FIGHTING THE FRONT

I'm pretty sure I know what Dr. King would think of a protest against an anti-immigrant political party, but if you asked me what he'd say after the thing devolved into a virtual conflagaration of mini-guns, cursing Frenchmen, and exploding pigs, well, there I'm somewhat at a loss.

The first night I arrived at the protest against the Second Life headquarters of Front National, the far right French political party of Jean-Marie Le Pen, it was ringed on all sides by protesters with signs to wave and statements to distribute.  By the second night I came (this was late last week), the conflict had become more literal, for many Residents had armed themselves.  Multi-colored explosions and constant gunfire shredded the air of Porcupine, a shopping island which FN had inexplicably picked for the site of their virtual world HQ, in December. 

The server lag from so many people throwing up so much gunfire slows the battle to a slow motion firefight, but I manage to wade up to TonTonCarton Yue, who is strafing the FN building with a chaingun usually associated with an AC-130 gunship, than a political protest.

"Can I ask," I begin, "why are you shooting?"
"Because I hate Front National," Yue tells me simply.
"If you use violence, doesn't that reduce you to their level?"
"I don't know," Yue answers, after awhile.  "I don't care.  FN equals violence." 

And having offered that axiom, he returns his aim to the enemy, and unleashes another barrage.

It didn't begin like this.  After Front National took root, at least two groups, antiFN and SL Left Unity, rose to oppose them.  They had placards and T-shirts, and billboards on the land of sympathetic neighbors, all making plain that FN's arrival in Second Life was distinctly unwelcome.  For their part, Front National members-- mostly muscular young men dressed in white T-shirts with the FN logo-- stood inside their headquarters, impassively watching the outrage build outside.

An unneighborly message from the nearby Autistic Liberation Front

"This nationalist idea that Front National is advocating is something that has spread all over Europa like a virus," Ichi Jaehun tells me. "It's [as if] the history of the 20th century has already been forgotten.  It is time to say enough!"

Ichi Jaehun rallies the protest

Her concern is not alarmist.  On a US spectrum, Front National is perhaps one or two notches to the right of Pat Buchanan, but unlike Buchanan (who garnered just half of one percent in the 2000 Presidential election), Le Pen's political base is far more substantial. 

Diverse avatar protesters gather outside FN headquarters

In France's 2002 election, Le Pen forced a runoff against President Jacques Chirac, and with his belligerent nationalism and calls to forcibly exile non-European immigrants from the country, garnered a popular vote of 18%.  (An 18%, it's worth noting, who were evidently unconcerned or agreeable to Le Pen's grotesque dismissal of Nazi gas chambers as a mere "detail of history".)

Another Presidential election looms this June, and the fear is recent immigrant riots in Paris and other woes will bring more French to the flame-shaped banner of Front National.  When they arrived in-world, an official press release boasted that FN was "the first political party in France and in Europe to open an official and permanent representation in Second Life"-- an evident move to position themselves as a technologically savvy, forward-thinking party of a new Europe.  (Their version of Europe, that is.)

FN's new neighbor, the SLLU

But the SL Left Unity group had press releases of their own.  "We have acquired land next to the FN office," one announced, "and will be manning a protest there until FN go or are ejected. Wherever fascists are we will ensure they get no peace to corrupt and lie to decent people." 

The announcement went on: "The whole idea of a 'race hate' group is in direct violation of Linden Lab's own Terms of Service, and if the rules are being read to say they aren’t in violation, then Lindens need to look at the rules again."  (This is an apparent reference, by the way, not to the TOS, but Linden's Community Standards, which forbid "use of derogatory or demeaning language or images in reference to another Resident's race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation".  But while Front National may have run counter to those standards in the real world, it's uncertain if their SL chapter ever has.)

Besides such organized oppostion, at least some resistance was impromptu.

"I find the FN in type 'francais' in the Search mode and I was revolting by this," a French Resident named Zok Greene tells me in fractured but eager English, explaining why he'd joined the protest.  "And more because it's the presidential election in France in Juin and Le Pen was 'presenté'... and why?!! You can't try to get vote like this, it's a game!"

Thomas the Tank Engine's Holographic Attack

It's unclear when the shooting started, or who fired the first shot (several witnesses claim FN security forces assaulted them with "push guns", weapons capable of flinging a Resident across the island like a ragdoll), but in the final days of last week, at least, the assault raged from both sides.  It's also unclear if the anti-FN protest groups were involved in the escalating violence-- Officers with both antiFn and SLLU haven't replied to my Instant Message-- though by personal observation, at least a few members seemed to be.  Since Porcupine is not a damage-enabled area, weapons there have about as much stopping power as pointing one's finger at the computer screen and saying Bang Bang.  But get enough projectiles flying, and server lag is bound to ground anyone's use of the area to a halt.  (Or in my case, cause the Second Life viewer to crash.)

