How to Fight the Far Right
Three Way Fight, Revolutionary Politics and Anti-Fascism , Xtn Alexander and Matthew N. Lyons, PM Press 2024
This collection of essays is a follow up to Insurgent Supremacists: https://medium.com/@sleigh1917/what-is-the-far-right-67c5970a05f9
Insurgent Supremacists lays out the Three Way Fight theory: the fight is not just between the Left and the Right or the Left and the ruling Class. It is a 3-way fight. We have to defeat the Right and the ruling class. The Right, using populism tries to steal the thunder of the Left. Many adherents of this theory are either Marxist or Anarchist revolutionaries though some are less politically defined.
How Independent is the Far Right?
“They can also form an autonomous political force that clashes with the established order in real ways,,,”
This analysis gets at many of the important points about the rise of the Right today. It rightly stresses that the Fascist movement is not just a creature of the bourgeoisie. It is instead a movement of the petty bourgeoisie which can present itself as anti-capitalist. It notes that the Stalinists are wrong in seeing Fascism as nothing but the rule of the most extreme section of the capitalist class. In making this correct and important emphasis, the book forgets that Fascists in power are not able to execute a distinct petty bourgeois program:
“Unlike liberal anti-fascists, we believe that ‘defending democracy’ is an illusion, as long as that ‘democracy’ is based on a socio-economic order that exploits and oppresses human beings. Global capitalism and related structures. represent the main source of violence and human suffering… Far right supremacism.. grow out of this system and cannot be eradicated as long as it remains in place …far rightists aren’t simply tools of the ruling class. They can also form an autonomous political force that clashes with the established order in real ways, or even seeks to overthrow global capitalism and replace it with a radically different oppressive system.” (Pg.2)
The authors’ stress on independence of the Far Right movement. This includes Nazis etc. but also others who want overthrow the bourgeois system to crush workers and the oppressed but are not formally Fascist. The Far Right is not just a wing of the state or capitalist class. This leads them to say:
“We need to look critically at standard leftist assumptions about fascism: that “the cops and Klan go hand in hand”
Though this independence is true as Fascists try to achieve political power, there are only two classes that can run society in their own interests, the bourgeoisie or the proletariat. Historically Fascists in power have ruled in the economic interests of the bourgeoisie. Fascism in power is an extreme form of capitalism, even if its rhetoric is anti-capitalist on the way to power. A “radically different oppressive system” seems extremely unlikely. Even if Fascists in power expropriated the capitalist class and nationalized industry which they have never done, they would be creating a state capitalist system, not something “radically different.”
Keep Anti-Fascism Independent !
“Left support for the status quo concedes to the fascists the mantle of righteous opposition.”
Three Way Fight repeats the important analysis of Insurgent Supremacists that the Left needs to oppose both the Right and the State. Supporting either against the other would lead to disaster. The Left and the working-class movement need to be independent. The authors’ opposition to liberal anti-Fascism is that it can strengthen the power of the state which can be turned against workers and the poor. This is important. (Pg 112). The book maintains that liberal anti-Fascism can be used by the ruling class to coopt radical struggle. One expression of this is the liberal opposition to “extremism” of both the Left and Right (Pg.49)
This leads to an important strategic consideration:
“We must understand that fascism is capable of donning a ‘revolutionary’ face –and must never cede our opposition to the system. Left support for the status quo concedes to the fascists the mantle of righteous opposition.” (Pg. 132)
Another crucial point is that the Right is divided between those who want to use the system and those who oppose it. (Pg.60) The authors ard against mislabeling those who are just right-wing conservatives as Fascist. This mislabeling can lead to bad strategies such as supporting the Democrats. This division among Rightists is roughly similar to the division between reformists and revolutionaries on the Left. In the Right-wing ,case the division is between system oppositionists or the Far Right , vs. those who want to use the system to achieve right-wing goals.
In rejecting a red-brown alliance of the left and right the book notes that:
“All resistance ain’t liberatory and all fascists ain’t aryan “(Pg.33) (Pg 155)
This restates the basic idea that the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. It also underlies an important point that some Far Right groups try to pretend to be color-blind. The Proud Boys for example have members of color. Their support of Western Civilization allows racism against select targets.
The book puts a strong emphasis on feminism both in a positive sense and because opposition to women’s equality is central to the Far Right. The writers go into the differences between Rightwing groups on exactly how to oppress women.
Is the Ruling Class Moving Towards Fascism?
There is an interesting discussion on whether the U.S. ruling class is engaging in a drive for Fascism (Pg.175). One of the writers, Don Hamerquist, rejects this on the dubious assumption that there is a solidifying transnational ruling class that favors a social democratic method of maintaining power. Though this analysis may be incorrect, he makes the important point that capitalists only turn to Fascism when they feel they have to. For the most part they favor some form of bourgeois democracy, some form or carrot instead of all stick. (pg.171 on)
Mass Opposition to the Right
Though anti-Fascists must confront the Right-wing,
“ it is important to be realistic and not overestimate our movements’ capacity to protect ourselves or control situations when the right is rising in this way. So, it’s important to confront them but it is also important to protect ourselves and not be suicidal about it.” (Pg.233)
The authors advocate a mass method of opposing the Far Right, rather than a small elite of street fighters taking them on:
“it can’t just be a squadron of elite antifascists carrying out a technical operation that’s going to win this ..we need the masses of working-class people …from all different kinds of communities and identities together.” (Pg.295)
Further, in discussing an insensitive intervention by the black bloc, “The spectacle of specialized antifascism undermined the concrete possibility of mass antifascism” (Pg.308)
Different authors in this anthology take different positions on whether black bloc organizing is an effective method and have different attitudes to the anarchist slogan “diversity of tactics.”
In the section on Trump and the Far Right, Matthew Lyons notes that the Patriot movement has been more staunchly on Trump’s side than the open Nazis have (Pg. 219) This has pulled them in the direction of support to the system. He goes on say that Trump has blurred some of the distinction between system loyal and system oppositional Rightists.
One article takes up using video games as a way to organize against Fascism, Pg. 314.
This book is a very interesting and useful application of the Three Way Fight analysis. It covers Origins, Global Capitalists and the Far Right, Trumpism, the George Floyd Rebellion and Organizing and strategy. It is provocative and important.
Though there are limitations to the Three Way Fight theory, it is a good guide to action. Anti-Fascists need to see the Right as an independent force. There are two enemies, the Right and the ruling class. Supporting one against the other will only strengthen one of the reactionary forces. This means rejecting liberal anti-Fascism and attempts at a Red-Brown alliance against the capitalist class. The Left and the working class need an independent movement to win against their enemies, the state/ruling class and the Right. Three Way Fight importantly calls for mass action by the working class rather than reliance on an elite of street fighters.
In reinforcing these very points , Three Way Fight , Revolutionary Politics and Anti-Fascism has done a great service and is well worth reading !
