Debate: Fight against the resurgence of neo-fascism in Europe, also based on the parade that took place in Rome on January
Date: TUESDAY, 16 JANUARY 2024
Speaker: Ylva Johansson
Language: EN

So I come with a clear message: when it comes to fighting neo-fascism, it is essential that we act quickly and decisively, and it is essential that we act together because democracies die when democrats fail to act. Let us remember what neo-fascism is. It is not a challenge in a democratic system, it is a challenge to the democratic system – and that challenge comes with a corrosive effect on acceptable discourse, on media freedom, on rule of law. It is a rust that sets in. It goes slowly until it goes quick, and then it is too late.  The remedy is quick and regular action until the threat recedes. So I was heartened to see the protest in Berlin and Potsdam last weekend, and heartened to see Chancellor Schulz and Foreign Minister Baerbock among their number. Thousands took to the streets in defence of democracy, against fascism and racism, and specifically against the revelation that an extreme right meeting had taken place in Potsdam last November.  But this is not the only recent instance, of overt neo-fascism. Again, only last week, a crowd gave a well-drilled fascist salute at a rally in Rome. Italy’s foreign minister has rightly condemned this episode. These incidents are individually troubling in their scale, but they are also troubling in their connections. There is evidence that through online communication, invitations and attendance, there is growing participation of neo-fascist groups across Member State lines – a European nation, 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. Article Two of the Treaty and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights is clear: hate speech and hate crime are incompatible with the values of the European Union and fundamental rights. On 6 December last year, the Commission, under the guidance of Vice-Presidents Jourova and Schinas and Commissioner Reynders and Dalli, published the communication on ‘No Place for Hate’. This proposed the following actions: more money towards protecting people and the places in which they worship; a new code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online; upgrading our anti-racist EU anti-racism, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred coordinators as designated envoys. In addition, our Radicalisation Awareness Network saw very early the need to invest in work against the risk of right-wing extremism. It is a daily fight that requires the mobilisation of all resources.  We need to do more to protect democracy. In June this year, millions of Europeans will vote in the European Parliament elections. There is no greater celebration of our liberal, democratic and European system – and no greater compliment to that system than the prediction of another increase in turnout, a sign that a healthy democratic pulse beats in the EU. But we have to make sure that those who vote do so on the basis of information and not disinformation, because this information is becoming the fast lane to fascism.  To fight the threat of disinformation in November 2021, the Commission presented its proposal on the transparency and targeting of political advertising. This was a part of its Democracy and Integrity of Elections package. The proposed regulation will introduce a high standard of transparency for political advertising services in the Union. It strengthens accountability by empowering citizens and interested entities in the democratic process, and supports national authorities in performing their oversight tasks. It deters the misuse of political advertising, including foreign interference. I am again heartened by the actions of the Parliament and Council who reached political agreement on this proposal.  As you know, honourable Members, this mandate has not been an easy one. The challenge of the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cost of living crisis across the European Union – all these have tested people across Europe. It has led to understandable frustration and even alienation.  Our job is to address those frustrations with well-thought-out policies and to make sure that the frustration is not exploited, it is not cultivated and amplified and eventually distorted and weaponised expressly to create divisions in our societies. This is where the risk of neo-fascism and the reality of foreign interference intersect. We need to act fast when we see a familiar threat, even if it wears a new mask. We know it as we see it and we will oppose it.