Friday, October 3, 2014

Left-Wing Fascism



Opponents of bullfighting are, one would think, lovers of life and opponents of violence. They are, we assume, caring leftists: people who work by setting a humanist, non-violent example.

But this flyer inviting bullfighting opponents to join a march this Sunday sounds rather like it came from a genocidal paramilitary group.

After calling bullfighters 'Useful idiots' - a phrase often attributed to Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin - and calling bullfighting a 'savage, cruel, bloody, pagan spectacle,' the flyer warns the bullfighters on hunger strike in front of Bogotá's bullfighting plaza that on Sunday bullfighting protesters will 'Clean society of these' people.

'Social cleansing' is a term made notorious in Colombia by neo-fascist paramilitary groups, who used social cleansing to mean the murdering of their political opponents and 'undesirables,' such as beggars. prostitutes, small-time criminals, sexual minorities and drug addicts. Utilizing selective killings and mass murders, such as chainsaw massacres, the paramilitaries 'socially cleansed' Colombian cities and towns.

Seeing such language coming from a group supposedly opposed to violence is frightening, to say the least. And it just goes to show that when they radicalize, the left and right can become indistinguishable.

On Sunday, expect an army of police in front of the bullfighting stadium, separating the two sides. There probably won't be violence. But if bullfighting's opponents want to maintain the respect of decent, caring Colombians, they'd better toss this element out of their ranks.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

2 comments:

  1. Couldn't agree more with your conclusion, Mike. This animal rights 'fascism' isn't limited to Colombia, though. In my own country, the UK, some of the nastiest extremist behaviour of recent years has come from so-called Animal Rights groups. Check out this disgusting and, frankly, bizarre case from a couple of years back:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/staffordshire/4762481.stm
    Quite how these people can reconcile committing such barbarity against their fellow humans with their professed belief in animal rights is beyond me.

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  2. Hi Scott,

    Thanks for your comment and the reference. That's a bizarre story - I can't fathom what grave desecration has to do with helping hamsters.

    I should say that I have lots of sympathy and do support animal welfare activists in many ways and on many issues. But when animal rights turns into death threats (or grave desecration), then something's very wrong. Mike

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