Posts Tagged ‘nativism’

Morons of the Week: Those Britons Who Voted for the BNP

// June 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Immigration, Moron of the Week, Nationalism, Racism

In elections held 2 days ago, Nick Griffin and the far-right British National Party won seats for the FIRST time! All was celebratory in the BNP camp till he got pelted with eggs for his reactionary point of views.

The British National Party opposes what Nick Griffin calls the ”creeping Islamification” of Britain, supports voluntary repatriation of immigrants and wants to take Britain out of the European Union and NATO. It’s nativism 101 and it’s ugly.

Immigrant scapegoating is a sad answer to recession. It’s sadder when the spineless left and Labour Party serve to appease xenophobia rather than confront it.

As The Herald puts:

The way to tackle racism is to confront it, not appease it; to show consistently the benefits that immigrants bring to society; to point out that British history has also been a history of emigration; to work harder to achieve integration; and to recognise our own immigrant backgrounds.

Britain and all other countries face a fundamental choice right now. They can either accept that the movement of peoples between countries is and always has been part of the natural order, and is especially encouraged by neo-liberal policies purported by the G-8. Or they can join the BNP and the Nazi parties in embracing right-wing xenophobia and nativism as an answer to societal ills brought about by a system that benefits a few over many. Most would elect to walk the middle-line out of cowardice.

On a related note, here is the latest map of exploding hate groups in the United States.

This comment on the CNN blog wins quote of the week on blog:

There should be a “cute” little symbol centered on Washington. Until our country’s government recognizes all American citizens as equal, it will continue to serve as a paradigm for hate groups everywhere.

Amen.

Moron of the Week – Tom Tancredo and His Nativist Thugs

// April 14th, 2009 // 7 Comments » // Immigration, Moron of the Week, Racism

Former Congressperson, Tom Tancredo, was not allowed to speak at a recent event in University of North Carolina hosted by the Youth for Western Civilization [Read: Youth Against Multiculturalism and Diversity].

Protestors shutdown the event through their non-violent chanting. Someone banged loudly on the window to make noise and broke it. And just for that, all hell broke lose or so the media spins. Our resident anti-immigrant demagogue William Gheen was quick to compare it to the persecution of Jews.

That’s really a case of the pot calling the kettle black given that his organization–ALIPAC–has ties to right wing hate groups according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Nezua from the Unapologetic Mexican states:

Regarding Gheen: He is really stepping on ALL my nerves now. I am not only a Mexicano who takes all Gheen’s gross proselytizing personally, but also descended from the Jews he uses as a coin here. And as a descendant of Russian/Romanian Jews who fled Europe as stowaways because of Anti-Semitic violence-and only 3 generations ago-I find this comparison of my people to those who use divisive and exclusionary and inciteful and hateful and persecutory anti-ILLEGULZ speech that is fueling violence against my people-Latinos and other brown folk-EXTREMELY offensive and a wonderfully perverse use of suffering to further even more racism and oppression

Setback for free speech? Boo-hoo. Get over it.

At least Tancredo and his cronies do not have to worry about being invaded and detained by ICE whenever they practice their hate speech.

This is also the same Tom Tancredo that asked ICE to arrest and detain college immigration advocates when they were testifying for the DREAM Act in 2007.

Apparently, ‘free speech’ is only convenient when the speech in question is in agreement to one’s own sentiments and belief systems.

Read the whole piece at Promigrant.org

Gays and Undocumented Immigrants – Nativists and Homophobes Two Sides of the Same Coin

// March 21st, 2009 // 6 Comments » // All things LGBT

“One of the pro-Prop. 8 persons was cited for trying to incite a fight,” Campa said.

Police said the man was a member of the anti-illegal immigration group San Diego Minutemen, and told the San Diego Union-Tribune that he was one of several people conducting a counter-protest on Sixth Avenue at Ash Street.

Status quo civil marriage and immigration laws often target and constrict behavior that is neither criminal nor wrong. Put under the lens, nativists and homophobes are two-sides of the same coin– the coin that hates, otherizes, marginalizes and oppresses the Other.

1. With-holding a term, a construct that has power (tool of governmentality)
In the case of immigrants, that would be ‘citizen.’ For the LGBTQ community right now, that would be ‘marriage’ – Both are arbitrary constructs, backed by the state that have evolved over time. At one point, only white property owning males were considered citizens and there was a time not too long ago that inter-racial marriages were illegal. Now we have gay and undocumented individuals who are fighting for the certain benefits not made available to them.

Homosexuals have to do without marriage because they are homosexuals.

Illegal Aliens have to do without citizenship because they are illegals.

2. Stubborn binaries — Insistence that the lines cannot be crossed.
“You can have your civil unions” (directly implying that marriage is off-limits)
“Illegal is illegal” (falsely implying that citizenship is an immutable concept)

3. Twisted, corny logic
“You have the same right to get married as I do – marry the person of an opposite sex”

“If you want to become a citizen, get in the line” without realizing there is no line for most undocumented immigrants.

