Fascism is once again rearing its ugly head in Europe
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Fascism is once again rearing its ugly head in Europe and not one of the mainstream political parties appears to be prepared and willing to do anything about and against it.
Is it not high time to outlaw groupings and parties such as the NPD and BVU in Germany, the BNP and others in the UK, the Fronte National in France, and others of their ilk elsewhere in Europe? I think so.
Presently those fascists parties and their thugs rant and rave against foreigners and against Gypsies, regardless as to whether those are Romani from their own country or from abroad, and therefore none of the mainstream parties in those countries and in the EU seem to wish to do anything about them. Gypsies and foreigners have always been a convenient scapegoat in a crisis and are again.
We see a repeat of the 1930s when people did not speak and did not care that they came for the communists and socialists, the Gypsies, the so-called Asocials and then the Jews.
Martin Niemoeller was right that if we do not speak out when they come for the others there will be no one left to speak out when they finally come for the rest who wish to live free and think free.
While anti-fascists are persecuted, once again, when they demonstrate against marches and other activities by the brown menace, under whichever name, the fascists are allowed to continue to operate and, as we have seen in Germany only in 2011, the police and the security services actively work hand-in-glove with Neonazis.
After the “fall” of the Wall the German authorities banned and outlawed the Freie Deutsche Jugend (FDJ) (Free German Youth) and the wearing even of blue shirts remotely resembling the FDJ ones whether with or without the FDJ badge and also the Young Pioneers the Nazis were and are allowed to continue and even, instead of being banned and prescribed, allowed to form more and more organizations.
The brown menace is permitted to freely walk abroad and continue with its terror against foreigners, Gypsies, and all those that dare to stand against them, while communists and anti-fascists are being controlled and often prescribed, have their protest marches and demonstrations banned.
Although he meant it differently Heinrich Heine's sigh of “Dent ich an Deutschland in der Nacht so bin ich um den Schlaf gebracht” (If I think of Germany at night I am robbed of my sleep) it is rather fitting here and makes sense though.
But it is not just Germany where the brown menace is rising. It seems to be the case almost everywhere in the European Union and also outside of it in Europe and even Russia.
In Greece the brown menace has become active also now with the crisis of the Euro and of government in that country and their “militias” are roaming the streets challenging anyone that appears a foreigner to show them his or her ID card and if not Greek and especially if an immigrant they beat the people up.
We don't even want to talk about Hungary where uniformed fascist groups are attacking Gypsy settlements and murdering people, nor about Italy where recently soccer fans in a stadium called for a pogrom against Romani people, nor about the attacks against Sinti and Roma people in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, to name but a few countries.
Even in Switzerland right-wing groups, and some not even that openly fascist, are calling for the expulsion of all Gypsies and foreigners.
While, with the exception of Switzerland and Russia all those countries where we are seeing the problems rising are countries of the EU neither their respective governments nor the EU bodies are doing anything, especially not as far as the Gypsy People are concerned.
No surprise there really considering that, to all intents and purposes, EU representatives are contemplating the wholesale removal of all Gypsies on EU soil, by means to deportation to resettlement, to the steppes of Russia. Discussions with the Russian authorities have, apparently, taken place already also and it would appear that they are working with the EU on this.
Sounds familiar, does it? It is! We have been here before some 70 years ago and once again the voices are silent.
© 2012
