The headline news is of course that one in five French are nazis, a grossly unfair observation no doubt, but a national fascist vote of 18-20% is a matter of shame, it is also a matter of urgency... we have been here before. It's often noted how the French left is weakned by a dogmatic attachment to Republican ideals, it has failed to tackle state-led islamophobia (although the Mélenchon campaign was maybe the start of something different). Could this also be a long-term result of half-hearted denazification, which was known in France as Epuration Legale, which saw many collaboration politicians and civil servants granted amnesty under the Fourth and Fifth Republics? Whatever the background, the French labour movement is capable of making sharp upturns, even scoring major victories. This can be turned around.
Meanwhile in Norway, fascist child-killer Anders Breivik is still turning his trial into a grotesque circus. The court has paid far too high a price to get him to talk about what he actually did. He does seem to have offered a bit of leverage, he will aparently do "anything" to avoid being committed. His sanity is questioned apparently to discredit him, and maybe it does to some, but then I would guess most people are against mass murder already. Breivik is sane. Questioning his sanity actually lets him off the hook, lets the whole system of state racism off the hook and denies what should be the obvious fact: he did what he did because he is a fascist. His brutal rampage was fascism in action.
But a bit of good news from Britain to end on. The BNP is in turmoil and probably irreversable decline. The EDL meanwhile is going through serious doldrums. The nazis attempted to hold a demonstration in Brighton this weekend. Though they had heavy police protection (including horses and tear gas) they had a miserable day, outnumbered 10 to 1 and hounded every step of the way. Well done to all involved.
