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Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

swp.org.uk

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Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#461

Post by herbstein »

kmlx wrote: post #358
fergie wrote: post #333

Theres a lot of talk of cancel culture these days, but the UK has a long an shameful history of shutting down the hard left. You can argue about whether or not you agree with people like Arthur Scargill, Gerry Adams, Tommy Sheridan, George Galloway or Jeremy Corbyn, but what cant be disputed is that they represent the interests of a large proportion of the electorate, yet they have been treated atrociously by the med…

> of a large proportion of the electorate when is a portion of the electorate “large”? in 2010 the SWP got an amazing 0.04% i don’t think they even participated in the last ones.

The poster mentioned someone like Jeremy Corbyn too, so they're not exactly just looking at the SWP and their voters.

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#462

Post by angry_octet »

CodeGlitch wrote: post #381
6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #235

> ... have been removed from Facebook with no explanation given At the very least, this should be unacceptable. You shouldn't get banned for something if you aren't told what you did. If it was for use of the word revolutionary, it should say so. Or if they called for some leader's heads, it should say so. Then they could avoid doing the same in the future and we could all agree with or criticize the rationale. As it…

It's Facebook's platform, they can remove anyone they want without explanation or transparency. The sooner people realise this, the sooner people will stop using Facebook - which in my opinion is a good thing. The SWP could instead have their own website (which they do) and the ability to subscribe to their newsletters via email (they may have this already). Further to this they could setup their own forum on their o…

Is is kinda hilarious that the SWP is reliant on the granddaddy of surveillance capitalism.

Obviously they feel the need to go where the eyeballs are, where they can target ads to the fertile soil of ignorance.

Many claim that FB can do what they want. Not so, they must respond to legislation wherever they operate (and make money). Just like Rupert they have huge influence, but they can be brought to heel if there is public will to do so.

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#463

Post by _Understated_ »

simonh wrote: post #368

For any non-Brits, the SWP is the main left of Labour party in Britain. As a student in the 80s I remember them as an earnest, way too serious bunch of ideological zombies ranting into microphones at the Student's Union about the latest crimes against humanity perpetrated by 'Thatcher'. They're the kind of people that come up to you in the street with leaflets about some atrocity in Africa and shout "Would you murder…

If I had to guess, they were banned because of this:

"The SWP Facebook page regularly posts in support of Palestine, Black Lives Matter and against Boris Johnson’s Covid policies"

In particular, the COVID part is where I'd put my money.

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#464

Post by throwaway894345 »

aaomidi wrote: post #208
throwaway894345 wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nevertheless those opinions are not widespread among minority groups, which was the original point.

Yes. But marginalized doesn't mean racial minorities. Which you've seemed to miss.

I was the one who clarified that to begin with.

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#465

Post by pjc50 »

antihero wrote: post #454
simonh wrote: post #368

For any non-Brits, the SWP is the main left of Labour party in Britain. As a student in the 80s I remember them as an earnest, way too serious bunch of ideological zombies ranting into microphones at the Student's Union about the latest crimes against humanity perpetrated by 'Thatcher'. They're the kind of people that come up to you in the street with leaflets about some atrocity in Africa and shout "Would you murder…

They're pretty much loathed in the left. They're more like PETA than antifa, they cover up internal sexual assaults, have a bunch of cranks, and other groups have to put up with and try to prevent their continuous entryism, hijacking protests and other actions to self-promote. Lots of cranks (though probably less so than CPGB-ML who are full on tankies), and a giant pain in the backside. Nevertheless, whilst I chuckl…

> CPGB-ML who are full on tankies

It remains astonishing that a number of these people did a full 180 turn to right-libertarians and from there to Brexiteers, eventually leading to Claire Fox, apologist for the bombing of Manchester, becoming a member of the House of Lords. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Fox

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#466

Post by KaiserPro »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #411
Veen wrote: post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given your username, I'm curious. Are there many left anarchist activists in the UK at the moment? I had some tenuous contact with the ACF in the late-90s, but it doesn't seem a very active or impactful part of the political landscape.

Many? No. There was a very concerted and covert anti-left push during the 80s and 90s. Anti-establishment groups of all kinds - anti-nuclear protesters, greens, animal rights activists, and official far left groups like the SWP - were infiltrated by undercover police and sometimes subverted. It's an ongoing scandal, although it's been lost in the noise from other events over the last year or two. Undercover police wi…

> Undercover police with fake identities had relationships with activists and sometimes fathered children with them.

whilst I suspect this happened in the 80s as well, the actual case that was prosecuted was from the early 2000s

> were responsible for criminal acts (i.e. terrorism) which discredited the organisations and movements they infiltrated.

