Leftist reactionary behavior

[Petr]

This thread is to be differentiated from the "Insights from the Left" thread that I started on the philosophy section. Rather, here we showcase such examples of behavior by historical (or even today's) Leftists that modern decadent faggy Nu-Leftists would find repulsive, frightening or objectionable. On the Old Phora, I gathered such stuff on this thread:

http://www.thephora.net/forum/forum/the-academy/political-arena/84414-russian-communist-mps-draft-legislation-that-would-ban-being-gay-in-public

A typical example of this phenomenon would be Leftists showing some macho self-esteem - like the Castro brothers in Cuba. Here some whiny neocon-cuckservatives are trying to criticize the Cuban Commies in a PC manner:

In Latin America, Backers of Leftist Dictatorships Look the Other Way

As Latin American dictators marginalize and jail protesters, they rely on backing from prominent but obtuse individuals and organizations.

newlinesmag.com

Ruled by the Castro family and their allies since 1959 and not having seen a democratic election since 1948, Cuba is a case study in optics versus reality. For more than 60 years, the country has been led by Fidel Castro (1959 to 2008), Raúl Castro (2008 to 2019) and Miguel Díaz-Canel (2019 to present) — three white men — as they have presided over a police state that in its early era rounded up and tortured gay men in concentration camps (an experience searingly documented in the book “Antes que anochezca” by Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas), has aided liberation struggles elsewhere in Latin America and in Africa while denying its own citizens the ability to choose the political or economic system by which they wished to be governed, and has remained passionately hostile to independent expressions of Afro-Cuban and LGBTQ identity. The government sent cadres of doctors abroad but then used them as a source of hard currency, gobbling up most of their salaries and imposing severe curbs on their freedom of expression and freedom of association. To Venezuela, it sent security personnel and torturers. Memorably described by their former close ally Carlos Franqui as a couple of puritanical, intolerant bumpkins from the rural backwater of Birán aghast at the “decadent” Afro-Cuban culture they encountered in cities like Santiago de Cuba and Havana, the Castro brothers set in motion a square, macho military culture on the island that remains very much the ruling aesthetic today.

 

[Empress Cheesatine]

This reminds me of Trotsky's response to anti-violence, anti-dictatorship social democrat Katusky. Trotsky was 100% correct:

"The man who repudiates terrorism in principle – i.e., repudiates measures of suppression and intimidation towards determined and armed counter-revolution, must reject all idea of the political supremacy of the working class and its revolutionary dictatorship. The man who repudiates the dictatorship of the proletariat repudiates the Socialist revolution, and digs the grave of Socialism."

I can't imagine being an anti-violence Marxist when both Marx and Engels conceded the need and benefit of revolutionary violence. Engels went so far as to say revolutionary violence would drive what he called "reactionary cultures" out of existence, like the southern Slavs who Engels referred to as "racial trash" to be destroyed.

 

[UltraRightWing]

I rushed out of high-school to join the ARMY in 2004. Now at 36, though, I know why people strap bombs to themselves and detonate in amongst they enemy. When confronted with an ultra equipped and numerically superior adversary the waging of a campaign consisting of sheer terror can turn the tide in the long run.

 

[Petr]

Hindu nationalism an easy bait in Nepal general elections - EFE Noticias

By Sangam Prasain Kathmandu, Nov 8 (EFE).- Taking a cue from neighboring India, Nepal politicians, including communists, are banking on Hindu appeasement to win general elections later this month. Hindu nationalism has become a key part of the election campaign, with parties attempting to win

efe.com

Hindu nationalism an easy bait in Nepal general elections​

8 November 2022

By Sangam Prasain

Kathmandu, Nov 8 (EFE).- Taking a cue from neighboring India, Nepal politicians, including communists, are banking on Hindu appeasement to win general elections later this month.

Hindu nationalism has become a key part of the election campaign, with parties attempting to win voters with offers or contributions to build Hindu temples, despite the fact that many of them are communists preaching atheism.

The Himalayan republic is holding general elections on Nov. 20 to elect 275 members of the House of Representatives. It will be held alongside provincial elections to elect 550 representatives to the provincial assembly.

Fostering the Hindu sentiment has become an important part of this election campaign for the opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), or the CPN (UML), and the ruling social-democratic Nepali Congress.

“Both parties, although they have not incorporated Hindu agendas in their political manifesto, are trying to cash-in on the religious-nationalist card,” Vijay Kant Karna, a professor of political science at Tribhuvan University, told EFE.

“People who do not believe in it are propagating the Hindu ideology. Politicians are trying to polarize the society to get the votes and that’s a bitter reality,” Karna said.

Hindu devotees pay homage at the lingam of south entrance of the Pashupatinath main temple courtyard in Kathmandu, Nepal, 05 November 2022 (issued 08 November 2022). EFE-EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA

Nepal, where more than 80 percent of the population are Hindus, officially became a secular republic with the promulgation of its new constitution in 2015.

The Himalayan nation went through a traumatic process of political transition, with the first outbreak of a decade-long civil war in 1996, which pitted Maoist guerrillas against the official forces of the then Hindu monarchy.

With the start of the peace process in 2008, elections were held to form a Constituent Assembly, and at its first meeting, the 239-year-old Hindu monarchy of the Himalayan kingdom was abolished and Nepal was declared a secular state.

