A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #25-26 - It's not the first time (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

European democracy is at risk. This is according to the masters of 
politics and finance who, for decades, have waged war on the working 
class-stripping away rights won through hard-fought struggles and 
tearing apart the social, educational, and healthcare services that 
workers themselves created and sustained. They are the very same people 
who have repeatedly imposed states of emergency and suppressed dissent 
with increasingly violent and sophisticated weaponry. They have reduced 
freedoms of expression, assembly, association, and striking to mere 
token concessions. They are the ones who crack down on anti-fascists, 
labeling them terrorists. They are the same people who have expanded 
social and police surveillance-making it increasingly pervasive and 
technologically advanced-created new offenses to target movements, and 
increased penalties for ordinary forms of protest. They are the ones who 
built concentration camps for the undocumented, erected walls, and armed 
militias to shoot at those crossing borders. They are the ones who have 
imposed racist policies and social segregation, keeping tens of millions 
of workers in a state of illegality or under the constant threat of 
residence permit revocation so they can be more easily exploited. They 
are the same people transforming institutions in an increasingly 
authoritarian direction. They are the same people who launched an arms 
race and are militarizing society. They are the ones telling us we must 
be ready to serve our country in war.

Blow by blow, they have weakened the working class and restructured 
institutions to shape an authoritarian society-and fascists are 
wallowing in this mire.

In the Saxony-Anhalt elections, the far-right fascist AfD party-while 
falling short of an absolute majority-secured 43.8% of the vote in the 
state legislative elections of this German federal state. How can anyone 
be surprised? Today, in many countries-including the one where we 
live-fascists are in government. For decades, there has been talk of a 
far-right advance on the international stage, and these elections 
were-as often happens-accompanied by a barrage of polls and a media 
chorus that partly foreshadowed the results, already paving the way for 
the victor's triumph. It remains to be seen whether they will succeed in 
forming a government, but the AfD's result has already been hailed as 
historic. How often have we heard this rhetoric? For years, the AfD has 
been portrayed as a party of "firsts." We have frequently read 
statements like, "This is the first time a political party that 
tolerates Nazis within its ranks has achieved such a result." It is thus 
presented as a political force that breaks taboos, sets record levels of 
support, and represents something new. But what is actually new about 
nostalgia for Nazism? Hierarchy, the nation, the leader-the same old, 
putrid lies repeated by propaganda as if they were novelties.

The normalization and growth of the far-right have unfolded differently 
across European countries over the last few decades. These are issues 
the anarchist movement has been addressing internationally for over 
twenty years, drawing on a rich historical legacy of opposing fascism 
since its very inception. Today, we must renew this commitment; in the 
current climate of global war, reactionary, nationalist, and fascist 
forces can find political and military roles, and there are 
international networks established by governments specifically to 
counter anarchism, subversion, and anti-fascism. One need only consider 
the inter-ministerial meeting on "radical left-wing terrorism" held in 
Washington on July 16th, attended by 66 countries-including Italy, 
represented by Undersecretary of the Interior Nicola Molteni of the 
League. One need only consider the coordination among European 
democracies in cracking down on anti-fascists persecuted over the 
"Budapest events"-the latest serious development being the Paris Court 
of Appeal's decision to extradite Gino to Germany, from where he risks 
being sent on to Hungary. It is within this context that we must also 
view the attack on A/I and the movements' independent communication 
infrastructures.

The new anti-fascism that has spread-albeit amidst countless limitations 
and contradictions-into broader sectors of society over the past few 
years is a signal that must undoubtedly be heeded. Yet, a new 
anti-fascist movement capable of truly countering these processes will 
need to place opposition to war and antimilitarism at its core, thereby 
challenging the very democratic regimes that have already reshaped our 
societies along fascist lines.

Dario Antonelli

https://umanitanova.org/non-e-la-prima-volta/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en