The New International Brigades

The_Valeyard · 15-03-2015 03:14PM

c_man wrote: »

So like many others on AH I'm sure, I'm a fan of the International Brigades and their role in the Spanish Civil War. Basically they were units composed of volunteers from all over the world, fighting against fascism.

I say it's time to re-assemble the international brigades and mobilise the left in the West, we have to go and fight ISIS. The pose a clear danger to the people and we as defenders of the worker, have to now fight in northern Iraq and Syria.

So what say you AH, are you up for it? Any advice?

So what's our battle cry to 'jihad, jihad'

Nodin · 15-03-2015 03:24PM

The_Valeyard wrote: »

So what's our battle cry to 'jihad, jihad'

'go way ourra tha'

Iranoutofideas · 15-03-2015 03:26PM

If it means the anti-austerity alliance heading off to fight Boko Haram then I'm all for it.

Iwasfrozen · 15-03-2015 03:28PM

FTA69 wrote: »

That was the fascists under O'Duffy. The International Brigadiers who fought for the people's government did so with distinction.

lol "people's government."

just lol.

Nodin · 15-03-2015 03:39PM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

lol "people's government."

just lol.

Ahh yes, the sneer of the moneyed is with us.

arayess · 15-03-2015 04:20PM

actually OP they kinda exist still

there are reports for spainish leftists going to Ukraine to fight for the rebels against the nazi government there.
or for the pro-western folks here it is that they are fighting for putin vs the legit government.

some reports of lads joining up in syria/turkey aaginst ISIS and Assad.

either way your fight is there.

Custardpi · 15-03-2015 04:47PM

If you do go out to join the fight against ISIS (which is certainly one which needs to be fought) don't expect to see much action, particularly if you don't speak the local languages. While there have been exceptions, depending on which exact organisation they join, many Western volunteers, even those with extensive military experience report being sidelined & just used as photo material for the media. The truth is that the Kurds & others fighting Daesh don't really need more manpower, particularly not Westerners with little to no knowledge of the landscape. They need heavy weaponry, ammunition & in some cases better training. I'm not sure exactly how that's going to be achieved due to the politics in the way but Westerners going out there to put themselves in harm's way probably isn't the solution.

Zebra3 · 15-03-2015 04:58PM

c_man wrote: »

Seriously, how did the lads (in both sides) get away with it legally here at the time when irish volunteers were going to both sides in the Spanish Civil War? I remember seeing a 'in history' bit in the local paper with stories in the paper in the 30s. One describes a big ship out in Galway Bay taking boatlots of lads, it had a huge swastika flying from it!

Going off to fight for the fascists in Spain would have had the old nod and a wink from the peados in the church, so no problem there.

DeadHand wrote: »

There already are something like international brigades involved in that conflict since thousands of European Muslims have flocked to the Middle East to participate in the enslavement, rape, torture and murder of anyone who happens to be different.

Thousands of Europeans and North Americans have been flocking to the Middle East for a long time to rape and pillage their way around the place. Though those that do are honest to good, decent skins are doing it for democracy and not to support dictatorships that behead people and for oil. Heroes the lot of them.

The white man's burden, eh?

DeadHand · 15-03-2015 05:37PM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

lol "people's government."

just lol.

It was a democratically elected government.

It (Spanish Civil War) was a complex mess of a conflict with both well intentioned people and monsters on both sides but it is fair to say that the Republicans were a lot closer to a "people's government" than the Nationalists ever were.

While atrocities were committed by both sides in what was an especially brutal war it is also true that the Nationalist side were a good deal more brutal. Which is one of many reasons they won in the end.

DeadHand · 15-03-2015 05:41PM

Zebra3 wrote: »

Thousands of Europeans and North Americans have been flocking to the Middle East for a long time to rape and pillage their way around the place. Though those that do are honest to good, decent skins are doing it for democracy and not to support dictatorships that behead people and for oil. Heroes the lot of them.

The white man's burden, eh?

There's a fine looking strawman.

Complete with the sneery racism implication in place of, you know, actually discussing the issue at hand.

What an uninspired, predictable contribution that was.

Iwasfrozen · 15-03-2015 05:44PM

DeadHand wrote: »

It was a democratically elected government.

It (Spanish Civil War) was a complex mess of a conflict with both well intentioned people and monsters on both sides but it is fair to say that the Republicans were a lot closer to a "people's government" than the Nationalists ever were.

While atrocities were committed by both sides in what was an especially brutal war it is also true that the Nationalist side were a good deal more brutal. Which is one of many reasons they won in the end.

Oh yeah I totally agree neither side were angels to say the least I just wouldn't describe the Republicans as the "people's government".

wendell borton · 15-03-2015 08:20PM

The war in Spain was started by a fascist military coup against the democratically elected government. But as the war went Stalinists took control of the government as the USSR was the only country, apart from mexico , providing aid.
They were every bit as brutal as the fascists when it came to cracking down on anarchists, trotskists and the unions.

Tony EH · 15-03-2015 11:03PM

DeadHand wrote: »

It (Spanish Civil War) was a complex mess of a conflict...

An absolute mess of quite epic proportions and certainly not a conflict that can be childishly categorised as "good" vs "bad". Not that any conflict can.

Although how anyone can equate the foreign volunteers involved on both sides to signing up to "fight ISIS", I don't know.

Truly hilarious when one considers that the vast majority of those who did sign up to fight on either side ended wondering what the hell they were doing in Spain, who they were actually fighting against and why they were fighting at all. In fact, a lot of the homegrown Spanish fighters, themselves, had very valid confusions as to what they were doing.

The Spanish Civil War and its International Brigades of all flavours have absolutely nothing in common with the current situation re: ISIS.

c_man · 17-07-2015 08:47PM

Dang, the finance lads from the City have beaten us to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TxGbVDqoVk

The New International Brigades

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