NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #1/NN_1993_1.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/9795

Text File | 1993-01-06 | 9.2 KB | 183 lines

Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!rpi!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!tulane!ukma!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
From: Hank Roth <[e-mail]>
Subject: ISO:Germany & Racism
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: [e-mail]
Sender: [e-mail]
Nntp-Posting-Host: pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: The 23:00 News and Mail Service
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 00:26:13 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
Lines: 168

<<< via P_news/p.news >>>
~From: [e-mail] (Rick A Kuhn)

Subject: Article from the Socialist (Australia)

[Hank, what follows is an article from the next issue of the
Socialist which you may want to use. The gate between
AARNet/Internet, which I am on, and the net which the Socialist
uses should open in the next week. Hopefully I'll be able to
forward you stuff regularly after that (and material that deals
with Australia).]
 ---------------------------
Anti-Fascism in Germany

Racism continues to be a central issue in Europe. The issues are

particularly stark in Germany. But there is a similar pattern in
most European Community countries.

Governments have been promoting racism, fascists have been the
main beneficiaries and large numbers of ordinary people have
mobilised against racism and fascism.

But the issue is not simply one of governments promoting racism
and fascist attacks.  Anti-fascists and anti-racists have also
been mobilising. After the murder of three Turkish women in a
late November arson attack in Moelln ,near Hamburg, the anti-
fascist movement has reemerged in huge demonstrations and even
strikes.


The conservative government of Chancellor Kohl has been arguing
since the middle of 1991 that the German consitution has to be
changed in order to cut down the number of asylum seekers coming
to Germany. It raised the question after two major setbacks in
State elections. Kohl had painted a rosy picture of unification
in the first all German elections at the end of 1990. He ditched
key promises about no new taxes almost immediately.

The campaign against `sham` asylum seekers distracted attention
from growing economic problems. And, by raking up racism, it gave
the conservatives an advantage over the opposition Social
Democrats. As the crisis produced by anihilation of east German
industry deepened and the west German economy started moving into
recession, the government needed the asylum issue more and more.

An unintended consequence of the anti-refugee campaign was the
rapid growth of fascist groups. The electoral fascists like the
Republicans and German People`s Union, for the time being, are
trying to look respectable. But they hold provocative memorial
ceremonies, conferences and marches. Votes for both parties in
state and local elections have been on the rise since the
government started its elections campaign. In Baden-Wuerttemburg
in April the Republicans won 11 per cent. These organisations, by
far the largest, have the bulk of their support in the west.

There are also more numerous, but much smaller, neo-nazi groups.
These jack booted fascists have the same politics as the
electoral organisations and overlapping membership. Both currents
are viciously anti-foreigner, anti-semitic and opposed to working
class organisations. The neo-nazis concentrate on violent
tactics, attacking foreigners and political opponents. Given
extremely high levels of unemployment and hopelessness amongst
young in the former German Democratic Republic, it is hardly
surprising they have their main base in the east.

There have been over 2000 fascist attacks in Germany this year.

Including at least 17 murders, large numbers of assaults and
attacks on on housing for asylum applicants, including a pogrom
in the eastern city of Rostock that lasted for several days.

This has become embarassing for the conservatives. It`s bad for

Germany`s image abroad, especially as the government wants a seat
on the UN Security Council, and deters investment, particularly
in the east. To demonstrate its own anti-racist credentials, the
government called a demonstration in Berlin on 8 November. Most
of the 350,000 who turned up were opposing racism rather than
supporting the government. And the Chancellor and President were
hailed with tomatoes when they tried to speak.

More significant, because it was organised around harder politics
was the 200,000 strong 14 November mobilisation in Bonn. It
demonstrated against changes to the right of asylum and the SPD
(Social Democrats`) capitulation to the government`s demand that
the constitution be altered. The massive engineering union IG
Metall also took a stand against altering asylum laws.

The SPD nevertheless agreed that certain countries will be deemed
not to persecute anyone. People from these countries seeking
political asylum will be sent back.  Asylum seekers who have
passed through any other EC country before reaching Germany will
be sent back to that country.

But since the murders in Moelln there has been a shift in the

political climate. At the Hoesch steelworks, unionists have built
a telephone tree to defend their foreign colleagues against
racist attacks. 200,000 workers in the metal industry stopped
work briefly to show that workers oppose racism. 150 workers in a
large print shop near Frankfurt did the same. There have been
huge demonstrations in a large number of cities, including Munich
(over 300,000) and Nuremberg (100,000). Public opinion has also
swung against the racists. Support for the slogan `foreigners
out` fell from 32% to 19%, according to a poll in Der Spiegel
magazine.

The authorities were forced to forbid a Repulicans conference in

Ottbergen because 30 organisations had called for a counter
rally. And under the pressure of mass mobilisations and fear of
its international public relations, the government has banned a
neo-nazi organisation.

As KlassenKampf the paper of the Socialist Workers Group, the
ISO`s sister organisation in Germany argues, `thousands can now
be won to the idea of building an anti-fasicst movement from
below. This requires the construction of a broad political
alliance of left organisations, including Young Social Democrats,
trade unionists and Greens in which all can cooperate to stop the
Nazis, irrespective of their other political convictions. . .
Neither the actions of the state nor self-defence against
attacks by fasicsts are a substitute for such a mass movement.`

Racism in Germany and elsewhere in Europe is the product of two
things. First the economic uncertainty and increased competition
amongst workers generated by an economic crisis and the
rationalisation of industry. Secondly the efforts of governments
to increase feelings of national unity and distract attention
from their problems by arguing that foreigners, refugees or
asylum seekers are a real problem.  This is being done in
individual countries and collectively through new EC rules on
political asylum.

The argument that foreigners or asylum seekers are a problem is
particularly weak. The six million foreigners in Germany play a
crucial role in German economy, especially in heavy industry,
producing about DM200 billion or 9 per cent of GNP, according to
the Cologne Institute for the German Economy. They contributed
DM30 billion in taxes and social benefit contributions in 1991.
Asylum seekers are net recipients of government spending only
because they are forbidden to work. Nor are the government`s
statistics to be trusted. It emphasises that about 500,000 asylum
seekers entered Germany in 1992, but does not say that almost
that many left the country the year before.

from "The Socialist" January 1993

Newspaper of the International Socialist Organisation (Australia)

G.P.O. Box 1473N
Melbourne VIC 3001
Australia

$12 for 12 issues ($20 airmail)


    ---------------------------------------------
Cross-posted from P_news/p.news. P_news is a conference for
progressive news, articles and views on Fidonets. And, p.news is
a parallel, but separate conference on Peacenet. You may
subscribe to this worldwide network by calling Peacenet at: (415)
442-0220. Also cross-posted to W_news on Fidonets (info upon
request). Submit articles and comments to: Hank Roth
<[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]> or on Fido <151/101>
See also Anews (Fidonets) for other alternative news....
    ###################################################