Banning a Fascist party

[Lev Bronsteinovich]

I am really puzzled by many of the comrades comments on this topic. I always thought that it is a basic communist principle that we do not want the bourgeois state to say who can and cannot form a party. Any legislation used against fascists is likely to be used against the left. Let me also be clear that I am not in favor of "free speech for fascists." Firstly, speech is not their preferred mode of political engagement. It is up to the labor movement and the left to clear these vermin off the streets.

In the US, the laws that put members of the then Trotskyist SWP, and later the CP in prison were originally put on the books to "prosecute fascists." I don't think an fascists went to prison because of the "Smith Act." It is a good case in point.

[blake 3:17]

I'm opposed to banning parties of the far Right or censoring their speech. This gives way too much power to the state and is more likely to be used against us than the Right.

If people are spreading worthless hateful ideas then expose them as such, and argue for better ideas. My first experience in politics was in anti-fascist work and part of what the Neo-Nazis were able to build on and find some support among marginalized youth was they were seen as outsider rebels.

I have no problem with popular mobilization against the Right, but be careful not to embrace direct or indirect state sanctions against them. By direct, I mean banning of parties or organizations. By indirect I mean relying on or pushing for things like banning fascists from campus or appearing in the media.

Garbage ideas can be exposed as garbage. They are actually very easy to argue against.

If fascists groups are involved in criminal activities (eg. physically attacking immigrants, vandalizing synagogues or mosques or abortion clinics), they should be treated as criminals.