Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

 “ Neither Jean-Luc Mélenchon nor Emmanuel Macron know what  laïcité  [French state secularism] is , yet Macron wants to teach Muslims that “Islam is in crisis.” 

اضغط/ي على الصورتين لعرض النص كاملا غسان بن خليفة، تونس 23 أوكتوبر 2020

French Education Minister: “The Republic is under attack.” The reason? One French man was beheaded for his “freedom of expression.”  “At the very moment that, in the name of fighting terror, the French state is devastating Raqqa, arresting refugee activists, banning climate demonstrations, and giving police the power to conduct home-invasions without a warrant at any hour for three months, the political classes’ propagandists have rallied French society behind them under the banner of defence of Republican ‘values’ – liberty, equality, fraternity, democracy, civilization, human rights. In this situation, the nature of Republicanism as the all-purpose ideology of the French ruling class emerges clearly. Republicanism can be harnessed to justify anything that aligns with the interests of French state power. In the name of Republican values, France can  criminalize BDS , hold up racist caricature as an exemplary exercise of free speech, or  seriously contemplate  censorship of the media.

مشهد الصبّي المتبجّح  # ماكرون  وهو يقلّد  # فيروز  (أحد آخر ما بقي لنا من ذكريات الزمن العربي "الجميل") بوسامه التافه، هو أعلى درجات الإهانة لسيادة وكرامة لا شعب لبنان وحده، بل كلّ شعوب المنطقة العربية.  ممثّل الامبريالية الفرنسية، ووكيل الامبريالية الأمريكية، لم يكتف باستباحة السيادة السياسية والاقتصادية للبنان عبر تدخّله الفجّ في تفاصيل تشكيل الحكومة ومطالبته الوقحة بـ"الاصلاحات" التي حدّدها صندوق النقد الدولي وأصحابه الامبرياليون. بل هو يستبيح كذلك حتّى عالم الرموز والمشاعر ويك رّس في المخيال الجمعي الشعبي حقيقة تبعيّة  # لبنان  لفرنسا في ذكرى مئة عام على تأسيسها لنظامه الطائفي.  لم أعتقد يومًا أنّ فيروز يمكن أن تتخّذ موقفا مغايرًا للترحيب بزيارة ماكرون ووسامه. فتلك هي حدود وعيها السياسي، المرتبطة حكما بموقعها الطبقي المريح، الذي يمكن أن يصل أقصاه إلى فهم التناقض الصارخ مع العدوّ الصهيوني لا إلى تمثّل التناقض العميق مع القوى الامبريالية التي تسند هذا العدوّ. فهذا يحتاج إلى وعي سياسي يساري وطني ثوري لا تملكه. لكنّي كنت آمُلُ أن يتخّذ ابنها "الرفيق زيا

Crise au Liban

On the epidemic situation The original text in French Sur la situation épidémique

"With 29 straight days of walkouts, French rail strikes against government plans to reform France's retirement system marked a new milestone Thursday, surpassing even the lengths of strikes in the 1980s."

Why is the French left tearing itself apart over the pertinence of the term “Islamophobia,” even when this is one of the most visible forms of racism in France? No, we don't have the "right to be Islamophobic"

Protecting Saudi Arabia is part of protecting geo-political allies, which is part of ensuring hegemony of some over others, which is part of enuring the survival of a regime, which is part of ensuring the outflow of capital, which is also part of fueling wars, which is part of "our European way of life", which is part of a long-term hypocrisy and trail of crimes and complicity in crimes.   "President Macron  and Angela Merkel  have signed a secret deal in an attempt to ease Franco-German friction over arms exports, notably to Saudi Arabia. The agreement is designed to stop Berlin from blocking the sale of French weapons that contain German parts to countries with questionable human rights records. There is anger in Paris over Germany’s human rights policy, which the French say is undermining attempts to move towards a common European defence. The row has cast a shadow over efforts by the two countries to relaunch their alliance." The Times online, 16 Septem

At the end of the academic year at an elite institution, One student studying Development does not know where inequality comes from. Nor is she provided in the course with an alternative to what she called "dependency" of the underdeveloped countries or the Gates Foundation work. A student burst in laughter upon hearing "social justice" in a sentence. Then she said: it is impossible to have social justice. A student from France voted for Emmanuel Macron, and still supports him, because he hoped that he would legalise marijuana. A student from another elite college came to class full of excitment after she attended a lecture by the King of Spain. She confidently said that the King "was giving them tools to change the world."

