KurtFF8
21st June 2013, 13:50
As I'm sure a lot of us know, Brazil is currently going through some turmoil
Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/us-brazil-protests-idUSBRE95G15S20130618)
Reuters) - As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption.
which is of course ongoing
Brazil's president grasps for answer to protests, violence (http://news.yahoo.com/brazils-president-grasps-answer-protests-violence-115545564.html)
I just read an interesting write up on this on reddit that claims that these protests have essentially taken on a right-wing character, however:
Brazil's protests have become fascist (http://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/1gremb/brazils_protests_have_become_fascist/)
Hello comrades.
I am here to give you information about what is currently going on in Brazil. I am brazilian, born and raised in the city of São Paulo, where I am currently speaking to you from.
The first thing I will tell you is that you should not pay attention to what the rest of reddit is telling you about the protests, and from what I hear comrades around the world telling me about their media reports, do not listen to them either.
The protests which are currently going on are severely dynamic, but they have taken a definite turn towards fascism.
The context of the protest is as follows:
The initial wave of protests were organized by the MPL, Movimento Passe-Livre, which is an autonomist anarchist movement, based primarily in public universities. Their main goal is and always was free, public funded transportation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_public_transport). The protests were organized in response to (left-wing, social democrat/liberal PT Worker's Party) mayor Fernando Haddad's and (right-wing, conservative, social democrat in name only PSDB governor) Geraldo Alckimin's hikes in bus and metro fares.
The protests were instantly joined by communist parties PSTU, PSOL and PCB. The MPL, due their anarchist ideology, denounced party participation. This will become important later on.
The media, at first, launched a total offensive against the protests, accusing it of vandalism, and of being made-up by extreme leftists. This is a prime example (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=luLzhtSYWC4). They justified the actions of the armed Military Police of Brazil (which is a Gendarme), which was, at the time, shooting rubber bullets at people's faces (which is lethal), beating up primarily women, using lots of tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the movement, as well as several intimidation tactics, such as baseless arrests (including the famous arrests for vinegar posession).
The media realized that despite all of their efforts, the movement had a popular agenda and had been garnering support accross progressive sections of the population. One very popular ultra-conservative pig-loving anchor attempted to ask the extremely loaded question to his viewers: do you support vandalism in ongoing protests? (http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/p480x480/600742_502485453138395_1652625808_n.jpg) only to have his primarily reactionary audience humiliate him live by voting yes. The media, realizing they could no longer discredit the movement, and noticing that their most reactionary viewers were ready to take the street, switched strategies.
As I predicted in this post (http://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/1ggzfy/stand_up_with_the_proletarians_of_brazil_spread/cakfwgv), the raging anti-communist pundit withdrew his previous opinion and started favoring the protests (http://cbn.globoradio.globo.com/comentaristas/arnaldo-jabor/2013/06/17/AMIGOS-EU-ERREI-E-MUITO-MAIS-DO-QUE-20-CENTAVOS.htm), but also started claiming that the protests were about "much more", and started to tell his viewers that the protests were about the long running list of anti-leftist complaints that were traditionally presented by the media against the left leaning worker's party and used electorally by the right-wing PSDB. The rest of the media did exactly the same thing. They even set up the narrative on the international level, using this video that became the means through which reddit became aware of the protests (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AIBYEXLGdSg). This would later serve to legitimize the fascist coup in the eyes of the international audience.
Now here is the tricky part. As I said in a previous post about that particular video (http://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/1ggzfy/stand_up_with_the_proletarians_of_brazil_spread/cak6y5g) you will notice that there is nothing intrinsically socialist about the video. Socialists, just as much as conservatives, are loathe to corruption, wasteful spending and the degradation of public services. HOWEVER, this has to be looked at in the context that the media has built over the years that the semi-leftist PT government has been in the presidency of the country.
Maybe one example most socialists here will be more familiar with is the Venezuelan media and it's participation in the attempted 2002 coup against Hugo Chavez, who was a friend to pink-tide brazilian president Lula who was current president Dilma's predecessor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZajyVas4Jg). What was the Venezuelan media's strategy? To constantly pound on the viewer's minds the idea that all leftism is corrupt, to fabricate accusations daily and to create the general feeling of constant crisis. The same has been absolutely true of Brazilian media since 2000.
