By Chris Spindler
Seventy people attended a fascinating seminar on the origins and nature of racism, and how to fight it, held at the Resistance Centre in Sydney on September 9.
The talks presented generated a lot of discussion, in particular a presentation by Shane Bentley of the Democratic Socialist Party on tactics and strategies to defeat racism.
Bentley argued that, "Racism will be defeated in this country only when the broad mass of working people realise two crucial points. First, that racism is an ideology that divides the working class and allows it to be exploited, and secondly, that the only way to defeat racism is to eradicate the system that created and perpetuates it — the capitalist private profit system.
"The working class needs to become aware that the so-called solutions put forward by the Hansons and Howards of this world are poison for all working people, not just those oppressed by racism. The terrain for anti-racist struggle is, therefore, the consciousness of working people."
Bentley explained that this paramount need to change working-class consciousness means that the anti-racism movement's ability to involve the largest possible number of people in action against racism is the key criteria for assessing the best tactics and strategies for the movement.
The liberal approach to anti-racism, he said, is the "turn a blind eye", "ignore her and she'll go away" approach. "But racism is on the rise in many countries, not because of a few crazy individuals, but because racist scapegoating is a deliberate policy of the capitalist rulers. That requires an active political response if it is to be pushed back. Anything less than an activist movement that campaigns publicly against the racism will let both the Hanson types and governments off the hook."
On the other side of the same coin, Bentley argued, the ultraleft approach asserts that anything that stops Hanson and her kind is a win for the anti-racism movement. "The argument that we must shut down Hanson meetings at every opportunity and that local councils should ban One Nation and Hanson from their facilities might sound radical, but it leads to some very reactionary conclusions.
"'Close down Hanson' actions are not aimed at involving more people in the anti-racism campaign, but at those who have already radicalised on the issue. Trying to shut down the meetings means having violent skirmishes with the police, something that is more likely to frighten and demoralise protesters than give them confidence and purpose. It also allows the media to portray Hanson as a martyr."
Bentley argued that the majority of people take the issue of free speech very seriously and that socialists must fight for the broadest possible freedoms of speech and assembly since such conditions make it easier for the working class to become more conscious of it's interests and better able to fight for change.
"Banning racists' meetings only drives racism underground while allowing racists to claim that they are victims of censorship. Bans also set dangerous precedents for the inevitable censorship of the left by the capitalist state (which includes local government). The last thing socialists today need is to be painted with the brush of Stalinism which banned all political dissent."
Contrasting with both the liberal and ultraleft approaches, the independent mass action strategy, Bentley argued, is about organising activities that give expression to sentiments against the ruling class's policies and provide a context in which a large number of people's understanding of the issues will be deepened.
"The anti-racism movement in Australia must oppose One Nation by organising large, peaceful demonstrations outside Hanson meetings; by publicly opposing the racist policies and myths propagated by governments; and by putting forward policies that offer real solutions to social problems.
"Demands such as 'No mining in Jabiluka', 'Let the East Timorese refugees stay', and 'Stop welfare cuts to migrants' keeps the focus on the government, which is implementing the major racist attacks."