This image is from Twitter, yesterday:
Five people have been arrested at a protest in London where a group of masked men attempted to enter a hotel housing asylum seekers on Saturday.
At about noon, two anti-asylum groups marched to the Crowne Plaza in Stockley Road, west London, and a group of men in masks attempted to enter the building through the rear entrance and damaged security fences, the Metropolitan police said.
Three things.
First, please do not tell me that the cross of St George is not being associated with racist attacks, because as this image of racist actions shows, it very clearly is, and that, I suggest, is precisely why it is appearing in other places around England. Any excuses offered for the rash of flags appearing in England at present are very obviously false in that case. As was the case with the British National Party, the EDL, and other far-right fascist groups, this flag is now being associated with the far right and with both fascism and racism, and no excuses can be made for its use in this way.
Secondly, why isn't the use of this flag in this way being proscribed? The English flag is being desecrated by people intent on racist terrorism, because that was what was going on at this hotel yesterday, when there was a deliberate attempt by some to enter the building to intimidate those who were in it, because no other consequence was possible as a result of their actions.
Third, why isn't Labour, and why aren't the Tories all over the media condemning such demonstrations? They call those who challenge climate change terrorists, but in their opinion, those who actually want to overthrow the UK state as we have known it, and make it into a fascist regime, are apparently allowed to go about their business unimpeded by our government and the official opposition, as if they're quite happy to condone these actions.
Have they already given in to fascism?
Is that what we have to conclude, because it seems that way?
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Intellectually retarded by Neo-liberal market market dogma, this is what politics is is left to fight over – a vacuous popularity contest because there are no new ideas and only zombie ones instead. With nothing else to discuss, fascism gets its foot in the door.
And I’m not feeling sorry for politics either – when you take the ‘kings shilling’ from your (private) funders, you do as you are told – even more so if a knight of the realm.
Modern politics is sympathetic to markets because they apparently offer solutions to lazy, dumb politicians who sit atop a power they do not understand or wish to execute. This is being tolerated because there is an ’emerging market’ in fascism whose extreme reductionist methodology will provide political solutions that will not cost a lot of money and cause fuss and nonsense about tax etc.
Because all that matters in a world without new ideas is just being in power and gaining it by whatever means that you can EXCEPT over what is actually important (equality, fairness, ethics, rights, rules etc). As a politician now, your job is to maintain the status quo of capital dominance by whatever means you see fit as long as you do not veer near anything that maintains that status quo – that’s off limits.
This is not a democracy we are living in, not even a ‘capitalist democracy’. This is just ‘capitalism’. Like its twin – soviet style communism – capitalism cannot broach plurality of any kind – it does not share anything, it is naturally monopolistic in nature as much as Lenin was.
My view is that England has been on a fascist trajectory of some kind for some time. How else can you balance children going hungry with the pomp and circumstance of a ‘royal family’? That was a clue if ever there was one.
I like the correct juxtaposition of extreme capitalism(fascism) and extreme socialism(fascism). Looks like where the world is heading. A large number of fascist dictatorships with assorted democracies in Europe and dotted around in other places.
I think UK will resist fascism, but with a fight.
What is “extreme socialism”? When examples from Soviet Russia are used, that is not socialism, neither is the perversion “National Socialist Party”. Socialism in the UK has a distinct flavour, very Bennite, and focused on the rights and living conditions of every citizen.
Agreed
“extreme capitalism(fascism) and extreme socialism(fascism)”
What Stalin and Hitler had in common was extreme authoritarianism (including dictatorship) but their political backgrounds were different, they arrived at similarly oppressive regimes with differing political backdrops.
20thC fascism was not extreme capitalism, its form of ‘corporatism’, whilst strongly supporting private enterprise, was not a fan of neoclassical capitalism, it wanted power to ultimately be vested in the fascist state not in markets, especially not in international markets, and it also used high levels of public spending for economic recovery.
It was described by outsiders as “far right” from the start, purely on the basis of its extreme nationalism.