"Rights groups have accused Paris of being complicit in alleged war crimes against civilians in Yemen, where around 10,000 people have died and millions been forced to the brink of starvation." Who are these (leftist, ignorant) "rights groups" who do not know that we need strategic partners to preserve the values of "the free world" and of "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité". Haven't you seen the French chanting "Je suis Yéménite", "Je suis Sudanais(e)", "Je suis Algérien(ne)? France ships (more) arms to Saudi Arabia

What the liberal BBC and the Guardian call "riots" "If capitalism was not relatively stagnant in the historic Euro-American core, and if capitalist states had not haemhorraged political authority in recent years, and if austerity was not the dominant policy response, it is unlikely that meatspace shitstorms would occur in exactly this format. The scale of street violence -- even to the extent of defacing Marianne, to gasps of liberal horror -- reflects the scale of systemic violence ." France: the undead centre meets the shitstorm

Isabelle, 41, a single mother, had never taken part in a protest movement before. She works at a sandwich stand at Toulouse airport for the minimum wage – less than €1,200 a month – and her daily shifts begin at 3am. She was among many who had deliberately spoiled her ballot paper in last year’s presidential election final round, unwilling to choose between Macron or the far-right Marine Le Pen. “This is now about so much more than fuel tax,” she said. “We seem to live in a world gone mad where the rich pay next to nothing and the poor are constantly taxed. We’ve had enough of the elite." – Céline: "He [Macron] gave good speeches and I really believed his promises that he would change  France . But not any more.” – L:   "People always have been the foolish victims of deception and self-deception in politics, and they always will be until they have learnt to seek out the interests of some class or other behind all moral, religious, political and social phrases, decla

France "Populism"? Avoid this word and focus on the processes that have led to revolt. "Populism is the liberals, and some leftists, buzzword.  A reaction to the explosion of inequalities between the super-rich and middle classes

"what’s happening today marks a dangerous new development in European politics. Until now, the effort to filter out and deter unwanted migrants from reaching  Europe  has generally been pursued by politicians of the liberal centre, and part of their justification for doing it is that these unpleasant but necessary policies will stave off a rightwing populist backlash." The irrational fear of migrants ... But is it really irrational?

Spain The new government have little room to maneuver economically as they have agreed to carry over the existing PP budget for the next year as well as to respect the European Union’s fiscal rules. It is also highly unlikely they can repeal the PP’s labor reforms as this would require the support of right-wing regional nationalists. And so in terms of improving the material conditions of the working class, it will be complicated to pass any substantive measures. In reality Sánchez is a social liberal, a descendant of Tony Blair and Gerhard Schoeder’s  Third Way . He did win back the PSOE leadership [after a palace coup against him eighteen months ago] by appealing to the desire of his party’s members for a more left-wing line, but he never really believed in it himself. He should not be underestimated politically. He is extremely ambitious and determined but is more like a Macron or Albert Rivera — an empty vessel onto which you can project various ideological elements. At

France The BBC has 'analysed' the ongoing events in a neoliberal triumphant tone . French students are right to revolt An open letter

Capital seeks to destroy all barriers in order to expand Macron Wanted to Destroy a Utopia That Has Been Working for Ten Years I was in La Rolandière when it was announced that the airport construction project was being called off. Everyone jostled to see the footage of this historic decision on a tiny computer screen. We did a lap around the ZAD to thank the farmers who took part in the struggle, and then organised a big party. But after that, the state sought to divide the  zadistes . Of course, there were internal disagreements on the future course of action. Some favoured reaching a compromise with the state while others adopted a radical position, a pure anarchism, even at the risk of impotence. Rather than a firm majority decision or everyone just going off to do as they pleased, they sought a middle position. The discussions were sometimes difficult and they took time. Again, this was the idea of "composition." But the state did not want such an experience to de

"With the adoption of these labor reforms, France is passing through the first chapters of a familiar story across the west. Changes sold to the public as a means of reducing unemployment have, in fact, resulted in a wave of layoffs." Macron's attack on workers

Immigration will remain a toxic issue until Britain faces up to its colonial past