First Published: The Worker, Vol 11, No 14, September 26, 1979
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Malcolm and Paul Saba
Copyright: This work is in the Public Domain under the Creative Commons Common Deed. You can freely copy, distribute and display this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit the Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line as your source, include the url to this work, and note any of the transcribers, editors & proofreaders above.
On various occasions in the recent past The Worker has pointed out that the so-called “Marxist-Leninist” group that travels under the unwieldy label of “In Struggle” suffers from views and practices that reek of Great Nation Chauvinism, particularly in the form of racism toward Quebecers. Others have exposed them for this same trait. The Canadian Arab Friendship Association exposed “In Struggle’s” hostility to the Arab cause in a most thoroughgoing fashion.
Apparently we hit a nerve. In the Aug. 27, 1979 issue of In Struggle they pull a face and act very offended. Therefore we’ll drive the point home a little further. Apropos of their lack of respect for the revolution in the middle-east we must point out that the criticism of “In Struggle” by the Canadian Arab Friendship Association was an open letter, but the heroes of IS never reprinted it! Neither did they answer it. They only took it up when their seedy ex-comrades from The Forge (Hua Kuo-feng’s Canadian irregulars) reprinted portions of it. Since they were being shown up for by their fellow Canadians the IS then took umbrage and began to quibble about why the Forge had reprinted particular sections of the CAFA letter. But their blatant chauvinism lay in the fact that they themselves hadn’t reprinted it at all! Despite the fact that it had been addressed to them! They tried to push the Arabs aside in order to argue with The Forge.
The Worker reprinted the CAFA letter in full because we saw it was an excellent defence of the Palestinian revolution. “In Struggle” makes no reference to this when making their reply to our charges of chauvinism, but we are convinced that it was the CAFA letter that stung them into hurried explanations of themselves. But they are no better when it comes to Quebec.
One ugly racist example should suffice, one of very recent vintage. In the Sept. 4, 1979 issue of In Struggle, the chauvinist editors feature a letter under the heading: “Quebec as seen by an English-speaking Quebecer”. The letter is one long racist whine about the poor English and how they have no party to represent them. He claims to have quit the NDP in Quebec because they only wrote to him in French “except when they wanted donations... They wanted to be sure I understood their message when they were asking for money.” He continues, saying Evelyn Dumas of the PQ representing the English would be like “appointing Count Dracula to represent the interests of a convent of vestal virgins or Adolf Hitler to represent the Jews.” The truculent bigot gracing the pages of In Struggle blusters on, saying,
“What we want is a force to represent our interests”. Apparently he missed out on the War Measures Act or the occupation of Quebec by the Canadian army, or is anxious for a repeat.
Their guest racist puffs himself up and declares: “I am English and damn proud to be English. I will never be a Quebecois nor would I ever want to be a Quebecois.” (Yes folks, this is right out of the pages of In Struggle, we haven’t exaggerated a thing.) Calling for people to be “realistic”, he says the French and English “will never love each other” but they ought to be able to say, “Vive la difference”. To get himself off this merry-go-round of French-baiting, the little champion of the English suddenly declares the principles of internationalism and then winds up with this choice bit of chauvinism, “The PQ in our estimation is not a political party as such but rather the stepping stone to a fascist State and thus is hated and despised by the English (!) and others of good will.” (The lunkhead is trying to tell us that the French would like fascism, I guess.)
We hope you are asking by now, what was response of the brave and clear headed editors of In Struggle? Well, here’s how they responded to the swinish blabber mouth whom they had featured. The editors wrote: “The writer takes a very firm position on the relations between French-speaking and English-speaking people in Quebec. We invite readers to send in any comments or positions they may have.” End item, as they say over in the Bains cult. “In Struggle”, which denies being chauvinist, does not argue with this bigot. Doesn’t say he’s wrong. They don’t mention that Quebec has lived under the political, economic, and military domination of English Canada for more than a century. No, in the politest terms they inform their readers that this “English-speaking Quebecer... takes a firm position.” He certainly does, and so does “In Struggle”; a very “firm position” as Great Nation Chauvinists.