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Blog 092: November 12th Demo: Orgy of the Fake Left
Posted By jean.meslier On 2017-11-18 @ 11:15 In | No Comments
Last November 12th an ostensible “Large Demonstration Against Hate and Racism” was held in Montreal, organized by a coalition of more than 165 organizations. The demo organizers also denounce Bill 62, the so-called “religious neutrality” law recently adopted by the government of Quebec, as well as what they refer to as the “far-right.”
Fortunately this very dubious event was not a great success. An account in Le Devoir [1] reports only a few hundred demonstrators. Nevertheless, there is reason for concern given the large number of associations which endorsed the march and especially because the political orientations which are evident in the Call to Action are precisely those present in mainstream media and among the majority of politicians. In fact, those orientations are drearily conformist, reflecting an intellectual orthodoxy which is imposed upon us ceaselessly, both by media and politicians.
The Call to Action [2] for the demo is a remarkable example of dogmatism and hypocrisy. Here are some quotes:
For several years we’ve seen the rise of racist hate speech in Quebec. The Parti Québecois’ “Charter of Values” in 2013, the election of Donald Trump in the USA, and the rise of populist, xenophobic political parties in Europe have galvanized the development of the far-right here. These forces have made a splash with their racist polemics. Far from cooling down this process, the Quebec City mosque massacre seems to have propelled this hateful discourse, normalizing it in the public imagination. […]
Oppose racism, Islamophobia, colonialism, sexism, transphobia, and all forms of hate encouraged by the far-right.
Support a society without borders, based on solidarity and inclusiveness.
Denounce capitalism and austerity, which are the causes themselves – not immigrants or people of colour – at the root of poverty and growing social insecurity.
This collection of inconsistencies begs to be deconstructed. Here are a few points:
What we have here is a collection of important aspects of a mentality which has become known as the “regressive left,” i.e. that fake left which is strongly imbued with the values (or lack of values) of postmodernism and which displays a shameful complacency with respect to Islamism. In particular, this pseudo-left, instead of criticizing the Islamist veil, that banner of the Islamist far-right and odious symbol of the enslavement of the woman, actually promotes it! The stupidity of this position is unfathomable.
If there is a “hateful discourse” which is currently being normalized “in the public imagination,” it is in fact the discourse conveyed by this fake left, a movement which will not tolerate anyone who does not slavishly parrot its dogma.
Instead of combatting the far-right as this demonstration pretended to do, its Call to Action indicates that its organizers and signatories play into the hands of the far-right, helping to strengthen it. They do this in at least three ways:
The political direction promoted by the November 12th demonstration is disastrous for Quebec. The groups which supported the demo have a duty to reconsider their priorities and to break with this regressive pseudo-left.
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[1] An account in Le Devoir: http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/actualites-en-societe/512799/manifestation-a-montreal-contre-la-loi-sur-la-neutralite-religieuse
[2] Call to Action: http://manif12novembre.com/en/appel-et-groupes-signataires/
[3] : https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.atheology.ca%2Fblog-092%2F
[4] : http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Blog%20092%3A%20November%2012%3Csup%3Eth%3C%2Fsup%3E%20Demo%3A%20Orgy%20of%20the%20Fake%20Left&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.atheology.ca%2Fblog-092%2F
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