[Marxism] RE: Behind the "Aussies" race riot

[Shane Hopkinson <chen9692000@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi All

  Just a follow up to Kristian Lasslett post - I don't have any serious 
problems with it but just thought I'd put in a bit more detail.

  The nation state of "Australia" has it roots in its development from a white 
settler capitalist colony of the British Empire.  It was put in place for a 
range of reasons but was essentially a prison camp - useful when those 
Americans won their War of Independence and wouldn't take any more british 
prisoners . It was always multicultural (mainly English and Irish but always a 
smattering of others), but presented itself as being white, much in the way 
other white settler colonies like South Africa did. The indigeneous population 
was systematically shot or herded into concentration camps (called 'missions') 
later used as the model for Apartheid. Here the indigenous population was 
reduced to a much smaller section of the population so such drastic measures 
were not needed - though Indigneous people did not get the vote until 1967.

  The first race riots in Australian took place on the goldfield in the 1850's 
gold rush which saw large numbers of chinese come in search of gold and the 
competition with "white" Australians was met with violence. This led into the 
construction of the 'white Australia' policy in which Asian immigration was 
restricted thru the device of a rigged 'dictation test'. This device was partly 
necessary as the British government was opposed to such overt racism as it 
build relations with the Japanese - who were constructed as a threat by the 
Australian state, which reinforced and reflected widespread white racist 
attitudes that were the commonsense of the day. The construction of an 
'Australian' national identity was premissed on white supremecy, most white 
people in Australia at least until World War One regarded themselves as 
'British'. The archetypical founding myth of the nation was the Gallopoli 
landing in that way when Australian troops fought (and lost) in Turkey as part 
of the AIF
 (Australian Imperial Force). The idea that Australian capitalists get rich due 
to the imperialist exploitation of the Third World and working class is racist 
because of this is not very useful. Australian capital has seen its interests 
in terms of having a 'great and powerful friend' originally Britain and now as 
deputy sheriff to the USA.

  Later as capitalism demanded - the post war boom and industrialisation of 
Australian economy under monopoly capital - required more labour  than could be 
supplied by 'white' people so the definition was extended to include Southern 
Europeans - especially Italians and Greeks. The remainder of the story is told 
well enough by Kristian. Each wave of migrants is vilified as invaders but 
lunder conditions of post-war growth at least was well-enough integrated and 
multiculturalism is widely accepted by large sections of the working class, 
even those with racist views.

  The device of white nationalism is of course useful for elites to win 
elections and racist views and fears are common in Australia and capitalists 
benefit from 'cheaper' labour while these divisions exist but the idea that 
this overt violence is fomented by the state and is welcomed by capitalists is 
misguided.- even if it is a consequence of neoliberal policies and war 
propaganda as well as egged on by radio shock jocks in Sydney.

  Sydney is a large (in area) multicultural city of about 4 million people (I 
know that's not much in global terms but the total population is only 20 
million in a land area roughly the same size as the USA, so it about 20% of 
total population). There are strong traditions of anti-racism, even liberal 
'tolerance' that need to be defended in the attempts to challenge white 
supremacy and forge a 'revolutionary multiculturalism.

  Cheers

  Shane


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