Fascism watch thread/news and discussions

[Ozzie guy]

[caltrek]

Trump Mocked as a 'Laughingstock' as Fans' Hopes for His "Reinstatement" Get Crushed
by David Badash
August 13, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/2021/08/trump-laughingstock/

Introduction:

(Alternet) According to the QAnon crowd, the far right fanatics, the MyPillow cultists, and MAGA maniacs, August 13 is the day Donald Trump would be "reinstated" as president. And while the day is not over yet, there is exactly zero chance "the former guy" is going to be back in the White House any time soon.

"The morning of August 13 it'll be the talk of the world," MyPillow CEO and election fraud conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell has claimed.

Americans will not see a shadow "cabinet" or anyone else declaring "martial law" and bringing Donald Trump back into power. There will be no Supreme Court decision kicking President Joe Biden to the curb. And Democrats will not be rounded up as "traitors" and jailed – or worse.

Instead, many Americans will have – and already are having – a field day reveling in mocking the insanity that has come to represent the Republican Party, as #TrumpIsALaughingStock, #TrumpReinstatement, and other amusing hashtags trend on social media.

[caltrek]

Fascist Intimidation in France
August 16, 2021

https://awsm.nz/?p=11384

Introduction:

(Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement) While some of its components try more or less skillfully to camouflage themselves cynically as defenders of ” freedom “, the reality of the extreme right has always been reflected in gratuitous violence, in particular against the activists and structures that defend everyone’s rights in the field.

Last night, the national premises of Union Syndicale Solidaires were targeted. The nature of the degradations, Celtic crosses and hate message based on the white race, leaves no doubt about the political orientations of these authors. We give our unreserved support to our comrades in Solidarity.

If today, the degradations remain minimal, they are part of the already too long list of attacks by small fascist groups this year against the spaces of struggles and organization of the social movement, including unions and organizations like ours. occupy an important place and are therefore a prime target for the fascists.

We repeat, the events which follow one another and the increasingly deleterious climate, accelerated by a government launched in an increasingly anti-social and authoritarian policy, promises us a bleak future, if no reaction from our camp is heard.

At a time when for weeks, far-right groups and fascist small groups of all kinds have felt more and more confident to the point of hoisting themselves up as protest leaders, it seems all the more vital that the he whole social movement is coming together and organizing itself so as not to leave any space for the fascists.

[caltrek]

Maybe it isn't fair to call QAnon fascist. Still, its reliance on extreme conspiracy theories and encouragement of extreme right-wing measures certainly seem to me to have elements of fascism woven into its DNA. Below is an interesting article about how its very extremism sadly does have a dangerous appeal even for those on the left.

How QAnon Almost Destroyed A Relationship and How That Relationship Saved One Person From QAnon
by Anastasiia Carrier
August 13, 2021

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/ ... ter-503295

Introduction:

(Politico) Since it became clear that the QAnon conspiracy theory was a driving force in the siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Anastasiia Carrier has been interviewing former QAnon believers and hearing from them, in their own words, how they were drawn into that world and how they got out. Their stories, like Megan’s below, reveal surprising political implications of a movement that is still thriving outside mainstream scrutiny. This is the first article in the series. (Megan and Dave are pseudonyms, granted at their request to avoid online bullying that Megan has experienced in the past after posting about following and quitting QAnon. This interview was done virtually over a series of video calls.)

I was radicalized overnight. I went to bed as a liberal, a die-hard Bernie Sanders supporter, social activist and a feminist. The next morning, I left the bed viewing Donald Trump — a man whom I had utterly despised — as a hero fighting a war against the Deep State. In the ensuing days my fiancé Dave would hardly recognize me, and our relationship would nearly be destroyed.

Conclusion:

Since I left, I sometimes feel frustrated and disheartened that I can’t fit into either the political “right” or “left.” I still don’t trust the government that much. I no longer identify as red or blue — I wish I could be purple, but there is too much red in the purple for my liberal friends and family, so I mostly have stopped talking about politics. Reading news can be disheartening and stir up old QAnon associations, so I generally avoid it. I have almost completely exited all forms of social media. That was essential to my recovery.

This experience has taught me a lot: Before I joined the radical right, I was part of the radical left. Now I am more open to opinions from the whole political spectrum and my curiosity and compassion has expanded. I’m OK with not having the answers. I have learned who my real friends are. I’m thinking of this whole experience as a form of death and rebirth. I am excited for this next chapter of my life.

