Fascism stopped in France, but what about Putin’s Russia and where are the anti-fascists?

 Vive la France! Thank you people of France for rejecting Fascism, yes too many voted for it, but opposition to it being an emerging force in European politics, needed to be forcibly stated. 

Make no mistake, this was not a vote in favour of Macron and neo liberalism, the parliamentary elections will be very different if polls are correct. Worryingly, much of the media in the Uk seemed to naively accept le Pen’s assertion that her Party’s change of name and taming of extreme language, only meant we were dealing with a ‘far right’ populist Party, rather than what it is, and always has been, a fascist party. Le Pen is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, underneath, she’s a fascist like her father and a vanguard of her supporters. 

Fascists have learnt that the skinhead image or military uniforms don’t work in the contemporary environment, but remember that fascism in Europe is usually elected, rather than taken by force. The complacency shown to the rise of what is known as ‘neo-fascism’ is extraordinary, given people are still alive that lived and survived living under fascism in Germany, Italy and Spain. Who witnessed it on the streets of London, as Mosley’s ‘Blackshirts’ marched through Jewish areas in the 30’s. They were met physically, at Cable St by anti-fascists and defeated. That’s what it takes, opposing fascism everywhere, anywhere it rears it’s ugly head. 

It appears complacency is spreading. Even after fascism took hold in the White House in the US! Populist neo-fascism is rising across European countries, Orban has taken power in Hungary. When it manifests itself in the 2nd most powerful nuclear armed State, in Putin’s Russia, the complacency continues amongst sections of the left, normally trusted to man the anti-fascist barricades, but somehow captured by the FSB propaganda to be conduits for neo-fascist authoritarianism, Nationalism, militarism and aggression, imperialist conquest and dismantling of democracy domestically, murdering opponents, homophobia, Islamophobia and the use of the Church to justify its power and control. Cheerleading a mafia State, run by a mafia boss, on a mission to write his name in history, to re-establish Russian ‘greatness’, a modern Tsarist cult. 

Anti-fascism can never let its guard down. We owe it to those who died, suffered, who were dehumanised under it’s perverse ideology and practice.