An anonymous Dutch blogger has written an interesting piece about me (yes, me!). In fact, I’m quite honoured. He also supplies me with some nice nicknames for myself that I can add to the list. I already have “Bolshevik”, “vile communist animal”, “Bizarro Fjordman” and several other juicy ones. Now, I can proudly call myself an “infiltrator” and a “foaming fanatic”. I really enjoy that latter one; and I am – I admit it already – fanatically opposed to fascism.
You never saw this symbol! And Belgium does not even exist!
As usual, instead of attempting to refute the points I make, the writer – calling himself bottehond – attempts to link me with radical AFA-activists, the very same activists I have noted as being “hard left with a strong tendency towards violence”, using methods that are not only counterproductive, but also “morally wrong”.
Unfortunately for bottehond, I speak Dutch – the language of his hit piece. That means I can reply to his claims that I have “infiltrated” Little Green Footballs (this is in itself, is an interesting choice of words); although I am quite sure it is a waste of time.
Bottehond has – amazingly! – discovered the most common research tool of bloggers, Google. Googling my name; or reading something written by someone else who has googled my name, he has discovered that I am a member of the ECPR Standing Group on Extremism & Democracy. This is indeed the case. In spite of not being a political researcher (I am a journalist); I have been able to join this group, which is mostly made up by researchers focusing on political extremism in a variety of forms.
Unlike what bottehond seems to believe, being a member of this group does not mean that I meet secretly with other members to discuss how we are going to beat up members of SIOE. As far as I know, I have never even met another member of the ECPR Standing Group on Extremism & Democracy; my membership simply means that I receive an email with the group’s electronic newsletter every now and then. Spooky, I know! Thankfully for those who think that the group is a congregation of anti-democratic evil-doers planning on how to infiltrate Little Green Footballs; these electronic newsletters are also available on the web. The “Book Notes and Book Reviews”-section is my favourite, lots of interesting literature to find!
Now, I would not at all mind meeting other members of this group, as many academics with interesting fields of study are members. For instance: James Babb, who is a specialist on Japanese politics, Michael Barkun, who has done research on American extremist groups such as Christian Identity, Martin Bastl, who has done research on Anarchists and extreme left-wingers in the Czech republic and Steven Leonard Jacobs, a researcher on religious fundamentalism who has also written about the Hamas’ and their use of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” (here’s an article which some of the European left-wingers supporting Hamas directly or indirectly definitely should read).
When I first saw that people at the Gates of Vienna and elsewhere tried to disregard my arguments because of my membership in the ECPR Standing Group on Extremism and Democracy, I reacted by laughing. You have to be looking quite hard for a sinister conspiracy to see this is a problem.
By the way, I really hope no one discovers my connections to the Illuminati.
Bottehond continues by noting that Bart Spruyt (his real name is Marc Spruyt) is also a member of the group, and suggests that Spruyt is a friend of mine.
As a matter of fact, I have never met Marc Spruyt, and I have perhaps exchanged three or four emails with him (with this as a basis I have concluded that I have an amazing number of friends. Especially in Nigeria, since Nigerians keep emailing me all the time).
I have – however – published a few articles from blokwatch.be on eurofascism.info; as these articles were well-researched and provided valuable information. I have also used Spruyt’s books on the Vlaams Blok as sources for my research, but have treated his work no different from my many other sources; meaning that I have checked the information with other sources, and also researched them independently. Unlike bottehond, I am concerned with facts – not with fairytales. This means that I have chosen to leave out a number of claims that I have not been able to substantiate and dropped those I have found to be wrong.
I will once again deliver my oft-repeated challenge to those who criticise my works on Eurofascism: Scrutinise my sources. Research my claims yourself. Check the facts I give in my blogposts on Vlaams Belang, on Sverigedemokraterna or on any other group, individual or historical event. Actually, I would highly appreciate people doing so! But please don’t just deliver rubbish.
