Counter-Racist Action Collective
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| “ | Discriminatory activities will never be tolerated. However, simply trying to suppress discriminatory speech with "force" such as violence or power will not erase hatred, but will only create a new cycle of hatred. | „ |
| ~ A sentence of article about C.R.A.C. of Newsweek Japan |
Counter-Racist Action Collective known as C.R.A.C. is a Japanese far-left political organization that aims to counter the Japanese far-right political group Uyoku dantai, which the collective refers to as "Racists", and their hate speech.
This collective often discriminates against Japanese races and cancels Japanese culture, especially downplaying violence against far-right activitists, including assaults and attempted murders protesters and members in far-right groups. These actions have been criticized as equal to or worse than Uyoku dantai's crimes.
In Japan, it is known as one of the Han-gure groups together with Uyoku dantai due to several brawls and lynchings described below.
Biography edit
C.R.A.C.'s predecessor group, "Racists wo Shibaki-Tai", was established around 2010 by Yasumichi Noma, who was concerned about the formation of Zaitokukai and other far-right groups. On October 1, 2014, members of the predecessor group Racists wo Shibaki-Tai formed the political organization C.R.A.C. C.R.A.C. usually conducts what they call "counter-protests" against far-right groups. "Counter-protests" are mainly protests by far-right groups, using loudspeakers and placards, but most of them are mostly violent. One of the members of The collective has been justified in protesting far-right protest by "counter-protests", stressing that it is peaceful.
Incidents edit
Brawl at the East Exit of Shinjuku Station edit
On June 16, 2013, Zaitokukai was holding an anti-Korean protest at the east exit of Shinjuku station, when members of Racists wo Shibaki-Tai attacked them and a brawl with protesters broke out. Four members of Shibaki-Tai and four members of Zaitokukai were caught red-handed on suspicion of assault. Of the eight arrested, two members of Zaitokukai and a members of Shibaki-Tai were not extended detention and were released two days after their arrests.
Bicycle raid on protest in Minato Ward, Tokyo edit
On January 18, 2014, in opposition to Zaitokukai protests, a 22-year-old college student was caught red-handed on assault charges for using his bicycle to raid protesters and physically assault a 21-year-old man on a street in Minato Ward, Tokyo. The man who was arrested denied the charges, saying he did not assault someone.
Removal of Makoto Sakurai's books edit
Around 2014, The members of Shibaki-Tai caused incidents at several bookstores to remove racist books written by Makoto Sakurai. These included threats to publishers and sabotage at bookstores, and the affected publishers filed a damage report with the Metropolitan Police Department for obstruction of business.
Listing and publishing personal information of multiple users without permission on Facebook edit
On November 3, 2015, 400 users who appreciated an illustration posted on Facebook by a manga artist known for his conservative political views were listed by one of the members of C.R.A.C. with their personal information, including their real names, places of residence, places of work, and schools they attended, and published on the Internet. The person who carried out the attack was later identified as an executive of a company. The motivation was that, for them, all those who appreciated the illustration of manga artists with conservative ideas were "Racists" and must be socially excluded.
Lynching and balckmailing by Shibaki-Tai edit
In December 2015, Shibaki-Tai members lynched a member at a restaurant in Kitashinchi, Osaka. The perpetrator is a Korean living in Japan who belongs to C.R.A.C., and the victim is a Japanese who sympathized with Shibaki-Tai's activities and became a member. The victim was previously harassed by Noma, who published her real name on the Internet, and was threatened by a professor at Kwansei Gakuin University, one of the members, on Twitter. The perpetrator is a Korean living in Japan who belongs to C.R.A.C., and the victim is a Japanese who sympathized with Shibaki-Tai's activities and became a member. The victim was previously harassed such as he was published real name on the Internet by Noma, and was threatened by a professor at Kansai Gakuin University, one of the members, on Twitter. C.R.A.C. had in the past conducted a campaign on Twitter using the hashtag. but this had the effect of isolating the victims, and the series of despicable harassment was widely criticized.
Brawls in Osaka edit
On November 25, 2020, C.R.A.C. member Daisuke Ito summoned Japan First Party member Yasuhiko Aramaki to a street in Kita-ku, Osaka City, and a brawl ensued. Aramaki was later arrested for attempted murder, and Ito was arrested for assault on December 6, 2020 for assaulting a Aramaki, causing fractures. C.R.A.C. protested the arrest of Daisuke Ito to the police, calling it a defense of racist.
Relationships edit
Enemies edit
- Uyoku dantai
- Kōdō suru hosyu
- Ishin Party Shimpu
- National Party of Japan
- Japanese Communist Party (Criticized as "false left activists")
- Police
Allies edit
- SEALDs
- Norikoe Net