In fact, Rede Globo, which has the near-monopoly of TV audiences, which is owned by the billionaire heirs of Roberto Marinho, who had a personal fortune of 60 billion dollars, had previously attempted in 2007 to spark an artificial "popular" march against the PT government led by several celebrities on its payroll (http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movimento_C%C3%ADvico_pelo_Direito_dos_Brasileiros ).
I SHOULD ALSO STRONGLY REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE 1964 MILITARY COUP WAS PRECEDED BY A MILLION STRONG REACTIONARY MARCH ON THE STATE OF GUANABARA ASKING FOR FASCISM AGAINST THE REFORMIST SOC-DEM JOÃO GOULART (http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcha_da_Fam%C3%ADlia_com_Deus_pela_Liberdade). So to those who are simply enamoured by any public protest thinking its impossible that the right can muster popular support, stop being so fucking naive.
Now, you're probably asking, "how can you suggest that the current protests are fascist? You're out of your mind!". Well you are reading this and you are probably not in Brazil, watching how giddy the media is with the whole thing. You are probably not aware that the agenda against "corruption" was suggested by the military chief of police when negotiating with MPL (http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/brasil/sp/2013-06-17/comandante-geral-da-pm-sugere-politizacao-de-protestos-em-sao-paulo.html) You are also probably not aware that the large majority of the opposition to the Worker's Party does not come from the radical left, as I wish it did, as MPL does, but it comes from PSDB and half of their electors are nostalgic of our fascist dictatorship. So they are going out there and asking for a new one (http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/q71/s720x720/972005_274587252681267_195263270_n.jpg).
The sign says "military intervention now. For the democratic government of civilians and military" which is, I'm sure, how he remembers the 1964-1986 period to be.
As I write this, thousands of right wing militants are BURNING RED FLAGS (http://imgur.com/hHL7oPo) in Paulista Avenue and demanding the impeachment of brazilian president Dilma Roussef. These militants are those who think that democracy only exists when married to neoliberalism, so in her place they want to install PSDB or the brazilian equivalent of Pedro Carmona.
Many leftists are only now waking up to this fact, there have been some interesting attempts to make people aware of the oncoming fascist coup by some artists (http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/936406_251728094965815_2063686524_n.jpg), which are conscious (http://www.pirikart.com.br/image/53331393870) of the media and right wing hijacking of the initial protests.
Context: The toucan is the mascot for the right wing party. The other comic shows how the protest's agenda was hijacked by right wing demands.
Now, the leftist parties have attempted to reclaim their movement and to fight against the reactionary agenda which always masquerades as "apolitical" demands for the moralization of politics. The right wing and the media have as such appropriated the anarchist "anti-party" discourse to denounce the left-wing in the protests, and some radical right wingers are demanding the extinction of parties, much like the 1964 military dictatorship proceeded to do. MPL and the anarchists are failing to react to this and are fueling the right wing rhetoric.
There are also sections of the left which are too isolated in their group of friends and comrades to realize that the majority of people participating in the marches are not their friends. The majority of people joined in after the calls of reactionary media pundits. In many cities which the protests were not started by the left the protests are solely about the right wing protesting against left-politics. Do not be naive, communists would not gather up and protest near former president Lula's house (http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/manifestantes-protestam-perto-da-casa-de-lula-em-sao-bernardo-8739640).
Meanwhile, the Federation of Industries of São Paulo State (a business owner union, if there was ever full fascism in an organisation, its this one) is supporting the protests (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTydPLKxUbw). The brazilian Pedro Carmona sharpens his fangs.
So I find it extremely upsetting that clueless redditors, especially those who claim to be socialist inclined, are basically providing international support for a fascist coup.
So when the judiciary, which the media has built up as the great moralizing institution, its hero being the Supreme Court Justice Joaquim Barbosa, does some kind of maneuver to oust the left-leaning Dilma Roussef in favor of elections or whatever that bring back the neo-liberal PSDB to power, the international community will be ready to validate the coup. I should remind you all that this is the textbook tactic of 21st century fascism, as taught to us by Honduras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Honduran_constitutional_crisis).
Brazil is in danger of going fascist, and I am sick of clueless foreigners which find out about what is going on through some stupid youtube video sponsored by some think tank like the Millenium Institute or by the brazilian equivalent of Miami Cubans and think that this is an overall positive development.
Reddit disgusts me.
