A-Infos (en) France, Monde Libertaire - "Ecology and Antifascism in Middle-earth" (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

For several years now, the right and far right have been co-opting 
thought and cultural life. Alain de Benoist and the journal Éléments are 
at the forefront of this infiltration. Thus, "in their efforts to cobble 
together a culture, today's fascists are appropriating a work that 
denounces everything they advocate: violence, authoritarianism, and the 
destruction of nature," asserts Sébastien Fontenelle in his short 
pamphlet Tolkien Against the Machines, published by Lux. Following 
Proudhon, Pasolini, Orwell, and a few other progressive thinkers, they 
are appropriating, and reinterpreting, Tolkien's work, The Lord of the 
Rings. ---- Let's delve into the book with Sébastien Fontenelle. There 
is a passage in which "the wizard Gandalf categorically declares to a 
terrifying creature sent by the forces of evil: 'You shall not pass.'" 
This warning summarizes the book's argument, which is primarily the 
story of resistance to the establishment of a tyranny that, as we shall 
see, is reminiscent of fascism and Nazism. The far-right offensive has 
its roots in 1970s Italy and, more recently, in the United States.

In reality, Tolkien cannot be considered an anarchist, nor even a 
socialist, as he wrote to acquaintances. Yet his life and his words 
stand in opposition to totalitarianism, destructive industrialization, 
violence, and power-a power he considered corrupting. He even admits to 
an interest in anarchist thought, aside from the violence practiced by some.

He is a hobbit.

In the biographical section of his book, Sébastien Fontenelle presents 
Tolkien in a rural setting, a sorrowful observer of the disastrous 
influence of industry. He longs for a quiet life; he is a hobbit. As a 
writer, he created an astonishing world and a book considered a landmark 
in fantasy. It's worth noting that his appreciation for beauty and 
tranquility demonstrates the influence of William Morris, in his respect 
for life and his rejection of the devastation wrought by industrialization.

Mordor is "an absolutely totalitarian state, whose economy, 
characterized by industrialized agriculture and intensive industrialism, 
is based on slavery," a reflection of totalitarian worlds.

The simplicity of social relationships, the slow pace of life, and the 
spirit of giving animate the world of the hobbits, in which Tolkien 
recognized himself. A frugal and simple life and a militant ecology. Let 
us recall the passage on the mobilization of trees.

The horror of war, particularly the First World War, which he 
experienced, inspired his battle scenes. With the war over, what to do, 
how to rebuild?

I would point out one flaw in Tolkien's character: a devout Catholic, he 
supported Franco's regime. Bernanos, equally Catholic, took a far more 
dignified path. Fortunately, he rejected racism and championed the idea 
of inter-ethnic solidarity, as demonstrated in his book, *The Alliance 
of Peoples*. This book is resolutely anti-fascist. His descendants, 
through the Tolkien Trust, support NGOs such as Greenpeace, Human Rights 
Watch, SOS Méditerranée, and Cimade-organizations that "campaign against 
authoritarianism and the rejection of the other, but for the climate and 
the environment." The idea remains as relevant as ever.

* Sébastien Fontenelle
*Tolkien Against the Machines*
Lux Publishing, 2025

https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8684
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