[caltrek]

Heeding Steve Bannon’s Call, Election Deniers Organize to Seize Control of the GOP — and Reshape America’s Elections
by Isaac Arnsdorf, Doug Bock Clark, Alexandra Berzon, and Anjeanette Damon
September 2, 2021

https://www.propublica.org/article/heed ... -elections

Extract:

(ProPublica) When the (January 6, 2021) insurrection failed, Bannon continued his campaign for his former boss by other means. On his “War Room” podcast, which has tens of millions of downloads, Bannon said President Trump lost because the Republican Party sold him out. “This is your call to action,” Bannon said in February, a few weeks after Trump had pardoned him of federal fraud charges.

The solution, Bannon announced, was to seize control of the GOP from the bottom up. Listeners should flood into the lowest rung of the party structure: the precincts. “It’s going to be a fight, but this is a fight that must be won, we don’t have an option,” Bannon said on his show in May. “We’re going to take this back village by village … precinct by precinct.”

Precinct officers are the worker bees of political parties, typically responsible for routine tasks like making phone calls or knocking on doors. But collectively, they can influence how elections are run. In some states, they have a say in choosing poll workers, and in others they help pick members of boards that oversee elections.

After Bannon’s endorsement, the “precinct strategy” rocketed across far-right media. Viral posts promoting the plan racked up millions of views on pro-Trump websites, talk radio, fringe social networks and message boards, and programs aligned with the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Suddenly, people who had never before showed interest in party politics started calling the local GOP headquarters or crowding into county conventions, eager to enlist as precinct officers. They showed up in states Trump won and in states he lost, in deep-red rural areas, in swing-voting suburbs and in populous cities.

caltrek's comment: It should be noted that the fascist nature of this threat does not lie so much in the method of infiltrating the Republican party. The left has its own version of that in regards to the Democratic party. The danger stems from the idea animating these activities - the Big Lie that the election was stolen from Trump. Meaning that the only results that will be accepted as legitimate are when the far right candidates and initiatives win. All other results will be considered fraudulent. Actual evidence will be rendered irrelevant.

Here is a review of the ProPublica article that showed up in Alternet: https://www.alternet.org/2021/09/trump-fascist-purge/

[caltrek]

Neo-Nazi Groups Thrive Online Through Merchandise and Ticket Sales
by Kierra Frazier
September 26, 2021

https://www.axios.com/neo-nazi-facebook ... be58d.html

Introduction:

(Axios) Multiple groups of neo-Nazi members are thriving on social media platforms despite those companies' commitment to fighting extremism, the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: Dozens of far-right groups use their Facebook, YouTube and Instagram platforms to spread their ideology, draw in recruits and generate millions in sales through events and merchandise.

The big picture: The Counter Extremism Project found 39 related Instagram profiles, 16 Twitter profiles and 34 YouTube channels, which have gotten over 9.5 million views, that have been flagged as extremist by the German government, per AP.

• The groups on Facebook avoid blatant violations of rules such as using hate speech or posting swastikas. But clicking on the "view shop" button on one group's Facebook page shows shirts for sale that read "My favorite color is white."

• Facebook told AP it employs 350 people whose primary job is to counter terrorism and organized hate, and that it is investigating the pages and accounts flagged.

[caltrek]

The function of the Big Lie is to mobilize people to endorse fascist policies. The bad news is that it seems to be working:

21 Million Americans Say Biden is ‘Illegitimate’ and Trump Should be Restored by Violence
by Robert H. Pape
September 23, 2021

https://theconversation.com/21-million- ... nds-168359

(The Conversation) A recent Washington demonstration supporting those charged with crimes for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol fizzled, with no more than 200 demonstrators showing up. The organizers had promised 700 people would turn out – or more.

But the threat from far-right insurrectionists is not over.

For months, my colleagues and I at the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats have been tracking insurrectionist sentiments in U.S. adults, most recently in surveys in June. We have found that 47 million American adults – nearly 1 in 5 – agree with the statement that “the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and Joe Biden is an illegitimate president.” Of those, 21 million also agree that “use of force is justified to restore Donald J. Trump to the presidency.”

Our survey found that many of these 21 million people with insurrectionist sentiments have the capacity for violent mobilization. At least 7 million of them already own a gun, and at least 3 million have served in the U.S. military and so have lethal skills. Of those 21 million, 6 million said they supported right-wing militias and extremist groups, and 1 million said they are themselves or personally know a member of such a group, including the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.

Only a small percentage of people who hold extremist views ever actually commit acts of violence, but our findings reveal how many Americans hold views that could turn them toward insurrection.

[Yuli Ban]

[caltrek]

Demonstration by neo-Nazi Group in Madrid’s Chueca District Causes Concern
by Chris King
September 18, 2021

https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2021/09/ ... s-concern/

Introduction:

(Euro Weekly) A DEMONSTRATION by neo-Nazi and neo-fascist groups in Madrid’s Chueca district has caused great concern as homophobic and racist chanting is heard.

