Critical Mass criticised

Issue 

BY MELANIE COUTMAN

NEWCASTLE — Posters have started to appear around the University of Newcastle advertising the next Critical Mass. But rather than promote the action as what it is, a bike ride protest against car dependence, the posters imply that Arab "terrorists" are being funded by the sale of fuel.

Under the words "Where does a lot of your petroleum money go?" is a picture of a member of the Saudi ruling family and dollar signs pointing to a picture of Osama bin Laden and a list of groups with Arabic names. The poster then urges people to "say NO to terrorism ... at the petrol bowser, just fill your bike tyres with air, and come along to Critical Mass".

But that's not all. The poster names among the "terrorist" groups which are allegedly funded by "petroleum money" the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

The poster is a bit of a shock — especially coming from Critical Mass.

Critical Mass defines itself not as an organisation but as a "spontaneous gathering" which encourages the use of bicycles as a cleaner and more environmentally sustainable form of transport to cars. With its focus on environmental issues, it could certainly be considered a progressive organisation.

But this poster is far from progressive.

The poster implies that liberation groups in the Third World, such as the PLO, are "terrorist" groups in the same category as Islamic fundamentalist groups like Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network — an assumption shared with the corporate media and the US government.

This stereotype is especially strong, and especially offensive, against Arabs, who are supposedly all "terrorists".

By assuming that liberation groups in the Middle East are "terrorist" organisations, and pandering to stereotypes of Arab movements, Newcastle Critical Mass has simply swallowed the racist attitudes towards the PLO and other groups so prevalent in the corporate movement.

If a united opposition against war and racism (and the accompanying acts of terrorism) is to be successful, then progressive groups need to counter racism and xenophobia, not agree with it.

Newcastle Critical Mass has done itself and the anti-war and anti-racist movements a grave disservice.

From Green Left Weekly, November 28, 2001.
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