The regressive new left

I was in Brussels on October 10, 2023. This was a couple of days after armed terrorists massacred more than 1,000 people in Israel and when the IDF had not yet fired a single shot against Hamas and the Palestinian population. The main streets of Brussels were crowded with thousands of people celebrating the murder of innocents and shouting for genocide of the Jewish population in the name of Allah. 

After that we witnessed the excessive retaliation by Israel, which resulted in further loss of innocent lives among Palestinians, and continuous protests, mostly driven by left-wing politicians, academics and activists, initially calling for a cessation of hostilities towards Palestinians but which eventually morphed into open support for Hamas through public manifestations and political pressure.

There are many, like me, who support the creation of a Palestinian state but who also believe that Hamas is more intent to serve a sinister master with an agenda to eradicate all Jews, rather than promoting the rights of Palestinians.  

This year saw a massive uprising in Iran against a tyranny that has suppressed freedom and democracy since 1979. The same forces that were so vociferous in condemning the Israeli retaliation following October 7 were conspicuously quiet.

This is symptomatic of how the modern left thinks and acts, and their inconsistency can only be interpreted as a reluctant complicity with the regressive Islamist regime. Even more disappointing is the indifference of our so-called intellectuals, academics and students as they choose to look away from what is happening in Iran.

They deliberately ignore Iran’s history. In 1979, the Shah was removed through a coalition between the Islamic Regime and Socialist groups as part of a global tug of war between the communist east and the capitalist west.

However, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini immediately purged the left once he used them to rise to power. The Revolutionary Guards massacred all factions that promoted left-wing ideology through imprisonment, torture and execution.

The rulers of Iran, with their turbans and medieval gowns may appear meek and humble, almost charismatic. In reality, they are billionaires, with families living in western cities – which they ironically brand as ‘Satan’ – and enjoying the wealth that has been plundered from the population.

Simultaneously, for decades Iranians have suffered extreme hardship through lack of water, hyperinflation, repression of fundamental human rights and persecution of anyone that dares to oppose Islamic regime.

The country’s vast resources have been looted, or else squandered in the pursuit of the destruction of ‘The Great Satan’ and Israel through the development of nuclear weapons or the financing of radical proxy groups in the Middle East – such as Hamas – in an insane obsession to destroy Israel which is rooted in the regime’s ideology. This ideology is also a betrayal of the Iranians’ long-standing relationship with the Jewish people, dating from antiquity.

The left has abandoned its core principles- Joseph Farrugia

Even in the build-up of their military might, the regime’s focus was not defensive, that is, to protect the people from foreign invasion or interference from outside forces. Rather, billions of dollars were channelled to build offensive capabilities to develop a nuclear arsenal and finance their proxy groups in Israel, Lebanon, Somalia and others – at the expense of their subjects’ well-being. In Yemen, people suffer from famine but the Houthis are well-equipped with missiles, costing millions, to attack Israel.

In turn, these armed proxy groups are used to suppress any uprising that can threaten the Iranian regime’s hold on power. This is precisely what was happening in the streets of Tehran and other Iranian towns (before the Israeli and US attacks on Iran).

Thousands of unarmed Iranian citizens – including many socialists who want to see their country transition into a democratic, secular state – were indiscriminately slaughtered, mostly by non-Iranian military groups.

Where is the voice of the left, which is supposed to champion the rights of the exploited and the downtrodden? Is the survival of Hamas more sacred than the lives of Iranian people, including socialists?

It is not that they are expected to sing songs of praise to Donald Trump’s policies. Then again, how was an obnoxious person like Trump elected democratically in the US and so many right-wing movements are increasing their popularity in Europe?  Without the endorsement of the common masses, Trump would not be the president of the US today.

The modern left is intent on attacking western Christian values. Yet, paradoxically, it is quite at home being cosy with radical Muslim groups both internationally and within many European countries, knowing full well that leftist principles are in direct conflict with Islamic values, as history has shown repeatedly. 

This is a major reason that explains why, also paradoxically, right-wing political parties are attracting the support of the working class.

This is the working class that, rather than changing pronouns, is more concerned about the manner that unmanaged immigration is affecting their neighbourhoods and families and that is disillusioned how the new left has abandoned core pillars of its ideology – like ensuring a better distribution of wealth – in its inexplicable attack on western traditional values. 

The left has abandoned its core principles. Even in Malta, we witness a governing party that supposedly endorses socialist values, adamantly refusing to publicise the assets of its ministers. 

If the left is to be credible, it needs to support the Iranian people in their fight against a corrupt and tyrannical regime. This is not about being pro or anti Trump, or about east versus west, or even about left versus right. It is about being on the right side of history and standing up to stop the mass slaughter of innocents.

Joseph Farrugia is an artist and a consultant at the Malta Employers’ Association.