. The FN did not participate in the Paris Republican March, which was attended by no less than 40 foreign heads of state, including Mariano Rajoy from Spain, David Cameron (UK), Matteo Renzi (Italy), and Angela Merkel (Germany). Also present were Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary (said by Amnesty International to be the one who killed freedom of the press in his country), Benjamin Netanyahou, who assassinated 17 journalists last summer, and the General Secretary of NATO.

 

            Many countries issued solidarity declarations and demonstrations were held around the world in solidarity with the victims. On January 8, Stephen Harper declared that "the international jihadist movement has declared war", with the clear intention of using this tragedy to justify the latest imperialist war in Iraq. In an election year, this can only be beneficial for his Conservatives.

 

            In France, the general feeling is that freedom of the press was attacked and that the people should therefore unite behind republican values. But a more critical analysis is needed.

 

            Of course, this act needs to be firmly denounced. Islamo-fascist elements certainly have to be defeated through unity, but not through unity behind the ruling class which is, in many respects, responsible for what happened.

 

            This tragedy has a lot to do with France's involvement in different imperialist wars (Mali, Libya, Iraq, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, etc.) and with the austerity policies implemented by governments which contribute to a general mood of social and economic distress, paving the way for the emergence of a more organized ultra‑right.

 

            The Hollande government's role is particularly important in this affair. Since the beginning of its mandate, its goal has been to set the debate so that some fundamental issues are not discussed. This was the case when mobilizations against gay marriage paved the way for the ultra‑right. On the other side, the government attacked the labour movement through austerity measures even stronger than what the right could have accomplished. 

 

            This has to be understood in a completely electoral perspective: to win the next national elections in 2017, Hollande and the Socialist Party must ensure that they confront the ultra-right in the second round vote.

 

            If we try to define who will benefit politically from the Charlie Hebdo attacks, Hollande is not in a bad position. With a  popularity barely above 10% a few weeks ago, he managed to organize the biggest supportive rally in French history! Internationally, many top EU leaders were claiming that Hollande's "reforms" were going too slow; well, they all marched along with Hollande on Jan. 11!

 

            The crowd marched behind the President and a big chunk of the G8, under the banner of "national unity", for the values of the republic, singing the national anthem, flags in hand and chanting slogans like "vive la France!", "liberté, égalité, fraternité", all of these being symbols generally associated with right‑wing rallies.

 

            It was also shocking to see people with pacifist placards saying "no to arms", while French troops were killing people in Iraq. It will now be much more difficult to oppose the imperialist foreign policy. Also, while everybody keeps talking about these events, the government will have no problem adopting its new budget, which ironically includes extending the workday on Sundays. Had the attacks taken place a few months later, the crowd would probably be reduced, as more people would be working.

 

            The general feeling of the people is that these attacks targetted freedom of the press. Analysing this more deeply, we can understand that the government wanted people to think this, more so than the spontaneous reaction. The first to set this tone was Prime Minister Valls who declared the attacks a stab at the heart of France.

 

            But what happened was not just about a satirical weekly newspaper, which had a nasty editorial line dividing people through its extreme anti‑religious rhetoric. This was actually the fourth attack in about a month, along with others in Joué‑les‑Tours, Dijon and Nantes in the last week of December. Nor was the attack against Charlie Hebdo the only one by the Kouachi brothers and Amedy Coulibaly. It was just an attack perpetrated by a reactionary Islamist group, but the slogan of press freedom was used by the government as a useful propaganda tool.

 

            The truth is that newspaper most often censored, and which suffered repeated attacks from ultra‑right groups, to a point that security militia had to be organized for its distribution in the 1970s-80s, is L'Humanité, the journal of the Communist Party.

 

            Another important point is the strong international support for Charlie Hebdo. Literally thousands of people have rallied in cities around the world. Montréal's mayor, Denis Coderre, took part in one gathering, saying "tonight, we are all French". This certainly means that the tragedy will be replayed worldwide to further justify imperialist aggression.

 

            By comparison, the war in Syria has killed 153 journalists to date, but they didn't get the same treatment as their colleagues from Charlie Hebdo. Probably because they were killed by the allies of imperialism against El‑Assad's government.

 

            Of course, mourning the dead is important, as well as struggling for this to never happen again. But it is equally important to denounce the ruling class and the policies it implements to divide the working class.

 

            What will happen in the next few months? Islamophobic feelings will divide the people, and this mobilization will be used as a pretext to increase the aggressiveness of French imperialism, to attack civil liberties, and to silence opposition. Ultimately, the ultra‑right will benefit.

 

            Actually, this has already started. Valérie Pécresse, former Minister for Higher Education and Research under Sarkozy, has called for a French version of the Patriot Act. One day after the March, MPs voted for an internet censorship law which will allow the government to shut down websites without needing the approval of a judge. Several attacks against the Muslim community of France have already been perpetrated.

 

            Of course, the world is amazed at how many people walked down the streets to Place de la Nation. But what is needed now is unity in action, unity in the struggle, unity against austerity measures and for a people's alternative, not unity behind those responsible for the wars, exploitation, and crises which foster the rise of the ultra‑right, fascism and islamism.

 

(The above article is from the January 1-31, 2015 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)