The growth of ultra-right wing groups like the NF has sparked off, within the socialist movement, an ongoing debate as to the tactics and strategy necessary to deal with them. A recently published and important contribution to the debate is "Counter - Mobilisation: A Strategy to fight Racist and Fascist Attacks".
The pamphlet consists of a discussion (in May 1976) between the leaders of the Young Socialist Alliance and the Socialist WorkLed off by Farrel Dobbs, the discussion raises the tactical & strategic problems that have been thrown up by the racist offensive in the USA (similar, many respects, place in Britain today).
The discussion occurred in the wake of a demonstration organised by several ultra-left groups against an American Nazi speaker at San Fransisco university. By using 'confrontation! tactics and directing their propaganda against Ifree speech for fascists', these groups so alienated the bulk of students that the administration was able to launch an effort to expel them from the campus.
Dobb's presentation is premised on the decisive importance of the mobilisation of the working class in beating back fascist attacks. While fascism does not represent a major threat today, he points out, the ruling class is certain to rely more heavily on it as the class struggle heats up.
'Tactically', he continues, 'your actions must be calculated to the mobilisation of the workers & their allies and obstruct the mobilisation of the fascists. fascists are trying to do the same thing. They are trying to develop a system of tactics that will facilitate the mobilisation of forces and block the mobilisation Dobbs discusses the dangers involved in attempts to the fascists now with only limited forces - the type of confrontation politics used by many left groups in Britain (such as the IMG & the ICL) under the slogan of 'no free speech for fascists'.
'If you start by attempting to gather together hastily a vanguard force & crush fascism in the egg', he indicates, 'you are playing into the hands of the fascists. You are losing ground on the mobilisation of the real class that can do away with fascism, and the fascists are gaining ground as a result'.
The truth of Dobbis point can be seen by reviewing briefly the result of the tactics used by groups like the IMG over the past years. Despite their attempt to ' crush! the NF 'in the egg', the NF today probably has more support than at any time before. While the IMG & other groups have been busy organising 'vanguard actions' against the NF - which have left the mass of workers as mere spectators -the NF has been busy sinking its roots in the mass movement on key issues such as immigration & abortion.
Dobas goes on to stress the importance of avoiding slogans that create the false impression that revolutionaries seek to suppress free speech rather than put a stop to fascist attacks on the Black or labour movements.
Discussing how socialists mobilised in the 'thirties, he points out: "We didn't say a word about depriving the fascists of their right to free speech. Our remarks concentrated on explaining to the workers why they couldn't rely on any arm of the state apparatus to protect them against the fascists and why they should rely only on themselves to do so...'.
Dobbs continues to explain the importance of presenting the issue defensively in mobilising workers against racist and fascist attacks. 'Don't forget Lenin and Trotsky made a revolution under defensive slogans. If you are obliged to clobber some fascist in order to protect your rights, its always good if this is done in the name of defending yourself. It helps make more allies!.
The contributions made in this pamphlet are a 'must' reading for all those concerned with organising a serious response to the growing threat of the NF. They are particularly relevant to the British left which has substituted 'vanguard heroics! for building a serious opposition in the labour movement against the policies on which the NF is making ground.
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