A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #345 - Antifascism, Death of Thomas: The fafs bare their fangs (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

In recent weeks, it has been difficult to miss the dramatic story of the 
death of young Thomas, who died during a violent but unfortunately 
recurring altercation. This media overexposure, largely irrigated by the 
imagination of the far right, served as a rallying signal for fascist 
groups. ---- Since the death of Thomas, fascist groups, imagining their 
time has come, have multiplied calls for gatherings with the clearly 
stated aim of increasing pressure and provoking, by dint of "ratonnades" 
and appeals to hatred, an outbreak of violence on ethnic grounds.

If this desire was particularly explicit during the attack on the 
popular Monnaie district in Romans-sur-Isère on November 25, it was also 
found in Lyon, Paris, Rennes and even Laval.

After trivialization, media hegemony
What emerges from the media treatment of Thomas' death is the extent to 
which the racist interpretation of the extreme right was able to impose 
itself in the majority of editorial offices. Driven by pressure from 
already acquired media such as those of the Bolloré group (Cnews, Europe 
1, JDD, etc.), the story of a gratuitous attack committed by racialized 
"neighborhood youths" against quiet young people from a village emerged. 
is then imposed.

In front of the microphones or in the Assembly, elected officials from 
the right and the far right, from the government to Reconquête!, 
repeated racist clichés about "raids" and "wilding" without any real 
contradiction. It is on this soil that the most motivated fascists felt 
themselves growing wings[1]

And even after the fascist attack of November 25, TV sets largely let 
the leaders of the "institutional" far right defend their comrades, 
instead of making them co-responsible for their racist acts.

This is how we were able to hear on December 5, on Franceinfo, Marion 
Maréchal denying the reality of the violence and murders of the extreme 
right, without contradiction yet, while the members of the extreme right 
have killed around fifty of people since 1986[2].

The dual task of the social movement
Today, the revelations of the investigation destroy the fantasy of the 
extreme right: Thomas' death is indeed the result of a brawl between 
young people from different neighborhoods, where the sources of distrust 
and boredom mix. , but also racism during a village evening[3].

It is not a question of denying the violence of the facts, nor that in 
which many young people from the working classes are unfortunately 
immersed, but of bringing to it the analyzes of our camp: the 
generalized social, spatial, economic segregation in our lives creates 
the daily violence.

In Val d'Oise, a department in the outer suburbs of Paris, popular, 
young and poor, two teenagers died in one week, shortly after Thomas, 
without a sound from the media[4].

Social movement organizations, by getting involved in neighborhood 
struggles and developing solidarity ties, can help transform this 
violence and demand a radical policy to reduce inequalities.

And immediately, faced with the fascists who hold the top of the 
microphone, it is vital that our organizations demonstrate the refusal 
of racist hegemony by building massive anti-fascist and anti-racist 
mobilizations at every opportunity and as often as possible.

Hugues (UCL Fougères)

To validate

[1]See the video "Crépol: story of a media battle", Rhinocéros show, 
Blast, December 10, 2023.

[2]"Ultraright: it's a trivial threat today, according to Marion 
Maréchal", France Info, December 5, 2023.

[3]"Come on, come on, let's go outside!": our revelations on the deadly 
spiral of the Crépol ball", Le Parisien,

[4]"Crépol: should we deny insecurity?», Frustration magazine

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Mort-de-Thomas-Les-fafs-sortent-les-crocs
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