A demonstration called for 5pm today, Saturday, September 18, in the Madrid district of Chueca, arranged by neo-Nazi groups to supposedly protest against the Government’s 2030 and 2050 Agenda, has ended up leading to a controversial march involving the use of non-stop homophobic and racist chanting by the people involved in the protest.

Some of the chants heard coming from the neo-Nazi marchers reportedly included, “Out with queers from our neighborhoods”, and, “Here are the fascists”, along with a selection of racist chants, with videos of the march that were posted on social networks creating huge outrage, with many questioning how a march of this type could ever have been given the authorisation to be staged in the first place.

As reported by elplural.com, the protest was originally planned by the Madrid Seguro neighborhood association, but, they are known to have been joined in the march by other neo-fascist groups like Plataforma Cultural-ñ, The People for Truth, and the far-right party Spain 2000.

Chueca is famous as being Madrid’s main focal area for LGBTI Pride celebrations, along with other associations, centres, and shops that support similar themes, and even though the protest had been called to demonstrate against the 2030 and 2050 Agendas – which are government packages of measures designed to combat climate change, and promote technological innovation – many are wondering why a protest called by a neo-Nazi group whose beliefs are known to be directly opposed to those of the LGBTI community, should be allowed to take place in such a famous neighbourhood as Chueca.

[Yuli Ban]

Death threats sent to participants of US conference on Hindu nationalism

An academic conference in the US addressing Hindu nationalism is being targeted by rightwing Hindu groups, which have sent death threats to participants and forced several scholars to withdraw.

The conference, titled Dismantling Global Hindutva, which is co-sponsored by more than 53 universities including Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and Rutgers, has come under attack after several groups in India and the US accused the event of being “anti-Hindu”.

The aim of the conference, which will begin online on 10 September, is to bring together scholars to discuss Hindutva, otherwise known as Hindu nationalism, a rightwing movement that believes India should be an ethnic Hindu state, rather than a secular nation.

[Yuli Ban]

=https://www.thelocal.it/20211006/musso ... /size][/b]

Rachele Mussolini, the granddaughter of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, has emerged as the most popular candidate in Rome city hall elections, near-final results showed on Wednesday.
With counting done in more than 97 percent of polling stations, Mussolini garnered more than 8,200 preference votes after standing for the hard-right Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) party.

The 47-year-old, who will be serving a second term as city councillor, insisted that her surname had nothing to do with her popularity.

“The person prevails over their surname, however burdensome it is,” she told the La Repubblica newspaper, adding: “I have many left-wing friends.”

Mussolini’s late father, Romano, was a jazz pianist and brother-in-law to actress Sophia Loren. He was Benito Mussolini’s fourth child.

[Yuli Ban]

[Nanotechandmorefuture]

=https://www.thelocal.it/20211006/musso ... /size][/b]

Rachele Mussolini, the granddaughter of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, has emerged as the most popular candidate in Rome city hall elections, near-final results showed on Wednesday.
With counting done in more than 97 percent of polling stations, Mussolini garnered more than 8,200 preference votes after standing for the hard-right Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) party.

The 47-year-old, who will be serving a second term as city councillor, insisted that her surname had nothing to do with her popularity.

“The person prevails over their surname, however burdensome it is,” she told the La Repubblica newspaper, adding: “I have many left-wing friends.”

Mussolini’s late father, Romano, was a jazz pianist and brother-in-law to actress Sophia Loren. He was Benito Mussolini’s fourth child.

Edited: Of course it had to be a ginger lol.

[caltrek]

One of the features of fascism is the willingness and practice of physical intimidation of rival political parties. Below is described an apparent incident of that which is now finally making its way to the courts. In this instance, the issue being police willingness to look the other way and do nothing.

Texas Cops 'Laughed' As Biden Aides Pleaded For Help From Trucker 'Trump Train' Last Year: Lawsuit
by Mary Papenfuss
October 30, 2021

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/san-marc ... 72d7050ae7

(Huffington Post) Texas police officers “laughed” and “joked” as desperate Joe Biden campaign aides pleaded for protection from a “Trump Train” of cars and trucks swarming and even colliding with the campaign caravan on a freeway last year, according to an amended lawsuit filed Friday.

Text messages, and recordings and transcriptions of several calls to the San Marcos Police Department captured at least one official’s joking, flat-out denial of help when contacted by a 911 dispatcher.

“We’re not going to do it,” said a San Marcos police corporal, The Texas Tribune first reported. “We’re not going to escort a bus.” He quipped that the Biden bus should “drive defensively and it’ll be great.”

