The victimhood strategy consists of considering one’s group as a victim to justify further violence.
It is important that the police and the justice system enact justice to victims of violence. More resources must be given to these officials, who are currently unable to carry out their duties. Prosecutors must be independent to prevent impunity for political figures and activists.
If they do not do so, certain groups will use instances of aggression against one of their own to justify even more violence in revenge.
For example, the ratonnades in the 1990s: when a white person was attacked by an Arab, a group of white people would go to North African neighborhoods and smash everything up.
For example, Jewish schools were attacked in retaliation for Israeli bombings in Palestine.
The police must investigate and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.
For example, if an activist of any political affiliation is attacked, they must be protected by the police and the justice system. It is not up to activists on the other side to take justice into their own hands by seeking blind revenge. That is not self-defense. It is political violence. Political parties turn the population against each other and offer to defend their own against the opposing camp.
Some media outlets, owned by politicized billionaires, add fuel to the fire. They flood the media space with news stories that suit them. When it’s one of their own, they blow the event out of proportion to justify revenge under the pretext of self-defense. They feel a sense of impunity because the police and the justice system are overwhelmed, and because prosecutors are appointed by politicians.
Political violence must be condemned regardless of which side it comes from. When the media are independent, they must remind people that anti-fascism is first and foremost a movement of people defending themselves against numerous attacks by fascists. Fascists are responsible for the vast majority of violence. Anti-fascism is not limited to acts of revenge. These acts must be condemned, but we must keep things in perspective: fascists are far more violent.
Les années 1930 nous aveuglent-elles ? – FranceCulture : https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/questions-du-soir-le-debat/les-annees-30-nous-aveuglent-elles-8094566
Pourquoi les années 30 hantent le débat public – France Culture: https://youtu.be/hGbkut-LZmE?si=FMjQDLuJ-YS8s2nj
Cette affirmation de Marion Maréchal sur les violences de l’extrême droite est fausse – Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/politique/article/cette-affirmation-de-marion-marechal-sur-les-violences-de-l-extreme-droite-est-contredite-par-les-chiffres_260519.html
In France, “if we take an grim inventory of deaths caused by radicals since 1986, the left has killed six people, while the right has killed 59.” Large-scale raids, ratonnades (racist attacks on North African immigrants), intimidation, and marches are exclusively carried out by the far right, which exercises control over certain areas of the city, particularly in Lyon.
Translated with DeepL