Our dealings with the unionists in NI are a particular dark stain. Now sadly legalised by this new intelligence bill. (simplification, but its not a good bill.)

> destroy left wing organisations of all kinds.

Much as this is nice to believe, having worked in a number of left wing organisations, they are perfectly capable of imploding by them selves. It appears that they attract a certain kind of idiot, who is exceptionally well adapted at persuading other middle-class idiots that black is blue.

Right-wing organisations also implode, but in a different way. Ironically they tend to have more "real" working class people in them too.

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#467

Post by antihero »

pjc50 wrote: post #465
antihero wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're pretty much loathed in the left. They're more like PETA than antifa, they cover up internal sexual assaults, have a bunch of cranks, and other groups have to put up with and try to prevent their continuous entryism, hijacking protests and other actions to self-promote. Lots of cranks (though probably less so than CPGB-ML who are full on tankies), and a giant pain in the backside. Nevertheless, whilst I chuckl…

> CPGB-ML who are full on tankies It remains astonishing that a number of these people did a full 180 turn to right-libertarians and from there to Brexiteers, eventually leading to Claire Fox, apologist for the bombing of Manchester, becoming a member of the House of Lords. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Fox

They're cranks. The "left-wing brexit" I think was in part inspired by anti-globalism and not wanting to see financial migrants as more readily and cheaply exploitable labour but it was weird.

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#468

Post by KaiserPro »

pjc50 wrote: post #398
simonh wrote: post #368

For any non-Brits, the SWP is the main left of Labour party in Britain. As a student in the 80s I remember them as an earnest, way too serious bunch of ideological zombies ranting into microphones at the Student's Union about the latest crimes against humanity perpetrated by 'Thatcher'. They're the kind of people that come up to you in the street with leaflets about some atrocity in Africa and shout "Would you murder…

"Antifa" is more of a self applied label; you can certainly see antifa logos at demos. The SWP are Trotskyist, in the sense of "March through the institutions". If you're doing anything left wing they will turn up and try to make it about them, take over organization positions, etc. The SWP are mostly your boring old lefty uncle, with a side of institutional rape apologia: https://www.gender-agenda.org.uk/not-my-comr…

The people that hold the antifa flags are almost always the ones that also let of fireworks and start fires at protests.

Which is always fun, unless its your protest.

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#469

Post by cool_dude85 »

KaiserPro wrote: post #466
TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many? No. There was a very concerted and covert anti-left push during the 80s and 90s. Anti-establishment groups of all kinds - anti-nuclear protesters, greens, animal rights activists, and official far left groups like the SWP - were infiltrated by undercover police and sometimes subverted. It's an ongoing scandal, although it's been lost in the noise from other events over the last year or two. Undercover police wi…

> Undercover police with fake identities had relationships with activists and sometimes fathered children with them. whilst I suspect this happened in the 80s as well, the actual case that was prosecuted was from the early 2000s > were responsible for criminal acts (i.e. terrorism) which discredited the organisations and movements they infiltrated. Our dealings with the unionists in NI are a particular dark stain. No…

>Much as this is nice to believe, having worked in a number of left wing organisations, they are perfectly capable of imploding by them selves. It appears that they attract a certain kind of idiot, who is exceptionally well adapted at persuading other middle-class idiots that black is blue.

This doesn't speak to his point at all. He's not saying all left-wing groups that have been destroyed were destroyed by infiltrators. He's saying that that was the purpose of the infiltration by law enforcement.

The fact that orgs can be destroyed by other factors is true but totally irrelevant.

Re: Facebook shuts down the Socialist Workers Party in Britain

#470

Post by SllX »

mnd999 wrote: post #409
SllX wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was an argument to be made to treat phone companies like common carriers, I’m not entirely sure that was the best way to handle them, but it happened, and it was a good argument nonetheless, or at least well argued. Social media isn’t like that at all. Social media proliferates and in different forms and it does so internationally with popular and unpopular opinions easily spreading like wildfire. I have no pro…

> socialists You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means. Not just you either.

It does, I don’t often, and I don’t use it as a synonym for non-socialist parties and ideologies.

Try again mate.

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