>On Behalf Of Doug Henwood
> >Would mockery have been the proper approach to Haider's Afrikaan
> cousins in
> >South Africa?
>
> There's a big difference between an organized mass movement like the
> anti-apartheid movement, and the bleatings of Clinton and Blair and
> liberal editorialists (not to mention the Israeli government, which
> has a lot of nerve criticizing anti-immigrant/racist politicians).
> Such bleatings only add to the allure of the demonized character.
Wait a second; however compromised, the Austrian Social Democrats have themselves stated a refusal to participate in a government that included Haider's party. Given its union base and the Austrian demonstrations, why is that not enough to justify a refusal by other European countries to refuse to have the a Freedom Party-led Austria share in the governance of Europe?
How about close to home? Should we be condemning Bradley and Gore for denouncing the flying of the confederate flag in South Carolina. Should we be opposing the boycott of tourism to South Carolina as "imperialism" against a small southern state?
Your position is for everyone to shut up until they clean their own house. I am much more in favor of activists organizing across the board to pressure for denunciations of each countries failures and hypocrisies. I want progressive Austrians denouncing the racism of Israel's immigration policies and Israelis denouncing the racism of Austria. And everyone denouncing the racism and brutality of the US economic and judicial system. That's a far better state than a mutual complicit silence in some form of hypocrisy non-agression pact.
-- Nathan Newman