If there are folks here from Brazil or who are familiar with Brazil, I'm sure we would all learn a lot by some added analysis.
Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/us-brazil-protests-idUSBRE95G15S20130618)
Reuters) - As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption.
which is of course ongoing
Brazil's president grasps for answer to protests, violence (http://news.yahoo.com/brazils-president-grasps-answer-protests-violence-115545564.html)
I just read an interesting write up on this on reddit that claims that these protests have essentially taken on a right-wing character, however:
Brazil's protests have become fascist (http://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/1gremb/brazils_protests_have_become_fascist/)
Hello comrades.
I am here to give you information about what is currently going on in Brazil. I am brazilian, born and raised in the city of São Paulo, where I am currently speaking to you from.
The first thing I will tell you is that you should not pay attention to what the rest of reddit is telling you about the protests, and from what I hear comrades around the world telling me about their media reports, do not listen to them either.
The protests which are currently going on are severely dynamic, but they have taken a definite turn towards fascism.
The context of the protest is as follows:
The initial wave of protests were organized by the MPL, Movimento Passe-Livre, which is an autonomist anarchist movement, based primarily in public universities. Their main goal is and always was free, public funded transportation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_public_transport). The protests were organized in response to (left-wing, social democrat/liberal PT Worker's Party) mayor Fernando Haddad's and (right-wing, conservative, social democrat in name only PSDB governor) Geraldo Alckimin's hikes in bus and metro fares.
The protests were instantly joined by communist parties PSTU, PSOL and PCB. The MPL, due their anarchist ideology, denounced party participation. This will become important later on.
The media, at first, launched a total offensive against the protests, accusing it of vandalism, and of being made-up by extreme leftists. This is a prime example (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=luLzhtSYWC4). They justified the actions of the armed Military Police of Brazil (which is a Gendarme), which was, at the time, shooting rubber bullets at people's faces (which is lethal), beating up primarily women, using lots of tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the movement, as well as several intimidation tactics, such as baseless arrests (including the famous arrests for vinegar posession).
The media realized that despite all of their efforts, the movement had a popular agenda and had been garnering support accross progressive sections of the population. One very popular ultra-conservative pig-loving anchor attempted to ask the extremely loaded question to his viewers: do you support vandalism in ongoing protests? (http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/p480x480/600742_502485453138395_1652625808_n.jpg) only to have his primarily reactionary audience humiliate him live by voting yes. The media, realizing they could no longer discredit the movement, and noticing that their most reactionary viewers were ready to take the street, switched strategies.
As I predicted in this post (http://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/1ggzfy/stand_up_with_the_proletarians_of_brazil_spread/cakfwgv), the raging anti-communist pundit withdrew his previous opinion and started favoring the protests (http://cbn.globoradio.globo.com/comentaristas/arnaldo-jabor/2013/06/17/AMIGOS-EU-ERREI-E-MUITO-MAIS-DO-QUE-20-CENTAVOS.htm), but also started claiming that the protests were about "much more", and started to tell his viewers that the protests were about the long running list of anti-leftist complaints that were traditionally presented by the media against the left leaning worker's party and used electorally by the right-wing PSDB. The rest of the media did exactly the same thing. They even set up the narrative on the international level, using this video that became the means through which reddit became aware of the protests (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AIBYEXLGdSg). This would later serve to legitimize the fascist coup in the eyes of the international audience.
Now here is the tricky part. As I said in a previous post about that particular video (http://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/1ggzfy/stand_up_with_the_proletarians_of_brazil_spread/cak6y5g) you will notice that there is nothing intrinsically socialist about the video. Socialists, just as much as conservatives, are loathe to corruption, wasteful spending and the degradation of public services. HOWEVER, this has to be looked at in the context that the media has built over the years that the semi-leftist PT government has been in the presidency of the country.
Maybe one example most socialists here will be more familiar with is the Venezuelan media and it's participation in the attempted 2002 coup against Hugo Chavez, who was a friend to pink-tide brazilian president Lula who was current president Dilma's predecessor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZajyVas4Jg). What was the Venezuelan media's strategy? To constantly pound on the viewer's minds the idea that all leftism is corrupt, to fabricate accusations daily and to create the general feeling of constant crisis. The same has been absolutely true of Brazilian media since 2000.