Towards the end of his article, bottehond notes:
The lizards have been infiltrated [by] foaming fanatics who will stab you with their “fascism”-mantra. There are also many Europeans amongst them who claim not to be very leftist. But there are also lizards who constantly feed Johnson with a tsunami of “evidence”. All of it gathered for years by the Oyvind Strommens and Bart Spruyts (sic!) of the world. I have also discovered Flemish amongst them. Well spoken [people] who defend their bridgehead in the hearts and minds of Americans.
Oh, the horror! Flemish people who are critical of Vlaams Belang! Thank God bottehond discovered ‘em for us.
Updated: Also read what Charles Johnson writes about the Super-Secret Sinister Conspiracy infiltrating LGF.
Comments (8)
“I have also discovered Flemish amongst them.”
Spooooky.
I’m still wondering how anyone can think of the Vlaams Belang as fascists?
Nationalists, sure, they want neither EU or the US running their country. They want to do that themselves. But fascist?
Fascism is about state control and silencing of dissent. Not about open market and civil liberties.
It’s great to discover something profound. But it’s damaging to be barking up the wrong tree imagining something’s there that obviously isn’t.
For fascism, looking towards the European Union makes more sense. They are strenghtening EU central control, silencing dissent and trying to streamline everything for the sake of European ‘unity’. That’s dangerous.
Henrik:
In that case, look around on this website. Read some of my recent articles. Then you will find out why I call them Eurofascists. Until you have done so, bark up someone else´s tree.
It seems that anyone who doesn’t mindlessly fall into line with the multi-culti EU agenda is automatically labeled an extremist and fascist. It tenders to render the slurs rather bankrupt.
It basically boils down to one form of tribalism with another. I’ll stick with heritage, culture, and tradition. You can keep your bankrupt moral relativism. It’s leading Europe back into darkness.
Chalons:
Please do read a bit on this web site before you make false claims or try to attack me for having views I do not have. If you chose to disregard this well-meant advice, it will make you look very foolish.
Fascism is a specific term; referring to a specific political movement. Read my blog posts, check out the factual information I have pointed out, scrutinize my sources; but don´t try attacking me with straw man arguments. It won´t work.
Feel free to start by reading this article on how “fascism” is used in many cases where it should not be used, and this definition of Eurofascism.
Oyvind, few questions…
Have you ever really think or research deeply about the true meaning of “fascism”, not in a political or ideological term, but in a more philosophical and social term? Why the obsession with the negative connotations surrounding fascism when you should look at the positive elements of what fascism is really all about? The symbol of a bundle of rods held together to form an strong and united entity?
I believe political demagogues, propagandists and misguided radical revolutionaries have twisted and corrupted fascism into a darkly ideological-driven force for socio-politics in the last century, for all the wrong reasons.
Rob:
Although you do not refer to specific thinkers, I can safely say that the answer is yes; I have not only thought about researching fascist philosophy “deeply”. I have done so.
And I did not find philosophical fascism to be any less troublesome than the ideological consequences it leads to. The “strong and united entity” is bound together by totalitarianism. Every time.
Why not approach “fascism” as teamwork-oriented concept rather than totalitarianism? I think the problem of fascism, by fascists, have more to do with various selfish and misguided interests that doesn’t really benefit the society and the people as a whole but only for themselves.
I suspect that the 20th century Marxists, socialists, fascists and Nazis were all control freaks, with serious psychological and mental problems, either privately suppressed or internalized, combined or caused from, maybe, dysfunctional family upbringings, latent homosexual tendencies, or just plain bad environmental/social/academic upbringings? Maybe few of them were shrewd “gangsters” manipulating fascist or communist elements to their own advantages and twisted them out for games of chance, guile and the subversion of traditional politics and institutions for selfish political ends. Simon Sebag Montefiore have a book about young Stalin, which described Stalin, as a young man, being influenced by Caucasian gangsterism which enabled him the very experience he used to make his way to power through the communist revolutionary leadership under Lenin and Trotsky, efficiently incorporated his brand of gangsterism within a Soviet system that he’d nurtured and fostered out of Lenin’s visions and made it his own.
So, the bottom line question is: what is the ROOT CAUSE that turned fascism into a serious problem throughout the 20th century, rather than an ideological or practical solution? Gangsterism? Selfish human nature? Lack of love in parental/family upbringing?? What?
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