WAR CREATES REFUGEES!
STOP THE WAR ON SYRIA, NOVOROSSIYA, RUSSIA AND CHINA! MOBILISE THE WORKING CLASS
AGAINST CAPITALIST BRUTALITY!
21-02-15 – It is impossible not to be profoundly
affected, and deeply disturbed, by the findings of the latest report into the
detention of children in Australia’s refugee detention centres. These sites are
simply torture cells rivalling any historical comparison to World War II, or
any current war. The fact that new born children and toddlers are subjected to
the same horrific treatment meted out to adults in detention beggars belief –
but it is all too true. Amongst other things, the Australian Human Rights
Commission’s report The Forgotten Children details things such
as: 3 year olds being diagnosed with clinical depression, 34% of children
detained need psychiatric assistance for severe mental illness, children are
involved in self-harm and self-starvation incidents, and are living with adults
who are mentally unwell. Many honest workers simply cannot believe that this
level of brutality is being implemented as a matter of government policy. Yet
it is a bi-partisan Liberal and Labor policy, and has been for years. And while
the Australian Greens may speak out about the inhumane conditions endured by
asylum seekers and refugees, they were a part of the former Federal government
which carried out these abuses, and
more.
Commentary on the report by the authors themselves, and many
other refugee rights campaigners who toil endlessly doing solidarity work,
often contain the phrase “Australia is better than this”. While we agree with
the sentiment behind such a view, this plea in fact points to the real reason
why unspeakable abuse of human beings is taking place. For the Australian
government is not “our” government, in the sense of a government that
represents the “people” of Australia. The government that exists has been, and
remains, a capitalist government resting atop a capitalist state, which is set
against, and is used to suppress, Australians who are workers, unemployed, or
otherwise poor and marginalised. It is a government, and a state, which rules
for a tiny elite, which is well aware that it must keep workers divided in
order to rule. This is especially the case during the worst crisis of the
capitalist economies in memory, with no relief in sight. The ruling class in
such circumstances must divert blame from themselves onto more vulnerable
targets, so workers can be misled into thinking that their woes are caused by
virtually anyone who appears to be a foreigner. This justifies the brutal
treatment of those that seek asylum – as well as the current and future wars
being waged overseas.
If we recognise that the Australian government is not “our”
government, we must also adjust our political campaigning orientation for the
refugee rights movement. We refer to “pressure politics” – attempting to
pressure the government into “doing something” – because it “should do its
job”. In fact, it is doing its job – it is dividing the working class so that
it is powerless to rebel against capital. And now it is clear that the
government is prepared to brutally torture innocent human beings, including
children, in order to divide workers. Hence, no amount of seeking to pressure
the government to “do the right thing” will be effective. In fact, pressuring,
or trying to appeal, to the government actually strengthens its hand, for it
focuses even more attention on itself as the ruler. In a similar way, appealing
to some of the parliamentarist parties, such
as the Labor Party and the Greens, to “free the refugees” actually
strengthens, rather than weakens these parties – and ultimately strengthens the
capitalist state.
Gosford Anglican Church taking up the “Australia: We are
better than this” slogan. This slogan blurs all class distinctions,
dissolving workers into a false “national unity”. It inadvertently
strengthens the institutions that currently represent “Australia”, giving
them a free hand to continue to whip up jingoistic patriotism, which in
turn is one of the false justifications for the abuse of refugees and
asylum seekers.
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Despite the unquestionable commitment and untiring work of
the Refugee Action Collective (RAC), it shares the approach of pressure
politics. In fact, RAC is encouraged in this direction by some left parties
which predominate within it, such as Solidarity, Socialist Alternative and
Socialist Alliance, who themselves carry out a pressure, or lobbyist, approach
to politics. Yet appealing to the Labor Party or the Greens, or to the
government, or to the capitalist state itself has ultimately failed, and will
continue to fail. The treatment of refugees and asylum seekers becomes ever
worse, not better. What is required is the mobilisation of workers, who can
boldly declare that we, the workers, will take whatever action is required to
free the refugees; close the detention centres, and in the process unite
workers in opposition to the government. This will require the independent mobilisation
of the trade unions against, not lobbying, the government. Only
in this circumstance will the government feel any “pressure”, because then it
must compete with the workers’ movement for leadership of the broad masses. In
the process, the workers movement will grow stronger in unity which will allow
it to also address many other urgent political issues.
