On the Paris attacks and Facebook 'solidarity'

The Paris attacks are unquestionably horrific and terrible. Nothing can justify them; they deserve unqualified condemnation.

Does this mean I should be plastering the French flag over my Facebook profile to show ‘solidarity’ with Paris and France? A lot of people I know and respect highly have done just that—and I do not question their reasons for doing so.

But I’m curious where the ‘Facebook solidarity’ is when Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans, Egyptians, and many, many others are massacred. Is it because these massacres happen so frequently that we ignore them? Is it because they happen a long way away, to people that we care little about? Are westerners more deserving of ‘solidarity’ than anyone else?

And why is there the sudden need to wave national flags around as a response? In an escalating conflict which is conducted to a large extent according to the dismal politics of nation states, I worry that flag-waving just entrenches the divisions. National identity has always been divisive: it is forged as much in what a country isn’t as in what it is (Christian and therefore not Jewish or Muslim; Protestant and therefore not Catholic; and so on).

France does not have an admirable record when it comes to fostering multiculturalism. It also has one of the largest and most popular parties of the far right in Europe; the Front National has serious and not unrealistic ambitions to win power at the next presidential election.

It is too early to say how France may respond to the attacks. But it would not be surprising if there is a spike in far right support; if there is increased hostility and persecution towards Muslims and ethnic minorities; if more bombs are directed at Syria leading to the deaths of more innocent victims. And if any or all of that happens, one can be sure it will all be closely associated with the tricolor.

Of course, it might be argued that it is important for moderates and liberals to associate themselves with the French flag precisely to stop the far right from hijacking it. I can understand that reasoning. But I’m not persuaded. I think we’re in trouble when moderates and liberals believe their only option is to rally around national flags.

Standing behind a national flag hardly seems the best way of addressing the global problems that are in part caused by conflicts between rival nation states. The innocent life violently lost in Syria is of equal worth to that lost in France, and equally deserving of solidarity. It is with humanity that solidarity should be shown—solidarity with everyone everywhere who is a victim of injustice, poverty, violence and inhumanity. National flags make it less likely that this supranational solidarity with humanity will flourish. For that reason I have no interest in the Facebook ‘solidarity’ campaign.