Below we publish two short comments on the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday (13 November). For a full analysis of the events see here.
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Solidarity with the people of Paris under terrorist attack in at least 7 locations with dozens of people killed and also hostages taken.
The far right and reactionaries in France and elsewhere are already attempting to gain political capital out of this by blaming refugees who’ve recently come in. Expect more of this and not only from far right but also more “mainstream” right wing. It will also be used by the ruling class to curtail democratic freedoms. The workers movement must resist this and should not fall into the trap of “national unity”.
These attacks are not separate from the recent rise of reactionary Islamic fundamentalism in countries like Syria, Iraq, Libya, etc which is the direct and indirect consequence of imperialist intervention in these countries. US, UK and also French imperialism and their allies Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, have armed, backed and trained ISIS, Al Nusra, Taliban etc to pursue their own interests and undermine their opponents.
The people in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey also suffer from this same terrorism on a regular basis. This is not a matter of “clash of civilisations” nor of Islam against Christianity.
This same week hundreds of thousands have marched in Afghanistan against Taliban atrocities (http://www.marxist.com/mass-movement-shakes-kabul-which-way…). In this country it was the US which first funded and backed the forces of dark reaction in their struggle against the PDPA regime.
by Jorge Martin
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Dear comrades,
I want to draw your attention once again to the events that took place in Paris. I find it completely inevitable that people living in the Western world are most affected emotionally by events taking place in such a (supposedly) safe environment as Paris. I won’t judge anyone for that. I’m glad to see people’s response being the fact that we need to be remembering the massacres and terrorist attacks in other countries as well as the ones taking place in Europe.
However, now that your attention is drawn to these events and your minds and souls are open and filled with empathy I want you to think – not remember – but really try to think and COMPREHEND what is happening in the world right now and the past few years: the massacres in the Middle eastern countries, the monstrosities of the Mexican state towards its people, the police crimes against black youth in the US, the refugees who died in the Mediterranean sea, the thousands of Brazilian favelas that were destroyed during the FIFA cup leaving poor people homeless within days, the rise of drug abuse and lack of healthcare in Greece, the massacres in Turkey, the civil wars and army interventions in Congo, Mali, Sudan that have left hundreds dead and wounded. The misery, the lack of hope and future, the deaths, the deaths, the deaths. Whole families dead, students without schools, sick people without hospitals and doctors, young people with no future and the elderly without medication or safety in their own home.
And really can you call me an extremist or a radical for having faith in humanity, for believing only in the enormous potential of human kind if we were to live under a different system? A system where there’s no wars fought between brothers and sisters because of oil and money, a system where a kid can make his dreams come true because he’s not starving, his house is not bombed, he’s not lacking education, he’s not murdered by police forces, he’s not lacking healthcare or later on job opportunities, a system where we no longer see people as a list of characteristics: black, white, christian, atheist, muslim.
I believe that all of us can be smart enough to pull those pieces together and really find an answer to the question: why are all these things happening? The answer is not because we’re doomed, stupid, ignorant, religious, weak, heartless or selfish. Stop giving lazy answers to such serious questions. The answer can only be that there are people who are benefiting from this sick system and want to keep on perpetuating it. There are people who rule this world and they do so for their own personal gain, not for the progression of all humanity. In the past, a monarch would send his soldiers to die like flies for the continuation of his legacy and strengthening of his power.
Humans are naturally social beings and understand that if we make sure that everyone is healthy and prosperous this will have a direct effect on us. The only problem is the sick system of capitalism and its child, imperialism. It is not easy to admit that we need to fight back but if we don’t we will keep on experiencing and watching these barbaric scenes in repeat like some sort of crazy masochists. We’re much stronger than we think. Socialism or barbarism, my friends. You can choose.
by Nina Christou