And so it raged, a ponderous and dreamlike conflict of machine guns, sirens, police cars, "rez cages" (which can trap an unsuspecting avatar), explosions, and flickering holograms of marijuana leaves and kids' TV characters, and more.  By California time, the battles often culminated at 2am, 3am, and even later into the small hours of the American clock, when Residents in Europe are most active.  So amid the exchange of salvos, the chat log was choked over with pro and anti-Le Pen curses, most in French.  And when the lag was not too overwhelming to stream audio, the whole fracas was accompanied by bursts of European techno.

A pig munition, primed to blow

One enterprising insurrectionist created a pig grenade, fixed it to a flying saucer, and sent several whirling into Front National headquarters, where they'd explode in a starburst of porcine shrapnel. A few native English speakers joined the fray, though at least one missed the point in either direction, unhelpfully shouting "The French stink!  Get out of Second Life!" and the like amid the conflict.

And so, while America slept, the battle against extremism raged on thus in Europe.

By last weekend, whole sections of the FN office were gone, apparently lost to lag or sabotage, their banners and posters floating in mid-air.  And FN members seemed notably absent, too.  Frenchman Zok Greene pronounced himself satisfied with that turn of events.

"Would it have been better to debate their ideas or even just ignore them?" I ask him.  "Now they can claim they were 'suppressed' and their free speech was infringed."

"No," Zok insists.  "With this persons we can't debate or ignored.  We can't because it's not acceptable."

By today, the headquarters of Front National has entirely disappeared from Porcupine; in its place, a tiny casino has sprung up overnight, and is already receiving customers. 

In honor of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., a special sun is made to arc across the grid of Second Life today.  If you look close enough, you'll see it's inset with the face of the man who was so untimely cut down, when far too much of his work remained.  In his country, the world beyond, and, perhaps, in worlds he never could have imagined.

And in this way, Dr. King literally shines down on an empty field, where once the forces of division made a bid to establish themselves.  But I wonder what he'd make of the subsequent reaction, from high-minded words and protest, to decidedly violent uncivil disobedience.  (Like intolerance, most physical attacks are also prohibited by Second Life's Community Standards.) 

As for Front National, though they're gone from the land of Porcupine, they claim to be unphased.   

"They're a bunch of losers," FN Officer Wolfram Hayek tells me grinning, when I ask about the protesters.  "We're gonna tighten security and come back."

Comments

[Laetizia Coronet]

Ugly stuff, and I mean the FN. They have just now formed a coalition in the European Parliament with (amongst others) the granddaughter of Benito Mussolini - the 'inventer' of fascism as it were and the Itaian dictator who led his country into World War Two - and a Bulgarian party which is openly and, according to newspapers here, very coarsely antisemitic.
That's the tune they're marching to.
The concept of free speech in the traditional American way extends to them as well. In Europe some have a rather different view; they would argue that granting them any rights will just result in them taking those rights away for everyone else. A difficult issue.

[Yesterday Demain]

Difficult subject, Hamlet, but I get your take and agree that you don't fight ignorance with violence. The big uproar actually plays into the FN's hands, and the French media coverage of SL is indeed turning into a basic obsession with money-making, lowlife politics et al. Move on, guys...

[anon]

I can't stop laughing at this... the "pig grenade", hahaha!

[anonymous]

This drove me crazy on both sides because nobody was listening to anybody else. The FN (whom I do indeed think are nuts) were quite proud to be so "edgy" as to be under attack. The SLLU, meanwhile, was treating the FN simply as an enemy instead of as a group of individuals who could possibly be reached if treated with a little respect.

I'm really glad Linden Labs stayed out of this one.

[Jasper]

Although the "war" caused an ice article, I think they could better have had discussions then "war".
I mean, if the FN had a base in secondlife, there is a good chance like-minded people are there aswel. This means you can go there try convince people of the badness of their ideas.

[Drew]

FN has set their HQ up again. I stumbled onto it in Axel (89, 211, 99). It's mostly the same story that you described earlier (in terms of reaction by neighbors), but the dialog is much more civil this time around.

And, sadly, no pig grenades.

[austin]

some things are worth talking about...

when there is a war on ...ie. nationalists trying to eject immigrants and pushing racist ideologies ... the time for talk is over... seems to me like a very creative way to shut them down. glad to hear about it ...

[Dane]

Wouldn't the best way to protest those people be to make your avatar non-white?. Just surround them with "undesirables"
Sigh, I'm so glad I don't live in EU anymore.

[Yakoub/Julaybib]

The Nazi who turned up at the mosque today sporting his Le Pen t-shirt did not want to debate anything. He was there to provoke a reaction. And he got one. He was thrown out. I want them thrown out of SL completely and permanently. I am sure most Muslims (and Jews and black people and other groups targetted by FN hate) want them out, too. Already, there has been trouble at all the places Nazis like to cause trouble on SL. This is not what I come to SL for. These people should be banned. I'm sick of white liberals sticking up for scum like this. Debate? Please! In RL, these people dream of seeing Muslims like me DEAD.