When a 911 dispatcher told a campaign aide to call back if they felt threatened, the staffer responded: “Are you kidding me, ma’am? They’ve threatened my life on multiple occasions with vehicular collision” — and again asked for an escort along the freeway in south central Texas.

Despite the pleas for help, “there were no officers from San Marcos or any other police cars in sight” during the dangerous 90-minute highway confrontation, the suit stated.

[caltrek]

Noam Chomsky: How 'Trump-led proto-fascism' and a 'deeply corrupt political system' Could Hand McConnell Everything He Wants

by Meaghan Ellis
November 4, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/author/meaghanellis

Extract:

(Alternet) "It's beyond irony that now Europe is upholding a tattered social democracy while the U.S. declines to Trump-led proto-fascism, or that under Trump, the secretary of education sought to dismantle public education, carrying forward the neoliberal principles that underlie the sharp defunding of public education aimed at its elimination," Chomsky said.
…
"The Republicans have been pursuing a careful and well-thought-out policy of maintaining power as a minority party dedicated to great wealth and corporate power," Chomsky explained. "It has been openly announced by the most malicious and politically powerful of the gang: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, repeating what worked well for his reactionary cause during the President Barack Obama years."
…
Chomsky emphasized how the "deeply corrupt and undemocratic political system" in the United States could undermine the Democratic agenda and further the "signs of collapse of the social order."

"Failure of Biden's efforts to reshape federal priorities will have a terrible human cost," Chomsky said. "Beyond that, it will also provide a weapon for the McConnell strategy of harming the country as much as possible and blaming the outcome on the Democrats."

He continued, "Is there a way to fend off these grave political consequences? Not within the confines of the deeply corrupt and undemocratic political system. The only way that has ever worked, and can work now, is mass popular pressure — what the powerful call 'the peasants coming with their pitchforks.'"

[Ozzie guy]

NSFW

I was linked to a far right stream discussing China. It seems like the Far right love China now, take a look at the comment section and the fact that Nick Fuentes is promoting China.

The comments are NSFW

https://odysee.com/@theralphretort:1/ki ... question:2

[caltrek]

The aim of the (Dismantling Hindutva) conference, which will begin online on 10 September, is to bring together scholars to discuss Hindutva, otherwise known as Hindu nationalism, a rightwing movement that believes India should be an ethnic Hindu state, rather than a secular nation.

Here is an article that has recently appeared in The Conversation which gives some interesting background concerning Hindutva:

https://theconversation.com/how-one-ath ... ism-169130

[wjfox]

[Yuli Ban]

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s Nainital home was allegedly vandalised and set on fire on Monday, November 15, days after it became known that his book on Ayodhya drew parallels between Hindutva groups and terrorist organisations, such as Boko Haram and ISIS, drawing the ire of the BJP and Hindu fundamentalist groups.

The report on the vandalism first appeared on NDTV.

Photographs and videos shared by Khurshid on his official Facebook page showed shattered window panes, charred doors and flames. Two men are seen trying to put off the fire in a video.

Taking to Facebook, Khurshid wrote, “I hoped to open these doors to my friends who have left this calling card. Am I still wrong to say this cannot be Hinduism?”

Sharing the pictures of his vandalised house, Khurshid further wrote, “So such is debate now. Shame is too ineffective a word. Besides I still hope that we can reason together one day and agree to disagree if not more.”

[Yuli Ban]

Red star to black sun: China’s descent into fascism

In the recent Union debate on the global resurgence of fascism, I was struck by the total omission of China from the debate by all six speakers. This is symptomatic of a wider trend that overlooks China’s politics and rhetoric in favour of its overtly red aesthetics. From the genocide of Uighurs in Xinjiang to chauvinistic posturing on its borders, Xi Jinping’s China resembles fascist Italy, Germany and Japan far more closely than it does the post-Stalinist Soviet Union.

The roots of China’s descent into fascism can be traced back to Deng Xiaoping’s ascent to power and economic reforms that openly rejected central planning in favour of market-based economics. These reforms were instrumental in not only achieving China’s rapid economic growth, but also in ensuring a place on the world stage, through opening up the country to global markets. On the surface, these reforms relinquished state power over the economy; but by allowing private enterprise, they laid the foundations for an economy similar to those found in the fascist countries of the 1930s and 40s.

The whole "rejuvenate masculinity" movement should've been the blackest of flags to any observers wondering if China's gone fascist.

It's actually funny to see the USA on the "socially leftist" side of things now, with China promoting rigid traditional gender roles and the USA promoting gender fluidity. Topkek indeed