You might think the world would never again tolerate the rise of “master race” fascism. Surely, mankind has learned from the Holocaust and the other terrors inflicted by the Nazis?
But you might be mistaken. There are signs throughout Europe and in America that racially charged fascism is emerging from the shadows and becoming politically mainstream.
In Britain, right-wing extremists are basking in their Brexit victory.
In America, Richard Spencer’s “Allt-Right” movement, which staged a show of strength in Washington over the weekend, has been emboldened by the election of Donald Trump.
In France, Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader of the Front National, said that Trump “made possible what had previously been presumed impossible.” She is urging voters in her country to rise up against “the elite” as they had in America.
In Germany, the right-wing nationalist party, Alternative for Germany, is poised to make significant gains in next year’s elections.
All of these movements oppose non-white immigration. Spencer, for example, flatly advocates the creation of a white homeland. He says Europeans are “conquerors” and are superior to other ethnic groups.
You might say Trump is not necessarily sympathetic to global racists. But he has not denounced them. Indeed, Marion Le Pen’s niece, Maréchal-Le Pen, said Trump’s representatives have invited her to work with him.
And Stephen Bannon, Trump’s senior adviser, is a close ally of Brexit architect Nigel Farage, who visited America to support Trump’s presidential campaign.
Trump’s election is a product not only of economic resentment but also of white rage. And the world cannot afford to ignore this fact, however uncomfortable it may be to acknowledge it.
More on the rise of the far right