Mussolini claimed fascism was an alternative, rejecting Socialism and also a notion of men as “puppets” of market forces, and Social Liberalism/democracy.
Political Compass effectively describes fascism as extremely authoritarian combined with broadly centrist, or even slightly left of centre, economics,
and It describes Stalin’s regime as equally authoritarian but economically well to the left of fascism, whilst it categorises extreme neoliberalism as “far right” economics regardless of what degree of authoritarianism it is combined with.
One can kind of see why from that why George Orwell said “it is impossible to define Fascism satisfactorily without making admissions which neither the Fascists themselves, nor the Conservatives, nor Socialists of any colour, are willing to make.”
It’s not unreasonable to describe Standard Neoliberalism as extreme capitalism, with as much power as possible given to markets and as little economic power vested in government as possible.
Some have categorised the rise, in modern times, of regimes which are very nationalistic whilst remaining broadly in the neoliberal envelope as ‘neoliberal nationalism’, a new unique combination.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09692290.2010.507132
This paper analyses the seemingly contradictory fusion between Nationalistic authoritarianism and neoliberalism in Hungary (abstract only)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1024529418813834
Thanks
There’s no point, really, in asking why the Tories aren’t condemning these demonstrations. Such near-riots suit their narrative, which is as close to Farage’s as it gets.
The question to focus on is why there has been almost complete silence from Keir Starmer. His response to the dangerous violence outside asylum accommodation yesterday was to tweet this:
“ I am clear: we will not reward illegal entry.
If you cross the Channel unlawfully, you will be detained and sent back.”
(Small point, Sir Human Rights Barrister – it is not unlawful to cross the Channel.)
There are no safe and legal routes for someone to claim asylum in the UK. The previous Government ensured that, and passed the law which makes it illegal to enter the UK without a visa. Visas are not granted to anyone without documentation, and in any case never to anyone from the countries people are fleeing from.
Sadly, Starmer is a weak bureaucrat who looks ridiculous when he parrots “strong” messages. Radio silence and the odd tweets are his best bet.
The LINO Government is missing in action and has been for weeks and arguably months.
What the hell is Labour doing?
Giving up.
The press, or someone else through them, are going after Rayner. It’s almost like someone wants a lame duck in power. I’m not sure Rayner would be any good, but she would be better than Starmer.
To give up you have to start. Lino never started , Richard. The just stomped over the country doing the bidding of their funders. I’m not disagreeing with the body of your post, as someone around here says “not a lot to disagree with”.
Like you and most of the readers of your blog, I’d no doubts whatsoever that the English flag had been hijacked by racist groups and individuals. If the people who commented on here to the contrary in weeks past genuinely thought otherwise they’re either extremely naive or just outright liars.
But on your more substantive point: Yes, the double standard and hypocrisy on show from the Labour government in not taking the same degree of action taken against other groups – who are actually protesting for causes far more important than using asylum seekers as cover for promoting broader racist aims – is staggering. Then again, the real reason the government banned a certain organisation wasn’t because of its focus but because they severely embarrassed the armed forces by easily gaining access to what was supposed to be a secure security area. Consequently, they had to be punished – and hard – to deflect from the far more important issue of how crap security was at a crucially important air base, and thus, how internationally embarrassing it was for all concerned.
Anyway, will Labour take any action, other than warm words of condemnation for the latest neo-fascist violence? No. Because those concerned are doing what the government wants: News of the hatred of “English” people (a minority but that’s not how it will seem) is going to filter back to the countries from which those seeking asylum come (or so the government and those involved in the violence, assume) and thus act as a deterrent. Additionally, if those already here feel sufficiently threatened it’ll make them far more likely to accept the government’s offers to repatriate them back to where ever.
So, two results without the government having to lift a finger. The trouble for the rest of us is the neo-fascist genie will not go easily back into the bottle in which it’s been stewing for years. But in the short-term thinking world of Starmer and co that’s an issue for another time. For now, let’s let those who are so proud of, and secure in, their “Englishness” that they need to wrap themselves in the English flag do their damnedest.