In fact, Rede Globo, which has the near-monopoly of TV audiences, which is owned by the billionaire heirs of Roberto Marinho, who had a personal fortune of 60 billion dollars, had previously attempted in 2007 to spark an artificial "popular" march against the PT government led by several celebrities on its payroll (http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movimento_C%C3%ADvico_pelo_Direito_dos_Brasileiros ).
I SHOULD ALSO STRONGLY REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE 1964 MILITARY COUP WAS PRECEDED BY A MILLION STRONG REACTIONARY MARCH ON THE STATE OF GUANABARA ASKING FOR FASCISM AGAINST THE REFORMIST SOC-DEM JOÃO GOULART (http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcha_da_Fam%C3%ADlia_com_Deus_pela_Liberdade). So to those who are simply enamoured by any public protest thinking its impossible that the right can muster popular support, stop being so fucking naive.
Now, you're probably asking, "how can you suggest that the current protests are fascist? You're out of your mind!". Well you are reading this and you are probably not in Brazil, watching how giddy the media is with the whole thing. You are probably not aware that the agenda against "corruption" was suggested by the military chief of police when negotiating with MPL (http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/brasil/sp/2013-06-17/comandante-geral-da-pm-sugere-politizacao-de-protestos-em-sao-paulo.html) You are also probably not aware that the large majority of the opposition to the Worker's Party does not come from the radical left, as I wish it did, as MPL does, but it comes from PSDB and half of their electors are nostalgic of our fascist dictatorship. So they are going out there and asking for a new one (http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/q71/s720x720/972005_274587252681267_195263270_n.jpg).
The sign says "military intervention now. For the democratic government of civilians and military" which is, I'm sure, how he remembers the 1964-1986 period to be.
As I write this, thousands of right wing militants are BURNING RED FLAGS (http://imgur.com/hHL7oPo) in Paulista Avenue and demanding the impeachment of brazilian president Dilma Roussef. These militants are those who think that democracy only exists when married to neoliberalism, so in her place they want to install PSDB or the brazilian equivalent of Pedro Carmona.
Many leftists are only now waking up to this fact, there have been some interesting attempts to make people aware of the oncoming fascist coup by some artists (http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/936406_251728094965815_2063686524_n.jpg), which are conscious (http://www.pirikart.com.br/image/53331393870) of the media and right wing hijacking of the initial protests.
Context: The toucan is the mascot for the right wing party. The other comic shows how the protest's agenda was hijacked by right wing demands.
Now, the leftist parties have attempted to reclaim their movement and to fight against the reactionary agenda which always masquerades as "apolitical" demands for the moralization of politics. The right wing and the media have as such appropriated the anarchist "anti-party" discourse to denounce the left-wing in the protests, and some radical right wingers are demanding the extinction of parties, much like the 1964 military dictatorship proceeded to do. MPL and the anarchists are failing to react to this and are fueling the right wing rhetoric.
There are also sections of the left which are too isolated in their group of friends and comrades to realize that the majority of people participating in the marches are not their friends. The majority of people joined in after the calls of reactionary media pundits. In many cities which the protests were not started by the left the protests are solely about the right wing protesting against left-politics. Do not be naive, communists would not gather up and protest near former president Lula's house (http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/manifestantes-protestam-perto-da-casa-de-lula-em-sao-bernardo-8739640).
Meanwhile, the Federation of Industries of São Paulo State (a business owner union, if there was ever full fascism in an organisation, its this one) is supporting the protests (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTydPLKxUbw). The brazilian Pedro Carmona sharpens his fangs.
So I find it extremely upsetting that clueless redditors, especially those who claim to be socialist inclined, are basically providing international support for a fascist coup.
So when the judiciary, which the media has built up as the great moralizing institution, its hero being the Supreme Court Justice Joaquim Barbosa, does some kind of maneuver to oust the left-leaning Dilma Roussef in favor of elections or whatever that bring back the neo-liberal PSDB to power, the international community will be ready to validate the coup. I should remind you all that this is the textbook tactic of 21st century fascism, as taught to us by Honduras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Honduran_constitutional_crisis).
Brazil is in danger of going fascist, and I am sick of clueless foreigners which find out about what is going on through some stupid youtube video sponsored by some think tank like the Millenium Institute or by the brazilian equivalent of Miami Cubans and think that this is an overall positive development.
Reddit disgusts me.
If there are folks here from Brazil or who are familiar with Brazil, I'm sure we would all learn a lot by some added analysis.