A month ago, a member of the
British Army named Lee Rigsby was brutally murdered on Wellington
Street, Woolwich by a pair of religiously-motivated madmen. It was
only through the efforts of a few extremely brave members of the
public that the body count was not any higher. Rigsby was, by all
accounts, an extremely nice bloke who did not at all deserve the
senseless fate that was delivered to him.
The murder of a soldier at
the hands of Islamic militants has had the effect one might have
expected.
Namely, a shitstorm has
erupted.
On one side we have the
Anti-Islamists, represented in its extremes by groups like the
English Defence League or parties like the British National Party.
They are calling for an end to what they perceive to be the spread of
Islam throughout society, and they aren't afraid of using violence to
achieve this end. The opposition to this standpoint (let's call them
the Anti-Anti-Islamists, because it looks and sounds hilarious) claim
that the situation is being massively over-exaggerated and that it is
unfair to judge an entire group by its extremes. These guys are
represented by groups like Hope Not Hate, and in its extremes by
Unite Against Fascism.
Now, I'm going to do my best
to remain as on-the-fence on this topic as possible with this post,
because it isn't my intention to discuss the relative merits of
either side and their arguments. I'm writing this because I take
quite a big issue with the language both sides use. And by language,
I mean one specific term.
Because seriously, guys, you
all need to stop bandying around the word 'fascism'.
Fascism is a term for a very
specific form of ultra-right political nationalism, emphasising
strong leader figures and the “mass mobilisation of the national
community” (cheers Wikipedia). It's a form of rule that rose to
prominence in the 20th Century, with countries like Italy
being taken over by fascist parties during this time and with small
fringe groups like the British Union of Fascists existing in
countries like the UK. The most notorious example, of course, is
Germany's Nazi state that existed between 1933 and 1945: when people
talk of fascism, its this state and all the negative connotations
that come with it that springs to mind.
Fascism isn't a buzzword.
Fascism isn't all radical-right political theory. Fascism isn't
everyone who doesn't think exactly the fucking same as you. It's a
proper political term that represents a specific ideology but these
days is instead being misused by every man and his dog, regardless of
where they sit on the political spectrum.
So let's single out each
side in turn and explain to them why they should stop misusing this
word.
Dear 'Unite Against
Fascism'. You're not opposing fascists, unless Nick Griffin has
recently developed an obsession with corporatism whilst I wasn't
looking. The days when there were openly-fascist groups and parties operating in the UK have long since ended; even the National Front has since shifted its focus to a brand of ultra-nationalism. Far-right movements? Yes, those you are opposing, but the
use of fascism in your very name indicates a complete lack of
understanding towards the thing you say you're opposing, which makes
you guys look more than a little silly.
Dear Anti-Islamists. There's
no such fucking thing as 'left-wing fascism'. That's a paradox that
ranks up there with “a very dry rainforest”. If you were to start
talking about 'left-wing extremism', then you might well find
yourself onto something, because such a thing most certainly exists
and I'm sure some of you guys have been the victim of it at times.
But tacking 'fascism' on the end of something to try and make a point
not only suggests you have absolutely no idea what the hell you're
talking about, it just seems childish and unnecessary.
Which bring us to my central
point. In debates like the one currently raging about Islamophobia
and the Islamisation of Britain, fascism is no longer being used to
make a legitimate point. It's being used to stifle discussion, to
shut down communication. “Oh, you hold an opposing view-point to
me? Well, you're a fucking Nazi, mate” is essentially what people
are doing when they bandy the term about.
This discussion's important.
It needs to happen, and we need a decent consensus on how to answer
it. So tactics such as everyone calling everyone else a fascist is
doing nothing but increasing the rhetorical nonsense and ensuring
that we take even longer to come up with an answer.
So seriously, guys. Cut that
shit out.