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This may be a DREAM come true

// December 3rd, 2008 // No Comments » // Immigration

I am a bit ill this week and trying to relax before exams so this is a short note -

The DREAM Act has taken off as the #1 idea on Change.org and the many students coming out with their stories is absolutely heart-warming as well as heart-breaking. It might be tough to repeat this in the second round (Jan 5 – 15) but we must try to come out in the Top 10 and maintain a link with the supporters of critical immigration reform online. That’s why I urge all supporting members of Change.org to add DreamACTivist as a friend to get more updates and alerts on upcoming actions as well as join the Immigration cause.

Another idea that is very close to my heart (and personally tugs at my heartstrings more than the DREAM Act) is Uniting American Families Act. It has been placed in the Immigration section so the LGBT community might not be too aware of this. We tend to maintain a bridge between immigration and LGBT issues too often but issues like these show the heteronormativity of immigration laws affect more than just one core community.

Don’t forget your book donations to the Fiji Children’s Trust. Fiji might be the epitome of paradise in the eyes of many tourists, but the people living there have another story to tell. The Indians that have migrated from the country due to the coups have their own tales of sorrow and grief but that does not mean we should forget those that are left behind, especially the children. They played no part in the overthrow of the Indian-dominated labor government or the subsequent persecution of Indians; hence, they should not be punished for the ignorance of Fijian nationalists and nativists.

Of course, the government is realizing that the loss of Indo-Fijians has drastically harmed the economy and trying to lure back former Fiji citizens:

The interim government has announced former Fiji citizens living abroad will be entitled to automatic residency status at a cost of 1,860 US dollars from next year, giving them the right to reside, work and invest in the country.

It’s also setting up a foreign currency accounts scheme to make it easier for them to send money to Fiji.

Wait, so we migrate from Fiji after nativist calls to “go back home to India” and the overthrow of two democratically-elected Indian-dominated governments, but the Fijian government wants us to now PAY for residency after forced migration?! That is such an insult! Of course I say that while still maintaining my own Fijian citizenship …

I’ll be back after this weekend with loads of posts.

Study: Immigration Skeptics Not Necessarily Xenophobic

// November 17th, 2008 // No Comments » // Desi-Indian, Immigration

Several interesting claims in a new European study:

“Given how central the immigration issue has been for the new radical right-wing parties in Western Europe, many have turned to immigration-related factors in trying to explain their emergence and electoral mobilisation. This research has convincingly shown that immigration scepticism (i.e., wanting to reduce immigration) is among the principal factors for predicting who will vote for a radical right-wing party,” investigators in Stockholm, Sweden report.

Can this be used for some comparative analysis? Are the immigration skeptics in the U.S. more likely to look for Third Party candidates on the ‘right’ or vote for a staunch nativist Republican (Tom Tancredo)? I think we do know how disgruntled the nativists were with the two primary choices in these past elections.

“However, earlier studies have often uncritically equated immigration scepticism with xenophobia or even racism. By using data from the first round of the European Social Survey (2003) involving six West European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Norway), this article differentiates between immigration scepticism and xenophobic attitudes. The analyses strongly indicate that xenophobic attitudes are a far less significant factor than immigration scepticism for predicting who will vote for the new radical right. Moreover, this article analyses the extent to which anti-immigration frames employed by radical right-wing parties resonate with attitudes held by supporting voters, and to what extent they make a difference for people’s decision to vote for the radical right. The analyses indicate that frames linking immigration to criminality and social unrest are particularly effective for mobilising voter support for the radical right.

Help me out here. How is immigration skepticism not tied to xenophobia? Any type of ideology that calls for stricter border controls or place limits on immigration feeds into the political construct of borders, and hence reinforces the ‘foreignness’ of the Other across borders.

(Immigration sceptics, xenophobes or racists? Radical right-wing voting in six West European countries European Journal of Political Research, 2008;47(6):737-765).

Good Work by the Nativist Hate-O-Sphere

// October 29th, 2008 // 6 Comments » // Immigration

A letter to the ICE to raid the Encampment in LA is followed by a list of organizations and individuals that support the Encampment.

http://laeastside.com/category/politica/

http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/57613-fasting-for-immigrant-rights

http://vivirlatino.com/2008/10/14/fast-for-our-future-stand-up-for-immigrant-rights.php

http://immigration.change.org/

http://www.beatitudessociety.org/node/1060

http://www.immigrantjustice.org/blog/movementsactions/fasting-for-immigrant-rights.html

http://www.urlfan.com/local/fast_for_our_future_stand_up_for_immigrant_rights/107042792.html

http://newroutes.org/node/16609

http://deletetheborder.org/taxonomy/term/27?page=7

http://www.promigrant.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=455

http://prernalal.com/2008/10/16/day-1-fasting-for-immigrant-rights-tips-and-concerns/

http://feeder.ww7.be/spip.php?site531

http://fairimmigration.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/action-the-fast-for-our-future-sign-the-pledge/

To the nativists, please do find and list more future pro-migrant sites for everyone to see, as well as other great propaganda you come across.

