[Militant No. 821, 31 October 1986, p. 4]
The extreme right-wing Federation of Conservative Students (FCS) are organising a speaking tour for right-wing Tory MPs, like John Carlisle, known for their racist views. Enoch Powell has already attempted to speak at Bristol University.
The aim of the FCS is not just to spread racist ideas. They are out to provoke confrontation over the National Union of Students‘ (NUS) policy of ‚No platform for fascists and racists‘, which has been taken up in various ways by student unions. Hypocritically raising the cry of „freedom of speech“, the FCS is hoping to isolate and discredit left-wing students as ‚totalitarians‘.
How should racism be fought? Socialist students recognise the urgent need to counter the repugnant views of right-wing Tories like Powell and Carlisle. But the „No Platform“ policy does not provide an effective guide to action. Unfortunately, it is not based on a clear understanding of the issues.
The NUS policy extends the justified policy of denying a platform to fascists, who pose a direct threat to democratic rights, to other reactionary elements, who – while using vile, racist demagogy – do not at this stage resort to fascist methods. Far from defeating the racists, this is playing into their hands.
Socialists are the best defenders of democratic rights. Freedom of speech and assembly, voting rights and the right to strike were achieved through the struggle of the labour movement. Important democratic rights in the colleges and universities, won through past campaigns, must also be defended. In fighting reactionaries, therefore, we must draw a sharp distinction between fascists and other right-wing elements.
Fascists
The fascists, if they ever came to power, would destroy all democratic rights. As Italy, Germany, and Spain showed, the fascist leaders, financed by big business, organised gangs of crazed middle-class rabble and demoralised workers to smash the workers‘ organisations, the vital element of democracy within capitalist society. One of their weapons was racism, inciting hatred against a scapegoat, the Jews. They also played on the rancorous hatred of small businessmen for the labour movement.
There can be no question of allowing fascists the „democratic right“ to smash all democratic rights.
Today’s tiny fascist groupuscles are in some areas a serious threat to black people and Labour activists – and we must mobilise the labour movement to deal with them. But under existing conditions, they do not pose an immediate threat to the labour movement. Their pernicious activities are a warning. They indicate the potential danger of a barbarous reaction in the future if we fail to transform society along socialist lines.
The right wing Tory MPs promoted by the FCS do not, at the moment, use fascist methods. They undoubtedly provide „respectable“ encouragement for the fascists. Within the Tories‘ murky right wing lurks the spectre of a future Bonapartist reaction, which would rely not on fascist thugs but on big business dignitaries, army-officers, police chiefs and top civil servants.
The racist views of „respectable“ right-wing Tories are a polite version of the fascists‘ racist demagogy. But they are trying to reach wider layers. The fascists themselves cannot get a mass response even from politically backward middle-class or de-classed elements. Therefore big business encourages and covertly finances „respectable“ spokesmen to foster racism as a political weapon.
Racism is aimed at the whole labour movement. Black and Asian people, as a result of incitement, are subject to brutal, sometimes lethal attacks, and the labour movement has a duty to defend them. Nevertheless, the aim of racism is to confuse and divide workers generally, thereby undermining the workers‘ organisations.
Prejudices
Racialism stirs up all the narrow, chauvinist prejudices which are the legacy of British capitalism’s imperialist role. Poisonous prejudices are revived and reinforced by the social decay which condemns millions to despair and demoralisation. The record of Labour governments and the failure of the Labour leaders to offer a bold socialist alternative to Thatcherism has allowed the racists to gain a foothold among some of the most downtrodden sections.
Nothing is gained by attempts, through direct action, to silence racist politicians while failing to counter their reactionary views among the confused people they are appealing to. On the contrary, attempts to stop them speaking allow reactionaries to pose as martyrs. Such tactics can create sympathy which was not there before. Socialists must fight the racist demagogues by campaigning against their reactionary views. We must refute their lies with facts . We must expose their real political motives. We must counter their slogans with socialist argument. Against their illusory „solutions“, we must convince workers and students that only the struggle for the socialist transformation of society can offer a real way forward.
Attempts to stop Powell, Carlisle and the like from speaking on campuses will rebound on students. Thatcher has already been strengthened in her moves to impose undemocratic legal curbs on Student Unions. Students will be embroiled in battles with the authorities over discipline, instead of campaigning against racism.
Far better, if Powell or Carlisle threaten to visit, to organise pickets and protest demonstrations, but above all to call Union general meetings and other mass meetings to answer the racists.
Those who argue that the ‚No Platform‘ policy should be used to prevent Tory right-wingers from speaking are unfortunately substituting superficially radical action for the real task of involving the widest possible layers of students in a campaign against racism. The best answer to the racists sponsored by the FCS is to demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of students and campus trade unionists are totally opposed to their reactionary views.
By Lynn Walsh.
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