"‘We fight on’: fears for France’s Sunday paper over editor with far-right ties - Bitter strike at Journal du Dimanche ends with staff exodus – and arrival of Geoffroy Lejeune, a supporter of leading xenophobe Eric Zemmour"
"More than half the journalists at France’s only standalone Sunday newspaper have resigned after failing to prevent the arrival of an editor with far-right ties in a bitter dispute that has fanned fears of a further US-style polarisation of the country’s media.
...
"In particular the company refused to contemplate committing not to publish “racist, sexist and homophobic statements and, more generally, any discriminatory or hateful content”, a guarantee the association had demanded given Lejeune’s past record."
“We didn’t win,” said Antoine Malo, a roving foreign correspondent at the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and member of its editorial association. “We didn’t stop him, and now there’s a mass exodus. But the bigger fight will go on – from outside.”
The mainstream paper’s 100-odd journalists ended a 40-day strike – the longest media strike in France since the 1970s – on Tuesday after Geoffroy Lejeune, previously editor of the far-right weekly Valeurs Actuelles, took up his post as editor-in-chief.
The 34-year-old is a leading supporter of the xenophobic polemicist Eric Zemmour, who ran for the French presidency in 2022, promotes the racist “great replacement” theory, and has been investigated 16 times – and convicted on three occasions – for hate speech."
Zack Beauchamp notes that though the canard of "economic anxiety makes them do it" — support Trump, that is — has been thoroughly debunked, no less than David Brooks at his New York Times bully pulpit keeps pushing it. Because it makes us feel comfortable. it exonerates Trump supporters, while facing the reality of what is really motivating them does not comfort us.
"the late 20th-century revolution in social values: the end of segregation, mass nonwhite immigration, feminist challenges to patriarchy, a decline in traditional Christianity, and the rise of the LGBTQ movement."
They refuse to accept this and the way in which it dethrones them, as white Christian Americans, from their power perch.
Today in Labor History August 4, 1942: U.S. and Mexico began the Bracero Program to provide cheap Mexican labor to replace U.S. workers who were being sent to fight in World War II, and to replace the 500,000 Mexican workers who were deported during the Great Depression in order to mollify xenophobic demands for “white jobs.” The Bracero program also gave farm-owners an alternative to hiring Anglo farm workers who hadn’t been drafted, many of whom were affiliated with the radical IWW. The Bracero program promised decent and sanitary housing and a minimum wage, but these were generally ignored by employers. Additionally, the workers were often subjected to racist attacks. The abuses contributed to the development of the Chicano Movement, the United Farm Workers and other forms of activism.
Today in Labor History August 3, 1821: Uriah Stephens (1821-1882) was born in Cape May, New Jersey. He founded the Knights of Labor, one of the first successful nationwide unions. Stephens worked as a tailor in Philadelphia. In 1869, after the demise of the Garment Cutters' Union, he met with some former members to create the "Noble and Holy Order of Knights of Labor." It was to be a "brotherhood of toil," open to every laborer, mechanic, and artisan, regardless of country, creed, or color. The K of L was originally open to all working people and charged no dues. However, as the organization grew, so did its xenophobia. They supported the Chinese Exclusion Act. Secrecy was considered essential during its infancy, considering all the acts of violence against workers, particularly during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, which killed 100 workers. The K of L gave lectures on the evils of wage slavery, monopoly, and over-accumulation of wealth.
The union expanded quickly, becoming the most powerful labor organization of its day. By 1879, there were 23 district assemblies and 1,300 local assemblies. However, as the K of L grew, Stephens increasingly found himself at odds with rank-and-file members. In particular, they disliked his opposition to strikes. Additionally, the backlash against unions following the Haymarket affair, and the Panic of 1893, caused K of L membership to decline. The organization became defunct in 1949.
