SWP's role in Florence

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday November 11, 2002 16:47 by Florence anti-capitalist

I was in Florence recently for the ESF. When there I saw a nasty side of the Irish SWP.

The ESF in Florence was a great success. Up to 1 million people marching. And then there were thousands involved in the ESF.

On thing that I didn't like about it was the Irish SWP. The SWP come into a lot of criticism on Indymedia, I hope that this posting is not seen as such. It is news because it gives activists a view of the SWP that I witnesses and it is worrying.

When in a bar in Florence I bumped into a whole load of SWP members from Ireland. I thought this was great, some familiar faces in a foreign city.

But before I could get talking to some of them they started singing. They were sing Nationalist and Republican songs. I find this strange for socialists to be singing these 'rebel' songs glorifying terrorism and nationalism.

And furthermore as an Irish protestent I was put off by their sectarianism. Think about what it would be like to Catholics to hear socialists singing the Sash?

Maybe with a few drinks on them their Northern policy, that is in reality a 'left-republican' position, came out. Sober the SWP are socialists, with drink they are rabid nationalists.