Article by Mike Murphy Militant Left published by Cork Communities United
Anyone who lived in Ireland at the time could not fail to remember the horrific and devastating fire at the Stardust nightclub in 1981. Forty-eight people died in that fire, and over 200 were injured. Initial reports said it was caused by arson, but the survivors refused to accept this calumny. They fought a long and difficult battle, before finally having it proved that the cause was an electrical fault, and that the terrible human toll was down to emergency exits being chained shut to prevent people entering for free. The cause was, in fact, disdain for human beings in the pursuit of money.
A survivor who emerged as a spokesperson for, and fighter for justice for, those who died that night and their families has been Antoinette Keegan. She earned a great deal of admiration for this work. Antoinette Keegan was briefly but very publicly a general election candidate for the far-right National Party, whose leader considers Hitler the “greatest leader of all time”, has often spoken at neo-Nazi gatherings, was convinced by Mein Kampf on the “Jewish Question”, and …. well, one could go on. More recently, the National Party opportunistically exploited the horrific stabbings of children in Dublin to incite people against migrants, and their leader agitated for more people to attend the riot as he wanted “the storm to break loose”. And the role of the far-right in the burnings of migrant centres and of migrants’ tents is not in question.
Let us pass over the bitter irony of someone known for seeking justice for victims and survivors of fire joining forces – even if temporarily – with those linked to arson attacks. It is too easy a point to make – and hard to believe Keegan herself hasn’t seen it. We don’t know her. She may be an out-and-out unshakeable fascist, a devotee of Hitler, Franco, Mussolini and their ilk. If so, then that is what she is, but she kept it very well hidden from the public. Alternatively, she has been seduced by the far-right. The latter seems more likely, and it is how these groups hoover up and use people to further their hate-filled agendas. They hone in on people feeling used, abused, exploited, neglected, discarded, worn down and powerless – and they spin whatever story might work to turn people’s anger against the most vulnerable and exposed in our society. Be it migrants, trans people, Travellers, gays, all seen as fair game. And, of course, socialists who fight for such people’s rights.
Let’s be clear. The Stardust fire was so devastating precisely because people’s lives and wellbeing were relegated to a very low priority status. Contempt and indifference led to those deaths. The facts were obscured by the establishment after the fact, and blame was pinned on the victims. Capitalism kicked down. And there is no way that kicking down in turn is a suitable reaction or defence here.
The carnage in 1981 was directly attributable to profit being prioritised over people. The same can be said for the housing crisis, the healthcare crisis, the cost of living crisis. The same can be said for the wars tearing many countries apart, driving waves of migration. The same can be said for the horrific exploitation, repression and misery in other countries, driving further migration. The common ground here is the system of capitalism, which underpins so much of human suffering and degradation. The fascists have never targeted capitalism and never will. They do nothing in relation to the housing or healthcare crises except to baselessly blame migrants. They do nothing about deprivation except to baselessly blame migrants. The fascists are no solution, as they don’t care about the roots of society’s problems. And no amount of smoke-blowing and racist bullshit can change that simple fact.
The only way to counter the multiple crises, locally and nationally, is through solidarity between those on the receiving end, clear identification of the culprits, and determined joint action. In other words, the only way to change society for the better is through class unity, solidarity, and a struggle against capitalism itself.