Fascists – Wis[s]e Words

Blame Gordon Van Gelder instead

Published on August 24, 2023Leave a comment

File 770 reports that the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction is going to publish an actual fascist:

David A. Riley announced to readers of his blog on June 19 that his 11,600 word sword and sorcery novelette “Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus” “has been accepted for publication – and by one of the most prestigious markets I have ever appeared in.” On July 5 he revealed that the story “will be published sometime later this year in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.”
[…]
David A. Riley’s history with the UK’s National Front became common knowledge in 2016 after Riley was included on HWA’s Bram Stoker Award Jury. The HWA appointment became news at a time when questions were already being asked of Riley due to his involvement in the relaunch of Weirdbook. Riley reportedly answered in a no-longer-available Facebook thread.

The news was broken by a tweet from Christopher Rowe, in which he quoted the editor, Sheree Renée Thomas, while its publisher, Gordon Van Gelder, has stayed conspicuously silent. Much of the ire about this decision therefore has taken aim at Thomas. And to be honest, if as an editor you think not withdrawing a publication offer is more ethical than not publishing an actual fascist, you are due some criticism.

However, there are other circumstances in play. Thomas is a Black woman and as tonia ransom points out, the consequences of her deciding to cancel her offer might involve a little bit more than just online criticism:

I can not IMAGINE what Sheree is feeling like right now, but I’ll tell you what would be going through my mind:

– If I publish this guy, it hurts me and pisses off some readers.
– If I don’t publish him, I will get doxxed and me AND MY FUCKING FAMILY are in danger.

You cannot blame Thomas for not knowing who Riley was, you can blame her for not rescinding her offer but who is far more to blame is Gordon Van Gelder, who should not have left it to her to take the heat by staying silent himself. He has a duty as a publisher to a) not publish fascists and b) defend and protect his employees from fascists. The moment it became known who Riley was, he should’ve taken the lead in explaining why he would or would not publish Riley. Because he didn’t, it’s Thomas who is now getting both (deserved) criticism for the decision and hateful attacks by the far right. It’s doubly unfair because it’s also not clear whether this really was her decision to not retract the offer.

We should do better as a community, we should demand transparancy and honesty from Van Gelder as well.

Seriously? These losers?

Published on June 17, 2020Leave a comment

The final panel of Nate Powell’s excellent About Face, “death and surrender to power in the clothing of men” has a warning:

These are the future fascist paramilitary participants and their ushers -- take them seriously

But I just cannot take them seriously. Those overgrown man children, with their penis substitutes and nerd sense of what is cool are made to be mocked and bullied. Just look at them. Gargling bleach to own the libs, deliberately running their cars badly to “roll coal” and own the libs, shooting themselves in the cock (literally) because they have the gun discipline of a drunk elephant. Any asshole can look tough in black sunglasses and holding an M-16, but take away these toys and they fold like a cheap suit. Yes, be aware that they’re dangerous, but for heaven’s sake don’t take them seriously. Fascist bully boys always need mocking.

Goosebumps

Published on April 26, 20122 Comments

Aging Norwegian folkie leads 40,000 people singing the Norwegian version of Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Race, in a giant fuck you against Breivik and all he stands for

The news can seem unending grim day in day out, then something like this comes along and restores some of your faith in humanity. A reminder that despite all the Breiviks out there, there has been progress in the past seven decades since WWII, that the belief in the equality and worth of all people, no matter their race, creed, faith, orientation or gender, is utterly mainstream. The fascists and nazis have lost, they may still be dangerous but they cannot win.

It was seventyfive years ago yesterday

Published on October 5, 2011

On the fourth of October, 1936, a coalition of Jews, unionists, Labour Party members and communists of various kinds, not to mention ordinary stopped the fascists under Oswald Mosley marching through the East End of London. In the Battle of Cable Street they stopped him and his blackshirts cold, despite a heavy police presence there to protect the fascists. It was a huge victory, hugely symbolic in that it was the victims who stood up to the fascists and their police escort; it would inspire antifascists decades later, even though there are always some who’d belittle these achievements.

