The New Fascism

Having just finished Pierre Berton's The Great Depression it's both fascinating and scary to pay attention to the news these days. Now the book addresses only Canada but even in our so-called democracy the forces of totalitarianism were on the march. In Canada in the 1930s, there were serious calls by elites for the merging of the Liberal and Conservative parties into a one-party state (the only other option being the CCF, the precursor to the NDP but their members were being arrested and beaten over the head). And elected governments in Quebec and Alberta particularly restricted the press and targeted anyone who they designated a communist.

We are often taught in school about the Nazis and their treatment of Jews and other 'undesirables' and we rightly condemn them. And we rejoice in our fatherland. That could never happen in Canada! Such a beacon of democracy. But many of the same things did, including the targeting of Jewish Canadians and our very own kristalnacht. Seriously.

Check out the book, you'll be amazed with the parallels to today.

I'm currently reading a lot about the European Union's current crisis (one might even say this is a permanent crisis). Now Italy is on the chopping block. The most troubling thing is that this 'crisis' is being used to rollback democracy.

In Greece the (now former) prime minister called for a popular referendum on the massive bailout his country was going to receive. Makes sense for the people to make the call on such a big decision with wide reaching consequences. Though voting once in a while hardly a democracy makes, in this case, given the popular resistance it was a commendable move. The day after he said he was calling a referendum, the unelected elites who run the EU made the referendum disappear along, now, with the prime minister himself.

Now Italian democracy (such as it is) is the next target of these elites. In return for an Italian bailout one of the stipulations is the Italy rescind the results of a popular referendum rejecting the privatization of the nation's public water supply. This was not widely reported apart from on today's Democracy Now.

Then there is the Occupy Wall Street movement around the world. Much like in the 1930s there is to be no opposition to the plans of elites. The police will make sure of that. Below is some footage of police in Oakland shooting a peaceful protestor in the head and then afterward when others come to his aid, tossing a grenade into their midst.



Even peaceful nonviolent occupations are crushed even though these gatherings are theoretically protected by pieces of paper called constitutions. Occupy Vancouver is likely to face the same violence as Occupy Oakland in the coming week.

There is a new fascism on the rise especially in Europe. Politicians are bought and sold by corporations. But as always it's up to a small number of people to act. People are starting to stand up. Maybe we should join them.