More domestic terrorism from the Canadian Looney Left? The New Socialist has no problem with the morality of violence as long as it's an effective tactic

"if we remain too fixated on the optics of staying ‘peaceful’ – even in the face of unparalleled state violence, such as was witnessed during the G20 Summit – how can we realistically hope to advance social change?" Ali Mustafa


In an article in the New Socialist titled "Where Do We Go from Here? The G20 Summit, Black Bloc, and the Canadian Left" one Ali Mustafa is concerned about the direction the Canadian Left is taking and its continued inability to "radicalize" the masses.

If routine demonstrations consistently fall short of the radicalism that many among us would like to see, it is not necessarily due to any lack of political will on the part of organizers but more likely because the objective conditions at present are simply not conducive to do much else. Yet if we remain too fixated on the optics of staying ‘peaceful’ – even in the face of unparalleled state violence, such as was witnessed during the G20 Summit – how can we realistically hope to advance social change? The overall failure of the Canadian Left to meaningfully engage the broader public (and oftentimes each other) inevitably limits the range of ‘tactics’ that will be available to us. As a result, the basic goal of the Canadian Left so far has been not so much social change but simply looking to avoid the loss of any more ground politically (the labour movement being a particularly clear example of this troubling trend).



By contrast, whether targeted property attacks amount to a morally legitimate ‘tactic’ is not the question per se but rather, under the given balance of forces, are they at all strategically effective?

I came across this article through a link at rabble.ca. Of course radicalization might become even more difficult if the assessment by Linda "Paranoid" McQuaig is correct that "the media already blasts Canadians with a steady chorus of right-wing ideas" and it's going to get even worse when Quebecor launches its conservative news channel.

You can read the full article at The New Socialist