Monday November 7, 2005
With urban unrest in France reaching ominous new levels, it’s as well to reflect on how it actually got to be so bad. And who will ultimately benefit.
Over the past few decades, Europe has seen waves of immigrants from various ethnic groups. In less than 50 years the continent has been transformed from being ethnically cohesive to becoming a patchwork of diverse racial and religious groups, at least in Western Europe.
This has not happened by accident. For if the elite are to retain power any potential threats must be neutralised and a society largely cohesive and harmonious would have posed just such a threat. For it would have dawned on the inhabitants as to the real nature of political power.
Hence it was necessary to distract the masses with entertainments and contrived conflict. For by using the principle of divide and rule the elite have shored up their power, turning one group against another, fanning the flames of ethnic tension and exploiting the resulting conflict for their own ends.
And nor has the resulting conflict always necessarily been black against white in character.
Only last month, rioting racked parts of Birmingham as groups of Black and Asian youths clashed, leaving one dead in the central English city. Although the
BBC skirted over the racial nature of the clashes, they were nonetheless racially motivated.
In essence, a situation has been created where one ethnic group can be turned against another. Which may explain why reports are coming from France of police
deliberately provoking clashes.
In response, the violence took a distinct turn for the worse yesterday with rioters having reportedly
ambushed police, using shotguns and petrol bombs.
However, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that the elite will actually benefit from these riots, as they do from most conflicts. It may also explain why they were so keen to portray Stephen Lawrence’s senseless killing as racial, when in reality it was a
gang initiation.
For in the end analysis the elite benefit from racial conflict, as communities divided and at odds with themselves are much less able to overthrow repressive, authoritarian leadership. Indeed, the rioting has already prompted calls for the French authorities to send in the army; in effect to impose martial law, which is exactly what the elite want.
Ignoring the false and entirely artificial dichotomy of "left" and "right" wing politics implicit in the idea of democracy, it needs to be understood that elite foment and exploit differences, be they political, ideological, national or racial. Indeed their very power rests on the principle of divide and rule and keeping people locked in ignorance and conflict ensures they retain it.
Last updated 11/11/2005
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