(en) France, Courant Alternatif #231 - Marriage for All: The far right on the offensive (fr)

The movement against marriage for all woke the "silent majority", reminded us that the 
church was still a political weight and that France was indeed a country steeped in 
Catholicism. For those who could remember more... Gay marriage, a minor issue, a political 
game ... At first, it began rather conventional way, it is a fairly simple equation 
politician. Since its inauguration, the PS puts the issue of gay marriage before (it was a 
promise of Holland) to forget the relatively impressive amount of antisocial acts that 
pass every month for a year in the Chamber. To do this, the government relies on very 
favorable polls "marriage for all" (about 60%). It should be noted that the opinion is now 
in favor of marriage and adoption of children by homosexual couples. The challenge for 
government is to make this law, "new right", a kind of "deposit left."

The reaction of right-wing parties is necessarily up to the event: they have nothing to
say about the political background of the government (including economic), they will rush 
this legislation, stirring traditional values right: the family and Christian morality.
Very soon the debates are passionate and not very exciting. For it is clear that what 
could result in social progress, led by the Socialist Party and its satellites, is nothing 
more than social change, including the gay-codes of the family ... The question of 
marriage unleashed passions, surprisingly more than the adoption, probably less symbolic 
but oh how much more important for the people involved.

The political game is not enough

Very quickly, the right expressed his desire to bring the debate "on the street". On 
November 17, the UMP, hand in hand with the Church organizes numerous processions France, 
with hundreds of thousands of people. Until then, no wonder. For anyone who has studied
the question a bit, it was clear (and this will remain the case throughout the movement) 
that the protest had been "watered" by the clergy. A large infrastructure is in place for 
these shows. It should be noted that the extreme right has gathered the following day, 
November 18, in Paris, bringing together all the same 10,000 people. This is the beginning 
of the growing media coverage of far-right groups and in particular the Civitas Institute 
(through the "aggression" of FEMEN calculated).

The Civitas Institute is a royalist Catholic fundamentalist organization, particularly 
homophobic, close to the ideas of Bishop Lefevre. Unlike the state of small groups of the 
extreme radical right, the Civitas Institute has a real social base. Social base of the
faithful around the west of Paris, including people attending church St Nicolas du 
Chardonnet. A social base not too out on the street usually true, but strong and numerous. 
The organization very hierarchical, is headed by the Secretary General Alain Escada, 
which, despite a look that does not forget the sex cases involving the Church was highly 
sought by the media. Unlike frigid Looney and "UMP" line "for AKI," Civitas refuses "all 
talk to normalize homosexuality." As it is clear. Meanwhile, the "demo for" gaining 
momentum across the frigid Looney character, a kind of rock star homophobic. Focusing on 
the family side, the "demonstration for all" was sharply criticized by the radical right. 
To form "nice bright" at first, but especially for its "tolerance" towards Homosexuals.

A mass movement really took off on January 12, when the Church and the UMP sprinkle of 
money the huge demonstration that ends on the Champ de Mars, buses from all over France
have been rented. The organizers claiming 800,000 people, which would make it the largest 
demonstration since the 1983 right-handed (yet) for a private school. Media images of the 
feast "real French families", very white, very blonde, fertile and happy. The France we
like, what! Obviously all participants try to do well on their own, talk about the 
suffering of children (we do not ask them their opinion of course) defending any 
homophobia and talking about their "happiness raising children" (sic). One can notice the 
meanness of the claim, which is to deprive people of what seems to make them happy. If it 
is not homophobic, it's at least bad.

The speech is a little clearer on the side of the extreme right demonstration, organized 
in parallel by Civitas, who took the grade. That's over 20,000 people who form a 
procession that can reasonably be described as fascist, gathering all the trends of 
organized racism in France. Therefore, the movement took on a different scale, media 
becomes a real issue and quickly returns to the everyday conversations. The movement grew 
out of the only politician sphere and becomes a social issue, extremely cleaving, which
leads to heated confrontations within frameworks such as dinners with colleagues ...

The anti-parliamentarian turn is given appointment on March 24 for a "huge demonstration" 
on the Champs Elysees. But frigid Looney and others are denied access to the Champs. That 
day held the first confrontations between cops and young extreme right, among others, who 
had chosen this time to participate in the demonstration. The fascists have successfully 
shot. Trying to force their way on the Champs Elys?es, symbolic area of the right and the 
bourgeoisie, they enlisted the support of the event. Images cops gassing "family" 
demonstrators toured Internet, supporters of the order were able to pose as victims.

