FRANCE: NEW RIGHT: one or divided? (08.16.03)

Christopher Jones says: "Following up on the activities of the GRECE (Groupement de Recherche et dEtude sur la Civilisation Europeene) the principal center for the French New right and Guillaume Faye's books and monthly newsletter "J'ai tout compris", I have to underscore what should be obvious: Islam declared war on us, not the other way around. After the events of September 11, certain and happily not all left of center publications in France and Germany were obsessed with presenting "the tolerant face of Islam." Tlrama for example, a hybrid newsmagazine and TV guide which has a wide readership, led the charge insisting that Islam is a peaceful, culturally complimentary religion. These sycophants, like the government that subsidizes Niki Saint Phalle expo's, are the real target of Faye's scorn (justified in my view.)

Some more backround on the New Right movement. Some years ago, Faye split off from the GRECE which is really the operational center for Alain de Benoist. Both de Benoist and Faye believe in provocation and the Nietzschean concept of an awakener. But there is an interesting difference here. Following in the footsteps of Charles Maurras, de Benoist has insisted on the importance of restoring the importance of religion (Maurras said the same but was an atheist) in European society, but rejects the Catholic church. Curiously, He has very discreetly cultivated a sort of no-paganism, Nietzschean in origin but that includes a wild streak that reminds me of the Parsifal cult among Catalan fascists in the 20's and 30's. Even darker is his interest in the Thul society and the Atlantis legend. (Which he believes was Helgoland) Definitely no togas. Michael Knox Beran should look around for a helmet with horns instead -- shadows of Astrix ?

Faye hasn't wasted time or energy recently on this dangerous game and is more modern in his approach. Although he rejects most of the Front National platform (in particular its ridiculous EU policy) he predicts that a post Le Pen FN will probably transform itself into a French version of Gianfranco Fini's post Fascist Alleanza Nazionale. Umberto Bossi always crops up and nobody can really decide about the Lega Nord. Some Members of the Nouvelle Droite say that the LN party is condemned thanks to Bossi's megalomania while others say that you haven't seen nothing yet. Faye admits that the New Right is still terribly divided and believes that almost like in a Wagnerian opera, only the coming cataclysm will serve to galvanize Europeans into action and unity for the final battle that will determine their survival". RH: Parsifal cult among Catalan fascists in the 20s and 30s. That takes us back to Montserrat. Can Christopher tell us more about that?