London's far-left mayor, Sadiq Khan, has warned that “the specter of a resurgence of fascism” threatens the West, with the rise of populists in Europe, censorship cuts at big tech companies and Donald Trump's return to the White House.
left-wing Labor Party politician write for observerIt is a sister paper. guardiancompared the growing rejection of neoliberal globalist policies in Europe and the United States to the rise of fascism in the “1920s and 1930s.''
Mayor Khan shouted, “The far right is marching.” “From Switzerland and Sweden to Hungary, Austria and Italy, European countries are under the influence of extremely xenophobic political parties that are hostile to democratic institutions, immigration and fact-based journalism.”
“In Germany, the AfD is on track to make a breakthrough in next month's federal elections. In France, the National Rally is leading presidential polls. And, of course, in the US, Donald Trump is back. '' he lamented.
The far-left mayor said the rise of populist parties was “very worrying, especially if you are part of a minority community”.
“There is no question, this is a dangerous moment. The specter of a resurgence of fascism haunts the West,” Khan declared.
Khan went on to argue that the global left “needs to do more to inoculate our societies against the virus of far-right populism.” History shows that now is the time to act. ”
A key area of concern cited by the Mayor of London was social media, which he claimed was “fueling racist populism and polarization”.
Khan pointed to X owner and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk as using social media platforms as “propaganda tools to amplify lies and advance far-right causes.” he accused.
He also lamented Mark Zuckerberg's Meta company's decision to scrap its so-called fact-checking mechanism in favor of the Type X community notes system, arguing that it was an act of capitulation to the incoming Trump administration.
Mr Khan has long advocated the suppression of speech by state powers and suggested countries like the UK should use laws such as the Online Safety Act to counter the prevalence of populist messages on social media. .
The law gives governments the power to impose hefty fines of up to 10% of global revenue on big internet companies if they fail to police so-called “harmful content.”
The mayor of London has been a vocal critic of President Trump, and in 2017, for example, the then-president criticized “xenophobia, racism, and 'otherness'” for “xenophobia, racism, and 'otherness.' '' and demanded that state visits with Queen Elizabeth should be prohibited. election tactics.”
Mr Trump is not one to take such accusations lightly, branding Mr Khan a “ruthless loser” for his failures in tackling knife crime and terrorism in London.