Much to…..you know the rest
While it clearly isn’t perfect the use of the Stars and Stripes is covered by a legally enforced flag code so why can’t we have the same in the UK?
Given the very real risk these thug’s pose I am surprised that armed police have not been deployed and in some cases used
Agreed
I really, really, do not want a law in this country that tells me that I must treat an emblem, which has been used in the subjugation of millions of people, with respect. I treat people with respect, I treat the laws of the land (with some recent exceptions) with respect. But a rag? No.
To call out the anti-asylum protesters is to risk the wrath of the right-wing hate rags. Despite the fact that these papers will never tell their readers to vote Labour, Labour has lived in abject fear of them since Blair’s time.
Agreed
At least one Local Authority included Civil Unrest in its ‘Risk Register’ for the Universal Credit roll out.
Given that many of the workers who did over 16 hours were brought into ‘Conditionality’ ie required to seek extra work and now have the joy of the misery that the DWP staff seem to enjoy doling out while being in minimum wage themselves I wonder if this might be a contributing factor?
Politicians are paid, in a roundabout way, to jail climate protestors. They are paid to listen to immigration protesters by the same group of people. Follow the money. While those folk are waving flags they don’t notice their pockets being picked of the their future being sold to the highest bidder.
It is quite telling that in the 1930s, the British Union of Fascists had to operate under their own symbols and imagery wheres their current counterparts simply co-opt our country’s flags. People in the 1930s would not have stood for thuggish far right scum co-opting their flag.
AW1983 says: “the British Union of Fascists had to operate under their own symbols and imagery”
I think they were maybe just more inventive, though also copying Nazi Germany and fascist Italy directly. Fascists from Mussolini onwards have tended to invent their own symbols and flags
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fascist_flags
I’ve always been rather suspicious of “neo-Nazis” who march with Nazi symbolism too, suspecting they’re doing it more to offend, and simply because they’re nasty thugs, rather being great political devotees of actual fascism as a whole, on the basis that if they were really genuine devotees of fascism as a political idea then they’d invent their own symbols and have their own up-front Führer.
The current flag infestation is partly inspired from NI but is also about deliberately obscurating fascism with patriotism, effectively convince people to be fascist whilst telling them it’s just patriotism and that requires use of nationalistic flags rather than separate fascist symbolism. So no modern versions of fasces or the swastika, at least not yet, just national flags.
I agree that this thuggery is textbook intimidation as is still experienced across Northern Ireland with as little pushback from the PSNI. Anecdotally this is because they are having to follow orders from ‘on high’ to stand back at extreme British loyalist events. Nothing changes.
I was disturbed to see how the mediation of these orchestrated protests was being taken up by some in the US on substack. The obscuration of its fascism by the use of the English folk patriot flag, as Robert B writes, is leading those who should know better to see these protests as akin to a socialist uprising for human rights. Those of us of a socialist bent actually living amongst such unchecked terrorism know that nothing could be further from the truth.
Cui bono ?
Palestine Action ban was nothing to do with the plane paint, but everything to do with the actions against Elbit, the Israel and US lobbies and UK government supine and funded complicity. The corruption of the Starmer government, and the Tory ones before it, has led us here. The corrupt Reform Ltd is just one of the malign forces, others include the US far right (Heritage Foundation etc) and the corporations lining Cabinet pockets (Blackrock, Blackstone, Palantir etc). As in 1930s Germany, the money leads to big business, the politics to the fascists.
Reform are just chasing the money dished out by those organisations and lobbyists. That’s government now. I’m not sure where I read it now, and I can’t find a source, but I’m sure I read that the actions against climate change protests were due to legal action taken against our government by fossil fuel companies. I know companies can sue governments for endangering their profits, but I’m not sure if it was used here.
These people should be called
The Thug Far Right
Imo
Government of the last two stripes really does seem to get most everything wrong. I’m not yet convinced stripe number3 which will be incoming from 2029 will be much different.
It really is time to talk about the one thing no-one is talking about that we should be. Are government endeavours too big and too hard?
Politely, what else would you suggest?
Tell me what you want to give up?