Solidarity with FLINTA*.
*Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans and Agender
“It’s time for the girls, the queers, people of colour. No time for nuance: we’re already too late, far too late for nuance”. With that announcement, at the end of her gigs, Sophie Straat calls – for just one song – for a momentary reversal of everyday reality. She asks white men to make way for a FLINTA mosh pit. A tradition dating back to the Riot Grrrl punk movement of the 1990s, which sought to create space for women and queer people at gigs, because men were exploiting the mosh pit and the crowded conditions for inappropriate behaviour, intimidation and sexual violence.
The far right and the manosphere are up in arms. On social media, a campaign of sexist, racist and anti-Semitic harassment against Sophie Straat ensues.
The call is framed as “racist” and “sexist”. This is a classic trick of the far right: pretending that any form of attention to, and struggle against, oppression is the same as oppression itself. “Reverse racism”, “reverse sexism” … As if historical and structural discrimination could simply be turned on its head.
Colonial, racist, heteronormative and patriarchal relations are not mere vestiges of the past. They are part of how capitalism has shaped our current society and are still reproduced every day. Divide and rule was and remains a powerful mechanism for sustaining the exploitation of people and the planet on a daily basis.
But a symbolic call to make way for a moment for people who face sexism, intimidation and exclusion on a daily basis has nothing in common with the historical and structural oppression experienced by women, queer people, trans people and people of colour.
This is not about a few minutes at a concert. It is about who is usually at the centre of our society and who has to constantly fight to be heard, seen and safe.
That struggle is not waged solely against the elite, politicians or institutions. It is also waged within the working class itself. Even left-wing activists or those who invoke Marxism are not immune to the ideas that this society feeds us on a daily basis. Anyone who claims that a call such as Sophie Straat’s divides the working class is turning things on their head. It is not the struggle against oppression that divides us. It is oppression itself that does so.
Demanding that the most oppressed do not claim their place in the name of unity does not create unity. It perpetuates division.
Unity can only grow when there is an understanding within the working class that it is not homogeneous, and that there are different groups within it who experience profound, daily and acute discrimination. Not everyone is directly confronted with this; some are affected by it to a far greater extent.
Recognising this is not a denial of the exploitation of the working class as a whole, nor of its central role in the struggle against capitalism. On the contrary. Recognising oppression and responding to it with solidarity is a prerequisite for waging that struggle. Genuine unity is not achieved by ridiculing or, worse still, criminalising the struggle against sexism, racism or queerphobia, but by making these issues visible and championing them uncompromisingly. That is the essence of our intersectional and Marxist struggle against capitalism.
At the end of her performances, for one song – just one song! – Sophie Straat calls on the audience to briefly turn everyday reality on its head. She asks white men to step back and make room for a FLINTA mosh pit.
Immediately, the far right and the manosphere cry foul. On social media, a campaign of sexist, racist and anti-Semitic harassment is launched against Sophie Straat.
The call is framed as “racist” and “sexist”. This is a classic far-right tactic: pretending that any attention paid to oppression is the same thing as oppression itself. “Reverse racism”, “reverse sexism” … as if structural discrimination could simply be reversed.
Colonial, racist and patriarchal relations are not accidental remnants of the past. They are part of the way capitalism has shaped our society and they continue to be reproduced every day. Divide and rule has long been, and remains, a powerful mechanism for maintaining the exploitation of people and the planet.
But a symbolic call to make space for people who face sexism, intimidation and exclusion on a daily basis has nothing in common with the historical and structural oppression experienced by women, queer people, trans people and people of colour.
This is not about a few minutes at a concert. It is about who is usually placed at the centre of society and who must constantly fight to be heard, seen and safe.
That struggle is not only waged against elites, politicians or institutions. It is also waged within the working class itself. Left-wing activists and those who identify with Marxism are not immune to the ideas this society feeds us every day. Those who claim that a call like Sophie Straat’s divides the working class are turning reality on its head. It is not the struggle against oppression that divides us. Oppression itself does that.
Demanding that the most oppressed refrain from claiming their place in the name of unity does not create unity. It perpetuates division. Unity can only grow when there is an understanding within the working class that the working class itself is marked by different forms of deep, everyday and cutting discrimination that not everyone experiences directly.
Recognising this is not a denial of the exploitation of the working class as a whole, nor of its central role in the struggle against capitalism. On the contrary. Solidarity with the oppressed is not an optional addition to the class struggle. It is a prerequisite for advancing that struggle. Real unity is not built by criminalising struggles against sexism, racism or queerphobia, but by making them visible and actively supporting them.
Fight sexism, racism and capitalist exploitation.
Solidarity with Sophie Straat. Solidarity with FLINTA.