The Knights of Labor contributed significantly to the tradition of labor protest songs in America. They often included music in their meetings. The song "Hold the Fort" is a Knights of Labor revision of the hymn by the same name. It was the most popular labor song in America prior to Ralph Chaplin's IWW anthem "Solidarity Forever."
Because stupidity and #xenophobia are now a part of the #USA#education system, the xenophobes get a say into what is taught in our schools.
And when stupidity ensures these people will not ask simple questions, we could end up with a nation of people who can't do simple math. Why? Because the word "Arabic" triggers the stupid xenophobes.
Donald J Trump’s Fascism Is All About Racism, Xenophobia & Fomenting Hate
Without ever explaining who or what Trump’s base actually is, they are continuously brought to our attention. It’s time to come clean and admit that Donald J. Trump and his supporters are motivated by racism, xenophobia, and hate.
As David Smith reports, a report just released by the Congressional Integrity Project finds RFK Jr.'s antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia are nothing new: they've been there all along in his thinking, along with anti-vax conspiracy-mongering. He has longstanding ties to people like James Corbett, a Sandy Hook and 9/11 conspiracy theorist who says that “Hitler and the Nazis were 100% completely and utterly set up."
"White Christian nationalism as it is at work today provides a Christian narrative for stigmatizing the most vulnerable — the poor, immigrants and trans youth. It is at work anytime sacred symbols are used to exclude and dehumanize people because of their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual expression or religion."
"It is most explicit in the proclamations and policies that maintain that this nation is meant to be a 'Christian nation.'
Most insidiously, white Christian nationalism is sustained by the silence of faith leaders and 'mainstream' Christians, far too many of whom have not spoken out."
"The court heard from #UNHCR that #Rwanda has a record of #HumanRights abuses towards #refugees within its borders, including refoulement – forced removal to countries where they are at risk – expulsions and arbitrary detention. The refugee agency warned that the #HomeOffice would not be able to guarantee the safety of #AsylumSeekers who were deported to the east African country."
Was away for a week visiting my parents. Don’t get to see them nearly enough, in no small part thanks to our lovely “European Values” meaning they have to jump through more hoops to come visit us in Ireland than they can manage at their age. You see, we don’t really see non-Europeans as human in Europe. They’re something less. A potential threat.
I may have an EU passport and pass for white but I never forget that. In fact, I think about it every time I miss my parents.
If you don’t have provisions for family members of citizens to visit without being subject to bureaucratic hurdles then you have two classes of citizens: ones who you recognise as having families and ones who you don’t.
A father or a mother or a brother or a sister should not need a visa every time they want to visit.
That’s a racist and xenophobic policy.
And if you don’t have to experience that because your family all have the same citizenship, count yourself lucky.
The Republican Party has no choice but to cheat. They can no longer win elections. The count of decent voters in the U.S. outnumbers the the lowlifes. Were it not for the bullshit Electoral College and gerrymandering, the party would’ve met its demise decades ago. It’s official: the GOP is a party of moral decay and human rot. #GOP#MAGA#racism#bigotry#misogyny#LGBTQIAphobia#nativism#xenophobia#WhiteNationalism
Individuals within a society that work hard to encourage hatred and blame towards any demographic will, inevitably, bring hatred and blame to their own demographic. People that divide others and put blame on groups due to individual actions will create the conditions of their own demise.
Everyone belongs to many different demographics, most people don't even realize this. Their country or ancestral country, current or past ethic background, their overreaching religion or sects and branches within that religion, level of education, age, medical conditions, financial status, blood type, postal code, hair colour, dominant hand....
It has been shown to happen over and over in history. Everyone that creates hate will get what they put out back at them. The tables will turn.
I love Mastodon, but I miss my POC activist, #Desi, and #AsianAmerican communities back on Instagram and Twitter.
Like back on IG and Twitter, folks I know are talking about #NoToSB147, opposing the proposed Texas law that would prohibit immigrants from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from owning property.
I’m just not seeing that on here, and it’s unfortunate.