As usual, the nativist rambling has no substance, some usual capitalization of the phrase ‘ILLEGAL ALIEN’ and loads of spelling and grammatical errors.

On the same blog, I saw this sign:

What? Hypocritical much? Maybe they got the signs the wrong way i.e. ‘End Tolerance. Begin Bigotry?’ It would better suit their anti-immigrant sentiments.

Here are some helpful resources for the nativists since they were so kind to give us some links to allies:

More Border Woes – DHS runs out of $$; Head replaced

// September 25th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Immigration

Trouble seems to follow the border fence everywhere–they may be hedged together. After waiving environmental protections, trying to build the wall through a school campus, and causing flooding trouble, we hear from the DHS that the proposed border wall is over-budget and that the official in charge of the multibillion-dollar program, Greg Giddens, has been removed.

Sep. 22–The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has run out of money to build remaining segments of the U.S.-Mexico border fence in the Rio Grande Valley and elsewhere, and the project already is $400 million over budget.

Unexpected construction costs and legal holdups have paralyzed construction just weeks after DHS broke ground in the Valley.

A Sept. 10 Government Accountability Office report said the average cost of fencing has increased more than 40 percent this year.

Seems like it is bailout season all-round. Just say no! Congress is now bailing out DHS as well from going overbudget. How much? Not some thousands, not some millions, no, just about $4 billion. NB: How many children can that kind of money feed?

I cannot fathom how the most powerful country in the world goes over-budget and spends more than it has allocated for projects like building a border wall. Costs of materials increased? Please, when you are asking Congress for funding, don’t you account for inflation and annual cost increases? Or does the DHS have poor economists on staff, (much like poor IJs)?

Maybe they had hoped to get some ‘illegals’ to build the border wall and cut costs in that manner. At any time, the government is the largest employer of undocumented immigrants alas, the increased scrutiny probably dampened those plans.

Regardless, this is what the GAO said:

According to program officials, as of August 2008, fencing costs averaged $7.5 million per mile for pedestrian fencing and $2.8 million per mile for vehicle fencing, up from estimates in February 2008 of $4 million and $2 million per mile, respectively. Furthermore, the life-cycle cost is not yet known, in part because of increasing construction costs and because the program office has yet to determine maintenance costs and locations for fencing projects beyond December 2008. In addition, land acquisition issues present a challenge to completing fence construction.

Wait, you are telling me THESE fences are worth millions of dollars and supposed to ‘keep out’ illegal immigrants? I used to climb higher walls at age 7 !!

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Undocumented Teen Commits Suicide in Jail — Cops must be held accountable

// August 24th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Gender, Human Rights, Immigration

A 17-year-old migrant student of Clear Lake High School who was apprehended by cops after an illegal left turn, committed suicide in jail less than 48 hours later. Excerpts from the Chron.com article follows:

Arturo Chavez’s back was flush against a 7-foot partition for the cell’s shower. A blue blanket was twisted into a noose, with one end wrapped around his neck, the other tied to a shower head. [...]

It may never be known what swept over Chavez, who illegally emigrated from Guatemala four years ago and spent much of his time trying to improve his English and working to send money home.

All he had made for himself in the U.S. seemed to hang in the balance as Chavez was locked up at the police station and awaiting transfer to county jail.At one point, when the holding-cell door was opened, Chavez bolted for freedom, according to a police report.

With officers running behind, the 5-foot-3-inch Chavez made it outside and scrambled up a chain-link fence, but was grabbed by the feet.

The wire atop the fence ripped into his hands.

In the scramble, he was shocked twice with a taser and hit multiple times with a baton, according to police.

Houston attorney Randall Kallinen said the officers used excessive force to apprehend Chavez.

“He had been severely beaten,” said Kallinen, who added that a head injury could bring on suicidal thoughts — a mix worsened by solitary confinement. Results of an autopsy are pending.

Compassion aside, rabid nativists and their supporters are showing their disregard for humanity once again by posting their hateful and ignorant comments in discussions over his death. Consider this one by MsTexass:

Our fine police department did their job and I am thankful to know they are protecting our streets. Being Illegal in America should = NO RIGHTS, NO JOBS, NO NOTHING

Since when is it the job of law enforcement to use excessive force on teenagers, STUDENTS, who are not yet adults? Arturo Chavez was not yet 18, meaning he had not begun to accrue illegal presence in the United States, which by itself, is not even a crime. His fake ID, insurance and evasion from law enforcement does not add up to the punishment of death. And contrary to the wishes and beliefs of anti-migrant nativists, an ‘illegal alien’ has civil rights in the United States. If you want to cite the rule of law at every turn and that ‘illegal is illegal,’ you should also be prepared to hear that “the 14th Amendment is the 14th Amendment.” How redundant?
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