Totaler krieg

Published on February 9, 20112 Comments

On 18 February 1943, in his famous Sport Palast speech, Joseph Goebbels asked the German population whether they wanted “der Totaler Krieg”, Total War. Almost sixty years on, Geert Wilders uses the same imagery in his first speech at his new trial. Accused of discrimination and incitement of hatred against Muslims, he doubles down on his racist kookery, using not just Goebbels’ Total War, but also the famous Chruchill quote about “all over Europe the lights are going out”.

The new fascism comes partially clothed in the language of anti-fascism, of freedom, but betrays itself with its obsessions. Wilders talks about defending freedom, but paints the whole Muslim world as “a desert”, all Muslims as “creators of deserts”, of a people without a Mozart, a Bill Gates, of an ideology (sic) that can only produce murder and manslaugther, whose societies can only be barbaric and backward. And in this they are supported by the “multicultural elites of Europe waging total war on their own peoples”. We’ve gotten used to similar sort of outbursts, Isloam bashing has sadly gone mainstream in the past decade, but we can still get to know its evil if we translate it into the ideology of seventy years ago, with some simple search and replaces of the key words in Wilders’ speech:

President, members of the court,

Lights are fading out all over Europe. Everywhere on the continent where our civilization flourished and where man created liberty, prosperity and culture, everywhere the foundation of the West is under fire. Everywhere in Europe the elites act as the defenders of an ideology that has been out for our destruction for over 30 centuries

(Plaintiff: Mr. president, may I leave the room?)
(Judge presiding: You may leave the room if you do so quietly)

An ideology that originates from the desert and one that can only produce deserts, because it doesn’t allow man to be free. The Jewish Mozart, the Jewish Gerard Reve, the Jewish Bill Gates, they do not exist, because there can be no creativity without liberty.

And I believe, with everything I have in me, that Judaism is an ideology that distinguishes itself in murder and manslaughter only, that only brings forth societies that are backward and impoverished. And strangely, those same elites won’t tolerate any negative word about this ideology.

My trial is not an isolated incident. Only the ignorant think it is.

Throughout Europe, not just in the Netherlands, but in Europe as a whole, multiculturalist elites are fighting a total war against their people, with continuing mass immigration and Judaismisation at stake, ultimately resulting in an Jewish Europe. A Europe without liberty. Eurozion

All over Europe the lights are going out.
Who thinks and speaks independently, is in danger, freedom loving citizens that criticize Judaism or even only dare to suggest there is a correlation between Judaism and criminality or, for instance, honour revenge, pay a bitter price. And are threatened, persecuted and criminalized. He who speaks, who speaks the truth, is in danger.

All over Europe the lights are going out.
Everywhere the Orwellian thought police are at the ready, looking out for thought-crime everywhere. Everywhere looking to throw the people back within the lines within which they are supposed to think.

This trial, Mr. president, members of the court, is hence not just about me.
It is about something much bigger. Freedom of opinion is not the property of the accidental elite of a country. It is an inalienable right, the birth right of the Dutch people as well. Centuries have been spent fighting for it and now it is about to be sacrifices to accommodate a totalitarian ideology.

Future generations will watch, and look back on this trial, and wonder who was on the good side and who wasn’t. Who stood for liberty and who wanted to sell out liberty.

All over Europe the lights are going out.
Everywhere our liberty is being curtailed. That is why I will close with the words I also spoke last year during the first session. It is not only the right, but also the duty of free people, to speak out against any ideology that threatens our liberty.

It is hence a right as well as a duty, my right and my duty as a member of parliament as well, to speak the truth about the malignant ideology that is Judaism.
I hope the freedom of opinion will be victorious in this trial, I hope not only that I will be acquitted, but above all that the freedom of opinion of so many Dutch and so many Europeans, will continue to exist.
Thank you.