EU Parliament: Leftists Claim ‘Neo-Fascism’ on the Rise, but Can’t Be Bothered to Attend Debate

"For these MEPs, it’s only ‘democracy’ when they’re winning elections. Otherwise, democracy is ‘under attack.’" Besides, in a debate, they would need facts which they sorely lack.

From The European Conservative

By Robert Semonsen

For these MEPs, it’s only ‘democracy’ when they’re winning elections. Otherwise, democracy is ‘under attack.’

As support for left-liberal globalist political figures dwindles across Europe without signs of improvement, left-wing members of the European Parliament are employing a strategy they often criticize their opponents for: instigating fear and panic.

This particular, and increasingly used, approach was on full display on the evening of Tuesday, January 16th, in a European Parliament plenary debate on the ‘rise of neofascism,’ where members of the liberal, Green, and left-wing political groupings demanded the EU take action against the imaginary ‘threat’ of neo-fascism. 

Tuesday’s debate in Strasbourg came, at least nominally, in response to an annual gathering in Rome on January 7th, commemorating the murder of three neo-fascist activists from the Italian Social Movement in the 1970s. The commemoration takes place every single year and usually garners little to no media attention—let alone attention from the European Parliament—since only a few hundred people from fringe Italian neo-fascist groups attend. 

This inconvenient fact didn’t stop purveyors of misinformation in the European Union from using scary video footage of a few hundred black-clad, radical activists doing fascist salutes to advance the misleading narrative that fascism is yet again on the rise on the streets and in parliaments across the continent. 

It’s an old, tired narrative that has been repeated ad nauseam by Brussels-aligned politicians—especially, and quite ironically, every time their parties lose in a democratic election to anti-globalist and so-called populist parties. For them, it’s a self-evident truth that democracy can only be functioning properly when those with similar views as themselves are winning elections. In any other case, democracy is ‘under attack’, and ‘neo-fascism’ is on the rise.

With the chamber nearly empty, the debate kicked off with an address from European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson (S&D), who put forward the EU executive’s position. She painted herself and those politically similar to her as the ‘defenders of liberal democracy,’ and implicitly suggested that this year’s commemoration in Rome is somehow connected to the rise of right-wing, anti-globalist parties across Europe—like the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)—in the polls. 

The commissioner called the relatively small gathering in Rome, along with a meeting in Potsdam last November which saw the leader of the Austrian Identitarian movement meet with German business leaders and politicians to discuss the topic of remigration, “troubling” in and of themselves.

“But they are also troubling in their connections,” she continued, adding: “There is evidence that, through online communication, invitations, and attendance, there is growing participation of neo-fascist groups across Member State lines.  A Europeanisation of anti-democratic forces. This makes the rise in neo-fascist incidents a European problem. The Commission has put the fight against hate crime at the top of the agenda.”

MEP Brando Benifei (S&D), the leader of Italy’s Partito Democratico’s delegation in Brussels, echoed Johansson’s opening remarks, insisting, in a not-so-veiled reference to parties like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, that there’s a pressing need to defend European democracy from those “who would pollute it with fascism.”

Arch-Eurofederalist MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld (Renew), who recently claimed Hungary is “wholly unsuitable to be the face of the European Council,” spoke similarly, using fear-mongering, alarmist rhetoric designed to instill a sense of panic.

“Let’s not forget that our European Union arose from the ashes of extremist rule,” the Dutch MEP began. “We said at the time ‘never again.’ Let’s make sure those dark days never return, and let’s speak out before they return,” she continued, claiming that the “first signs” of those dark days returning have become visible. 

“Champagne anti-fascists”

The most memorable addresses heard by the few present in the chamber, however, came from right-of-center MEPs from the Identity & Democracy (ID) and European Conservative and Reformist (ECR) groupings.

Italian MEP Nicola Procaccini, who serves as the co-chairman of the ECR group, began his address by drawing attention to the near-empty plenary chamber. “Those who wanted this debate are not here and I think that shows what is important for these champagne anti-fascists,” he began. “It’s more important for them to get to their dinner rather than to be here in plenary.”

“The idea was to criticize Italy and that’s been done. Italy has been slandered. And the Italian Left still fails to understand its political and electoral failure,” Procaccini, a member of Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, continued. He noted that the commemoration, which the European Commission incorrectly referred to as a “parade,” has been taking place on an annual basis for well over forty years. 

“This was a tribute carried out by citizens. Unfortunately, some neo-fascists did make the fascist salute, but over 40 years, we’ve seen fewer and fewer of these people making fascist salutes.”

“The truth is, in Italy we’ve had ruling parties from all sides of the political spectrum. And during the rule of many different leaders, this commemoration has taken place. We are now talking about a few dozen who give the fascist salute whereas in the past it was thousands,” said, contradicting the thesis that neo-fascism is resurgent. 

To conclude, Procaccini argued that the chamber should be discussing “all victims of political violence.” However, this wasn’t possible, he said, because the “European Left and the Italian Democratic Party said no.” He continued,

Now obviously they may well not be involved in this debate because they’re hungry but they’re still full of political hatred. Enjoy your dinner. We will continue to have respect for the idea of loving one another and our people.

Like Procaccini, Italian MEP Paolo Borchia (ID) accused those responsible for bringing the debate topic before the chamber of political bias and having backward priorities. He went even further, calling the entire discussion an example of “disingenuous electioneering,” designed to curtail the rise of the right-wing populist parties ahead of this fall’s European elections. 

We could have had a more balanced debate on extremism both on the left and the right. Instead of that the plenary room has been used for an hour just for electoral purposes. The problem isn’t extremism, the problem is injustice.