[humanoid]

I imagine they dream more about not having their property destroyed and their lives threatened by masses of rioting muslim youths, Yakoub. I certainly don't blame them for wanting to pitch muslims out of their country. I'd join a group like FN too, if a group of any sort tried to pull that crap in my neighborhood.

And free speech is for everyone, including muslims and the FN. If you don't understand this, then you don't understand democracy at all. The left loves to crow about how much they love freedom- until someone who offends them shows up. Then the fangs come out and the sham is over.

[Yakoub/Julaybib]

I think you need to tell the difference between 'offend', humanoid, and Islamophobic hatred. But when 10% of your nation is Muslim and the majority still treated like dirt and the government not even collecting statistics on racism, well, surprise surprise, the Muslim youth get a bit tetchy. I'm sure you'd lie down and take it, wouldnj't you? Le Pen is not the answer, as I said, his lot dream of us being gased like the Jews.

[Plot Tracer]

As a member of the SLLU, I have no want to talk to FN. If they want to learn tolerence, they should read more - meet people - and realise the poor are not their enemies - it is the rich who are winding them up.

When the conversation is reduced to "Muslims out" and AV's in the style of Adolf Hitler, then I am proud to say the organisation I am part of stayed out of it. If the FN want to talk, lets talk about them taking their bigotry out of SL, our of RL and into the bin of history with Mein Kampf.
http://slleftunity.blogspot.com/

[Gerpetty]

That's crazy - a protest on second life?

[Twill00]

You talk about FN the way Nazis talked about Jews, and as stridently as FN talks about Muslims. That gains you no credibility with me.

[trent]

I think LL should forbid _any_ political groups in SL. Ditto for religious groups.

Most of the pain and suffering in real life is caused by religion and politics.

[Dan tdaxp]

Ugly stuff, I mean the criminal attacks against people you disagree with. The association of such holliganism with Rev. King is disgusting.

[fasthm]

«...and the fear is recent immigrant riots in Paris...». That's what the FN would like you to think, but, as far as I know, rioters were French, not immigrants.

[alexjohnc3]

This is pretty funny. Pigs that explode is always funny, the fact that these guys happened to be on the recieving end just makes it better.

[Nobody Fugazi]

I don't think I really learned anything here except that ignorance is a common bond of humanity. What this did to was get two groups some bad press (better than no press) and made some people aware of a political situation in France.

Within SL this 'political strife' looks a lot like griefing. By both sides. Vote them both off the island. :-)

[daysofthegun]

As an American antifascist, I wanted to give my full support to the SLLU. The fascists cannot be given even an inch, or as history has shown, they will take a mile. Thank you, SLLU, for taking it to the fascists no matter where they want to organize.

¡No Pasarán!

[cc]

"But I wonder what he'd [MLK] make of the subsequent reaction, from high-minded words and protest, to decidedly violent uncivil disobedience."

The protests can hardly be categorized as a violent response to free speech. This applies the secondlife metaphor in an inappropriate way.

The protesters are not reacting to speech in secondlife - they are reacting to policy in real life. There reaction is not violent! It is digital speech made visible through second life code. They have elected to show their distaste for FN policy in a way that is similar to publishing pamphlets, but more 21st century.

Don't confuse violent speech with violence (especially when it doesnt even advocate real violence).

[anon]

I really enjoy the irony of demanding a group of people be removed from an area for wanting to remove a group of people from an area.

I also enjoy the irony of a group of people refusing to debate or listen to people who refuse to debate or listen to people.

The SLLU were just as mentally repugnant to me as FN in this case. Bravo.

[Ichi Jaehun]

I am associated with the Anti-FNSL group in 2ndLife.
In response to the article and some of the comments here, especially the one above by CC, I'd like to add some perspective.
First of all I'd like to stress that our group information clearly states, that violent conduct is not tollerated. Furthermore our group is open to everyone, I've even joined a FN member. So to say we don't promote civilized discussion is simply just wrong. We promote it! Secondly one must realize some people join in, just for the fun of it all, and not everyone listens to reason. That being said, I encourage everyone interrested in this matter to vist the land, that was bought next to the former FN facility. We are currently busy building an information center, but you'll be able to obtain the groups general information... and hopefully a more generous understanding:)

btw. I believe the euro techno mentioned in the article, is the French anti FN anthem.

[ichi.jaehun]

correction: I was refering to ANON of course and NOT CC. Anon should definatly obtain material on both SLLU and Anti-FNSL.
sorry:)

[some french guy]

Twil00 "You talk about FN the way Nazis talked about Jews, and as stridently as FN talks about Muslims."

Yeah. But the FN hates immigrants because of their origin and/or skin colour, which they're not responsible of. We hate the FN because of what they willfully do and say. That makes a big difference IMHO.