It is from this moment that radicalization was effective. The following week, the events 
are held in the evening, often interspersed with battles with riot police in the beautiful 
areas of Paris. The trend "frigid Looney" has no control over much, nor the UMP, the FN
has never seemed be an important ... The political forces that remain are the right-wing 
groups. Civitas, reluctant to organize the mess, gets him back, looking a watchful eye the 
other splinter groups, younger and more eager to fight the frogs clams. Still, for more
than a week and almost every night, they are nationalists Youth, the French Renewal, the 
French Action Identitaires and holding the Latin Quarter, organize demonstrations and 
clashes, bringing with them a good of the son of the high and petty bourgeoisie of Paris. 
Despite their willingness to respectability, the official organizers of the "demonstration 
for all" are overwhelmed, their stewards even taking shots ... These clashes may seem 
anecdotal only if the events were not so provided. During the week of April 15 to 20 is
more than 5000 people every night who find themselves daily to spit their crap through 
Paris. Because it goes without saying that the discourse has changed. We went to a 
traditional whining rhetoric about "children who can not integrate with same-sex parents," 
a wordy on the "homosexual standard becomes dominant," the "hunt heterosexual" and other " 
disappearance of the Christian civilization. " This inversion of values, the homosexual is 
supposed to be a standard, comparable to the masculinist, works unfortunately. Besides 
ideological base and the component class (the vast majority of protesters from the radical 
bourgeois circles, at least in Paris), the political culture of postwar these environments 
it ("the red will take us all , quickly planquons us in Switzerland ") creates a sense of 
panic. It was thus possible to hear the slogan (which would have dreamed Friedrich Engels) 
"socialist dictatorship".

It is also clear that all intellectual extreme right was mobilized, focused forums, texts, 
debates. In an article in the April 22, JDD, a member of the RG is a portrait of arrested 
demonstrators: "We have a lot of" son of archbishop, "says a police source, young people 
whose parents occupy important posts, military ... ". In addition, some journalists evoked 
the back to the front of the scene of former members of the OAS.

The far left not up.

Without leaving a complotiste or catastrophic theory, this fact should remind us that 
certain sections of French society are always quick to respond, to use their influence. It 
does not say here is that there is a fascist danger in France. Only trust taken by 
right-wing extremists, support a certain social base can lead us to violent confrontation, 
changes in our ways of campaigning. Lyon currently serves as a laboratory for the 
fascists, they beat up the activists and others, but also gay, break fronts kebabs ... 
Faced with this, the extreme left in all its diversity seems devoid of response. This 
phenomenon goes back to distant memories and this time included the advocate may be fart 
face is long forgotten. Nobody is really structured to deal with it at the moment.

The example is representative of Paris. While the extreme right stood the street, there
was very little reaction. Some rallies were held (one in the Place de la Bastille, 
organized by ACT UP brought together 5,000 people against homophobia), but most of the 
time the claims were limited to slogans. So we heard it was "to block the extreme right" 
without specifying how, or even pathetic appeals from historical fascism activists asking 
the state "to ban such gatherings ". As if the state was the guarantor of our freedom ... 
I must say that all these words were only the wind, leftists (except ACT UP) had no 
serious discourse on the situation.

The wait, fate to see such a strong reactionary movement were anesthetized as all 
analytical, critical, leaving as the only perspective is to stand behind the state and its 
cops ... The state as a bulwark against fascism ... we can easily imagine the consequences 
this may have. Is depriving any critical capacity, it seems clear that the militants also 
rob concrete and physical means to oppose the fascists. In Paris, in front, they have a
big confidence. They are ground to clashes, they had political support from much of the
"demonstration for all." To the far right, we are their main enemy. And at a time when 
they attack us, it means they have previously attacked other people, who have not had the 
chance or the strength to hold against them.

The FN conspicuously absent

If the extreme right has taken to the streets to head on, there is a disconnect between
the wing "activist" wing and "election." The FN has paradoxically been completely absent 
from the debate on gay marriage. Paradoxically because its push in the polls is continuous 
and it is clear that the party is part of growing as one of the contenders for 2017. 
Except that the price of this anchor in the political class is a transformation of the 
party into a group of "notables". It is a party with some activists (witness his failure 
to May 1, where he struggled to gather 5000 people) but a large structure, strong 
political office. Gone are the skins and hard knocks to FN. Front is more bureaucrat. 
Radical tendencies of fascists are not wrong altogether when they fear recoveries from the 
FN. The strategy of The Pen is in fact clear: we do not make waves, you can enjoy the 
rightward shift of society movements mood of the "silent majority" in 2017 direction!

The attack is two-edged. On the one hand, the hammer hits hard: the state that represses 
the far-right groups that organize themselves gradually, antisocial laws and lack of 
victory for us. On the other hand, the anvil, with a high FN sclerosis much people that
are usually seen fighting, preventing them from rebel for fear of a return of electoral staff.

As revolutionaries, it is imperative to establish concrete links between the proles, 
combative people outside these electoral areas. It should be a free space that allows real 
reappropriation policy. Reappropriation that would allow us to fight effectively against 
all that destroys us all attacks suffered for years. Reappropriation that we would no 
longer subissions the situation like this, a situation that forced us to enter into a 
political arena which is not and will never be ours. The failure of the fight against the 
far right and homophobia is not an isolated element. It is the result of an inability to 
organize ourselves politically on a clear basis.

A Parisian