Such a struggle will entail challenging the conservative
leaders of the Unions, who have the resources to mobilise workers. There is no
doubting how difficult the internal Union struggle can be, especially during a
dire economic crisis. Yet the refugee rights movement can pressure the trade
unions, by, for example, appealing to workers to mobilise in defence of
refugees. Here is the only instance where “pressure” has a chance of
succeeding. Because for all of the crimes of betrayal by Union leaders against
their own members, Unions are actually organisations composed of workers, and
which, in however a distorted way, represent workers. Unions are organisations
of the working class, whereas a capitalist government is an organisation of the
ruling class. And workers have a direct interest in defeating attacks on
refugees, and not just for humanitarian reasons – although these are reason
enough in themselves. Workers need to defeat attacks on refugees so
that they can defeat the attacks on themselves! Workers’ unity, across all national
boundaries, is vital for this struggle.
Make no mistake, RAC is composed of many people who genuinely
desire an end to the abominable treatment of refugees, and work tirelessly to
this end. Yet its political strategy is not only misguided in the national
political context. Its international outlook is also waylaid onto a
self-defeating path by the leftist parties that drive it. For example, for at
least 4 years the Syrian Arab Republic has been the victim of a proxy war
carried out by the funding, arming and training of ultra-reactionary jihadists
by the governments of the United States of America, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
and Turkey. The Australian government now has 600 troops and six F/A 18 Super
Hornet jets in Iraq, acting in concert with the proxy US forces. Their clear
aim is the overthrow of the Syrian government, despite all the transparent
rhetoric about “fighting ISIS”. It is yet another US led war against a Third
World country. Yet the same leftist parties who divert the refugee movement
into ineffective channels here, divert the struggle against war into one which
is pro-war, under the guise of backing the mythical “Syrian revolution”. This is a “revolution” which has little or no
popular support, given that 88.7% of Syrians voted last year in favour of the
Presidential leadership of Bashar Al-Assad.
Cartoon depicting the United States and Israel pushing
ISIS fighters into Syria, being repelled by the Syrian government. Left
parties who dominate RAC, such as Solidarity, Socialist Alternative and the
Socialist Alliance, have all backed the US/Israeli armed and funded
jihadists in their murderous rampage across Syria. The Syrian government
has fought them off, leading many people to flee the fighting as refugees.
However, these leftist parties blame Syria instead of the source of the
jihadists – the US, Israeli and Saudi govts.
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War, of course, creates refugees – millions of them. So it is
self-defeating for a refugee rights movement to back imperialist wars. Yet via
RAC, under the tutelage of some left parties, this is effectively what has
occurred. It began with the war on Libya in 2011, moved on to Syria later that
year, and it then spread to Ukraine in February 2014, and then to the US backed
“Occupy Hong Kong” in September of that year. The fascist coup which began a
war against Novorossiya is part of a
NATO campaign for war against Russia, as “Occupy Hong Kong” is a part of the US
led war, albeit not yet a shooting war, against the People’s Republic of China.
In all of these conflicts, Solidarity, Socialist Alternative and Socialist
Alliance have effectively backed imperialist intrigue against the world’s
workers and oppressed. This is not just a matter of criticising others. It is
having a disastrous effect on the refugee rights movement, disabling its
abilities to “free the refugees”. For if we ally ourselves with the Australian
government in its backing of US led wars, be it Syria, Novorossiya, Russia or
China, we don’t have much chance of rallying in opposition to this same
government in order to force it to drop its horrific mistreatment of refugees. In
the same way, if we appeal to the ALP and the Greens domestically – even under
the veil of criticism of one or two particular policies of these parties – we
end up strengthening the very state of which the ALP and the Greens are an
integral part.
Unspeakable psychological and physical damage to refugees and
asylum seekers continues apace. The capitalist state is well aware that it must
divide workers if it is to salvage its tottering system. Divided workers will
not only be unable to defend refugees – they will be unable to engage in
effective struggle against a capitalist system which is no longer able to
provide permanent jobs with decent conditions, decent healthcare, education,
affordable housing, functioning public transport and other services. What we desperately need is an anti-war,
pro-working class refugee rights movement. Such a movement would appeal
to the interests of workers, seeking to mobilise workers with, and if
necessary, against conservative Trade Union leaders. It would seek to mobilise
workers independently of the capitalist state and its parliamentary parties. It
would oppose the Australian government and its murderous prosecuting of US led
imperialist wars in the Middle East and Eurasia. Ultimately, in order to cease
imperialist wars and their creation of refugees, the workers will have to sweep
away the Australian capitalist system and establish a workers’ republic. This
is why we say: Abolish the detention
centres! Full citizenship rights for all who have made it to these shores! For
workers’ rule!
MARXIST-LENINIST FRONT
Marxistleninistfront.blogspot.com
0421 408 692
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