However, Karna considered that the recent religious overtures to win over votes could polarize society and lead to negative repercussions for the Nepali society, especially given that it recently went through 15 years of turbulence in search of stability.

The situation is even more dangerous taking into account the political instability in a country, which has had 27 prime ministers in the last three decades.

Neighboring India is believed to have inspired the recent political development in the Himalayan country.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as a seemingly unshakable powerful force while stoking strong religious sentiments.

The BJP is a flag-bearer of Hindutva, an extremist and political offshoot of Hinduism that looks to rally the country around its ideology.

Since Modi coming to power in 2014, religion has progressively become a determining factor in all aspects of society. His consolidation of public support was reflected in the BJP’s absolute majority in the 2019 general elections.

“The rise to power in India of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has had a significant influence on Nepal,” said Karna.

In August, CPN-UML chair and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli visited Pashupatinath Temple and donated funds to the temple.

Hindu devotees gather to perform rituals at the western entrance of the Pashupatinath main temple courtyard in Kathmandu, Nepal, 05 November 2022 (issued 08 November 2022). EFE-EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA

Oli, who was harshly criticized for the visit, also made the headlines in 2021, when, as prime minister, he ordered to build a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram in the village of Madi, claiming the deity had been born there.

“Our chairman (Oli) is open and has been advocating Hinduism for quite a long time. It’s not officially reflected in the paper or the party’s manifesto but our party has a larger interest in cashing on Hindu votes,” a CPN-UML standing committee member told EFE on condition of anonymity.

The clashes with the profile of Oli, who joined the communist movement in the 1970, something that in theory is incompatible with religious ideology.

“Obviously, religious agenda has taken precedence in the upcoming elections to cash in on the country’s large Hindu constituency,” Uddhab Pyakurel, a political analyst, told EFE.

“But as far as I have observed, candidates are trying to exploit religious sentiments only. Nepal has been declared a religiously diverse country and it will remain secular,” he added.

The CPN-UML’s unlikely turn towards Hinduism is all the more striking in the face of the alliance it has forged with the Ratriya Prajatantra Party, a right-wing group that openly advocates the idea of restoring the monarchy and Nepal’s status as a Hindu state.

Nepali Congress Chair and current Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba also demonstrated his Hindu credentials with a visit to the important pilgrimage center of Varanasi in India during a three-day trip.

Though Nepali Congress officially advocates secularism, some of its key leaders like Shashank Koirala have been vocal supporters of reviving Hindu statehood.

“Different parties have different ideologies in Hinduism. They speak openly to promote Hinduism, mostly to win the votes. In reality, parties want to maintain the status quo,” claimed Pyakurel.

 

[Petr]

 

[Petr]

Mass arrest at LGBTQ club in Venezuela prompts outcry over discrimination

Recent arrest of 33 men increases criticism of President Nicolas Maduro’s overtures to anti-LGBTQ religious groups.

www.aljazeera.com

Being gay is not a crime in Venezuela. But the men were eventually charged with “lewd conduct” and “sound pollution” among other counts. The police offered images of condoms and lubricant as evidence for the supposed crimes.​

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In addition, the men’s photos were leaked to local media, where they were accused of participating in an “orgy with HIV” and recording pornography. Some of the men, like Luis, had not previously gone public with their sexuality.​

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But the backlash to the mass arrest was swift. Protests broke out in Caracas and Valencia, with demonstrators calling for the men’s release. The hashtag #LiberanALos33, or “Free the 33”, also went viral on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.​

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But Tamara Adrian, Venezuela’s first transgender legislator and a candidate in the 2024 presidential elections, told Al Jazeera she worries about the long-term effects the arrests may have on LGBTQ rights.​

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“Well, the truth is that this type of action, in the Venezuelan context, sends a very powerful message to the police and sends a very powerful message to judges that LGBT people can be persecuted for being LGBT,” she said.​

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She also tied the arrests to efforts under President Nicolas Maduro to rally support among evangelical Christians, some of whom hold anti-LGBTQ views. Evangelicals make up at least 17 percent of the country.​

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“Madurismo and Chavismo are having their worst moment,” Adrian said, using terms that refer to political movements under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. She believes Maduro is courting evangelicals to bolster his flagging approval ratings.​

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Last month, for instance, legislators from Maduro’s party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), struck a deal to consult with religious groups on legislative initiatives that involve family-oriented policy.​

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The president’s son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, who assumed the position of vice president of religious issues for the PSUV last July, was among the leaders who met with the religious organisations.​

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The agreement came after evangelical churches and socially conservative groups staged protests and parades promoting “family” values as a reaction to Pride Month, the annual LGBTQ celebration.​

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For Yendri Velasquez, a Venezuelan LGBTQ activist, recent events signal a deepening relationship between evangelical groups and the Maduro government.​

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“Principal representatives from the state are forming an electoral alliance with anti-rights groups,” Velasquez said. “I believe the arrest of the 33 people is an escalation of the political homophobia and transphobia that already existed.”​

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Venezuela remains one of South America’s most conservative countries for LGBTQ rights. It is one of the few countries in the region — along with Peru, Paraguay, Guyana and Suriname — that offer no legal recognition for same-sex couples. And transgender individuals still cannot legally change their gender on official documents.​

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Though Venezuela has some laws to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, critics say they are rarely enforced in practice. In the case of the 33 men from the Avalon Club, Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab has recommended the charges be dropped.​