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Note
from CHA Administration
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| Lethbridge
writes again…. proudly flaunting his "investigating prowess"
that is riddled with his own biases and misinterpretations. Since
Lethbridge visits CHA sites regularly, I will leave a dictionary
explanation of the word, "fascism". Maybe this will help
him distinguish what the word truly means. |
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| (From
Dictionary.com) |
| fas·cism
n. |
- A system
of government marked by centralization of authority under a
dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the
opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy
of belligerent nationalism and racism.
- A political
philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system
of government.
- Oppressive,
dictatorial control.
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| Note:
it's strange he should call all right-wingers "fascist"
when he is a communist. LOL Is this a case of the "pot calling
the kettle black"? |
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Last
fall, Canadian far-right extremists Wolfgang Droege, Marc Lemire, and
others traveled to Moscow where David Duke, former leader of the Ku Klux
Klan, and current leader of the white supremacist National Organization
for European Rights (NOFEAR), was wooing racist and anti-Jewish elements
in Russia.
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| In
the political turmoil that has gripped Russia since the betrayal and collapse
of the Soviet Union, and the restoration of capitalism, racist and fascist
political organizing has been evident within a number of political parties.
Russian National Unity is an openly pro-Nazi party, Pamyat promotes antisemitism,
and the National Bolshevik Front espouses extreme nationalist views. Even
some allegedly Communist parties, such as the Russian Communist Workers
Party (RKRP), have expressed racist and anti-Jewish positions. Granted,
all of these organizations have extremely small memberships and little actual
influence, but the potential for fascist developments in Russia should not
be overlooked. David Duke, in particular, has been to Moscow several times
over the last decade, and the recent appearance of Droege and Lemire is
not without its own significance.
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| Since
the Canadian fascist contingent returned from Moscow, there has been a resurgence
of far-right activity in Canada. It's most significant expression is the
sudden renewal and restructuring of the Heritage Front (HF).
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| The
Heritage Front was established in Toronto in 1989 by Wolfgang Droege, himself
a Klansman, who has had long connections to David Duke and a variety of
other neo-Nazis, going back to the early 1970s. For some years, HF billed
itself as the "largest racialist group" in Canada, a status which,
once accepted by the media, allowed them to play a major role within the
contemporary fascist movement.
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| But
in the mid-1990s, the HF began to fall apart. The famous "Bristow affair,"
which revealed a government double-agent in their midst, ravaged their credibility.
"Tell-all" defectors went public. The HF journal, "Up Front,"
was released with less and less regularity. Criminal charges and appearances
before Human Rights Commissions drained HF's financial resources. Toward
the end of the 1990s it was commonly declared that the HF was dead. This
was, in fact, never true, since a number of its chapters continued to exist,
but its public face and its effectiveness were indeed severely restricted.
By 2000, the Heritage Front was little more than a shell of its former self,
and Droege remained leader in name only.
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| Since
January, HF has been in a process of major structural change. They are clearly
determined to rebuild their organization across the country. They are planning
to begin publishing their magazine, "HF Report," on a regular
basis no later than this summer. They are, in their own words, "moving
into full gear."
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| What
changes can be expected from a resurgent HF? Without doubt, there will be
a number of public actions, rallies, and demonstrations. Leaflets will be
distributed. Recruiting will be stepped up both at the street level and
through the internet. But the ideology will remain the same - white racism
and neo-fascism in its usual contemporary disguises as "white pride"
and "concern" over non-white immigration. They will, of course,
continue to deny their fascism; a process made somewhat difficult in the
past considering Droege's early predilection for wearing a white hood and
burning crosses.
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| As
example, a related organization, with ties to HF, the Canadian
Heritage Alliance (CHA), recently bristled at the suggestion
that they are a neo-fascist group. "Nothing on the CHA site includes
approval or encouragement of the fascist ideology," they claimed. This,
however, is the usual politics of denial that has become the standard tactic
of HF and significant related sectors of the Canadian extreme-right.
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| It
is only necessary to examine the "links" page of the CHA internet
site to confirm its fascist character. On that page there are at least a
dozen neo-fascist organizations, and very little else. Indeed, CHA links
directly to such familiar fascists as "Stormfront," "Aryan
Women," "White Power for Kids," "National Alliance,"
"Toronto Skins," "14 Word Press," the Holocaust-denial
"Institute for Historical Review," and, of course, the Heritage
Front.
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As if that were not
enough, a visit to the "guestbook" of the openly Nazi "Tri-City-Skins"
internet site, which features a large photograph of Adolf Hitler, reveals
three laudatory messages from CHA. One of these messages is from "RavennaX,"
CHA's leader, who writes, "Good to see movement of White Pride brothers
and sisters in the tri-city area. We must unite - our voices must be heard
over the persistent whining of the minority 'victim'."
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| Yes,
the Heritage Front is back. What role it will play in the coming months
and years cannot yet be predicted. What remains essential, however, is that
its neo-fascist nature be thoroughly exposed, and that mass public opposition
be mounted against its renewed activity. |
