Recently on the newsplatform "demvolkedienen" published an translation of the statement "For a combative anti-fascism and why “Jugendwiderstand” is useless for this", from combative antifascist from Austria.
[source: afainfoblatt.com, demvolkedienen.org]
In the beginning of September, amidst the development of a series of chauvinistically motivated violence after the murder Daniel Hillig in Chemnitz, that went around the world, comrades from Austria published a clear statement from the Antifascist Group Saualpe (Koroška/Kärnten) denouncing the fake antifascism of the right-liquidationist group known as "Jugendwiderstand". Henceforth, we document the translation of the letter:
For a combative anti-fascism and why “Jugendwiderstand” is useless for this
The most recent events in the eastern German city of Chemnitz display not only with all urgency the necessity for a combative anti-fascism, they also brought to light allot of false “anti-fascism”, as the one of the so-called “Jugendwiderstand” group in Germany. With its most recent declaration, this group presented itself symbolically for every “organization” that writes combative (even proletarian) anti-fascism as an empty phrase on its banners - independent from its social content, independent from imperialism, independent from the German circumstances.
The racists demonstration and even pogroms in Chemnitz, that Jugendwiderstand (as well as lately also the head of the BND) consider a mere “show”, an “unworthy display” (for Germany?), are not isolated, nor have they “fallen from the sky”. Apart from the recent history of Germany, that we will not go into more detail here, the past years have clearly shown, that racism, chauvinism and fascist attacks are not a “show” of some “old geezers”, but necessary part of an imperialist nation that strives to get back its “old strength”, that again dreams of leading Europe. Apart from the open state racism, there are 2.200 documented racist attacks every year in Germany, nearly daily there are, according to official numbers – sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger – attacks on homes of asylum seekers and not seldom, there are racist murders (in regards to this, the NSU is only the tip of the iceberg and simultaneously displays the massive state entanglement). To substitute this reality with a “Nazi scene” and protect the ruling class in Germany from the line of fire, is in the best case naive, and in the worst case a real help to the reactionary German state.
The murder of the worker Daniel Hillig is without a doubt to be condemned by every antifascist, and especially the atrocities for which is now being used as a pretext. The attempt of explaining it with the superficially self-evident wisdom “Asshole is Asshole! The nationality does not matter at all!” (which cannot be condemned as a basic attitude of unorganized and not very politicized individuals, but which is more then unfit as an attempt of an explanation by a political group) is nothing less of a “do-gooder argument” as those Jugendwiderstand always “criticizes” so heartily. As consequent, combative and proletarian antifascists, we however can not ignore, that there is a qualitative difference whether a refugee or immigrant comes from oppressed or and oppressive country. Hence, a German immigrant in Austria for example (and from those there are not a few!) or a french one in Germany are not the same as a Syrian immigrant in Austria (or for that in Germany). This difference among immigrants can not be denied, because one of the immigrants is subjected to broad national oppression through imperialism (which especially effects refugees) and the other is not, which is simply not “vain”. The stance of Jugendwiderstand that refugees can also be “Pigs. Reactionaries. Cutthroats. Broken. Lumpen” “independent of their nationality”, is self-evident wisdom, to emphasize which is most of all helpful, to negate the principal contradiction world wide between imperialism and oppressed peoples and nations, and in the current situation aims at nothing else, but to cover up German imperialism and the disgusting chauvinism it produces and to portrait it as an equivalent Enemy as reactionary immigrants. That is the real denial of reality that Jugendwiderstand oh so happily blames on the “do-gooders”. Yes, also we, as combative antifascists, criticize the so-called “do-gooders” that are blind in the face of reactionary positions and class differences among the immigrants, but much worse are those forces, who turn a blind eye in the face of imperialism, a blind eye in the face of German Chauvinism and its circumstances, a blind eye on the principal enemy.
As this would not be enough, there can be (nearly) not article of Jugendwiderstand without a good amount of patriachal, macho-like bullshit. If we read the statement of Jugendwiderstand, the question arises, whether it would have been less bad in the eyes of Jugendwiderstand, if those Syrians and Iraqis who supposedly killed Daniel Hillig would have “stood their ground” “honorably” “with fists” instead of “cowardly” drawing a knife, because then “the mothers (…) would not have to cry for their sons who died in vain”. What has “honorably” bullshit to do with being “left” or “antifascist”? Nothing! As combative antifascists, there two question arise, 1) How is it if some is beaten to death and not stabbed to death? Is this than “honorably”? 2) For men, a scuffle is “honorably”, why women have nothing to do with this apart from shedding tears? That Jugendwiderstand is not so much renounced for its feminism (neither proletarian nor petty-bourgeois), is not big news, but as little as the reactionary troupe has to do with feminism, it obviously has to do with anti-fascism, not to talk about combative anti-fascism! The murder of Daniel Hillig served Jugendwiderstand obviously only as a pretext, to yet again take away the racist and fascist mobilization of the German rulers from the line of fire and to show off in the most embarrassing way. It might further be of interest in this regard, that the statement of Jugendwiderstand quoted here was positively received in the reactionary, philistine milieu of the third position, KenFM, ex-Trotzkists and rotefahne.eu (Link:https://linkezeitung.de) and directly annotated with the remark, that the German agencies for to long haven been “looking consequently into the wrong direction” in the matter of “cutthroats”, the statement of Jugendwiderstand hence serves to demand an increase of repression and surveillance through the “knife question”. From the same surrounding there are incidentally articles being published, that accuse the AfD of being inconsequential, to have started positive, but to now have become the “doormat” of the “American-German Imperialism”. Well, show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are… With this Jugendwiderstand has shown that their antifascism is only show, without teeth, without progressive political power, without class position.
The events in Chemnitz call all anti-racists and antifascists also in German to further work on a solid foundation for the antifascist movement. Reactionary gangs like Jugendwiderstand, show all combative antifascists, that they are all the more required to combat fascism as part of the world wide oppression and exploitation, as a part of Imperialism, as a part of the ruling order! Not the “honorably” fist makes antifascists become combative antifascism, but its orientation towards the struggle against the ruling order – against the capital! We would consider it good, if your article in the future would give greater emphasizes to this.
With combative, antifascist greetings, Antifascist Group Saualpe (Koroška/Kärnten)