• thefluffiest@feddit.nl
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    19 hours ago

    Romania pointing the way on how to handle fascism. The only thing democracy can’t tolerate is autocracy, and should therefore act on it. And they have some experience in this regard.

    Take my upvote Romania!

    • FreudianCafe@lemmy.ml
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      10 hours ago

      If you think this is an effective way to fight fascism id suggest you read some books into the history of fascism

      • krf@szmer.info
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        3 hours ago

        Obviously the most effective way to fight fascism is to elect fascist government and wait until fascists show their incompetence as a governing party, while established institutions and system of checks and balances is ensuring the integrity of next elections, so the fascists will be gone once and for all after a single term.

        • FreudianCafe@lemmy.ml
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          27 minutes ago

          Let me quote something here

          If you think this is an effective way to fight fascism id suggest you read some books into the history of fascism

  • A_norny_mousse@feddit.org
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    19 hours ago

    The Romanian electoral commission did that. I’m sure they had their reasons - the article cites “statements contradictory to democratic values” (last November) and Russian interference. I guess they have something to back that up with. The Guardian does not say, but until someone convinces me otherwise (edit: that will be really hard after me reading this) I will give the electoral commission the benefit here.

    This is government at work. If they really wanted to suppress democratic voices they’d not go about it in a way that just gives free publicity to her and better chances to the remaining far-right candidate.

    • qyron@sopuli.xyz
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      16 hours ago

      I hope I’m getting where you are pointing at.

      No, I don’t like how this kind of events play out but for all that is worth, it can not be allowed for groups that espouse extreme ideologies to even gather the smallest of support.

      Democracy as been shown, countless times, it is a very fragile system, vulnerable to players willing to manipulate and distort it in order to achieve personal gains, at the detriment of a large majority.

      These far right groups prey upon the insecurities of the masses, create and steer the exact narrative to create distrust and obfuscate real issues and preveny people, either by force or by erasure, to raise doubt or demand proof of their claims.

      Let’s be tolerant, but let’s not be tolerant with those who are intolerant.

      • ryannathans@aussie.zone
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        13 hours ago

        You can use whatever words you want to describe it, but at the end of the day when we have the majority of the population voting for something you don’t want, you’re the minority. Trying to fight against the rights of the majority of the population is a dangerous battle only previously tried by authoritarian dictatorships and similar regimes.

        No one seriously tried to stop these people from becoming candidates, but now they have support of the public the ruling powers oppose them.

        Also worth mentioning, in Romania, political left and rights seem to be flipped. Far right wing candidates want more rights for gays, etc. So can get confusing depending on which media sources are used.

        • comfy@lemmy.ml
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          8 hours ago

          Trying to fight against the rights of the majority of the population is a dangerous battle only previously tried by authoritarian dictatorships and similar regimes.

          That’s definitely not limited to authoritarian dictatorships. Seeing as you’re posting from an aussie instance, Whitlam’s dismissal comes to mind, along with lockdown laws (whether the majority approved or not).

          Also worth mentioning, in Romania, political left and rights seem to be flipped.

          The left-right framework just isn’t useful. As you’ve pointed out, it’s relative and changes massively between each country.

          This video helps explain in more depth and proposes a more useful, effective political model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nPVkpWMH9k

      • A_norny_mousse@feddit.org
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        19 hours ago

        oof…

        In June 2024, Șoșoacă was elected as a member of the European Parliament. She (…) wore a muzzle over her face as a sign of dissent during Ursula von der Leyen’s opening speech. Later, she loudly protested when French MEP Valérie Hayer suggested that abortion rights be included in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. After interrupting Hayer’s speech several times, she was escorted outside the chamber.

        On 12 December 2021, Șoșoacă was interviewed by Italian reporter Lucia Goracci who was investigating the anti-vaccine movement for Rai 1. After a very tense exchange, Șoșoacă locked the door of her apartment and called the police, stating that someone had entered her office.
        Once police had arrived, Șoșoacă asked that all of Goracci’s footage be deleted. Goracci said that she and her crew had been held captive by the senator and that she had been punched by Șoșoacă’s husband without the police intervening. The stalemate ended after eight hours, following an intervention by the Italian embassy.

        In February 2023, she falsely accused the United States of causing the Turkey–Syria earthquakes with a seismic weapon. Șoșoacă used Facebook to spread fake news on the matter, using footage from 2009 falsely claiming to be from 2023.

        Police officers from Ilfov County announced that they are investigating and opening a criminal case (…) after several people, including Șoșoacă, commemorated Iron Guard leader Corneliu Zelea Codreanu at a wayside cross in Tâncăbești. Some of the participants raised their hands in the Hitler salute.

        I blame lack of education and social media algorithms.

      • Bloomcole@lemmy.ml
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        17 hours ago

        It is literally ‘power by the people’
        Not ‘what others decide for the people.’
        But lets be honest, it’s the not being hostile to Russia that did it.
        Can’t have that in a US colony where they plan to have the biggest base for their imperialist wars.
        And who helped the openly fascists ukranian to power in 2014?

        • andrew0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          14 hours ago

          How can you have democracy if you let people vote for a person that says he will remove all political parties? There must be checks and balances that stop you at some point. Also, Romanian law prohibits candidates with ties to fascist or extremist ideologies from participating in elections. That’s in the law, introduced by people that were democratically elected.

          But lets be honest, it’s the not being hostile to Russia that did it. Can’t have that in a US colony where they plan to have the biggest base for their imperialist wars.

          Sure, the US that is now serving up its allies on a silver platter to Putin? His friend Trump is going to revert sanctions any day now for that sweet oil. For power in the Middle East, maybe, but the EU is hopefully going to wake up soon and kick all American bases ASAP.

          And who helped the openly fascists ukranian to power in 2014?

          Firstly, the Euromaidan protests didn’t get hundreds of thousands of people attending just because they got brainwashed by the EU/US. Allegedly, Russia attempted to do the same thing in Romania with Georgescu, and only a few hundred people showed up to protest the decision to take him off the ballot. People in Ukraine felt betrayed when Yanukovych wanted to reject EU and get closer with Russia, a country that has had 146% voter turnout during one of its recent elections. Arguably, maybe the EU is not the best, but its system is way more decentralized than Russia’s, allowing better representation of its population and reducing the chance of corruption. At least we don’t hear people that are criticizing the government “randomly” falling out of windows here…

          Secondly, Poroshenko was openly fascist? Or whom exactly do you mean? If I’m not mistaken, Poroshenko assigned a Jewish person as his prime minister. Or you might be hinting at the Azov Brigade being integrated by him into the national army? What would you do when Russia starts invading your country, though? Either way, you might be right that it is in the benefit of the EU (and perhaps US) to have closer ties with Ukraine, but it goes both ways. Ukraine did not like what happened in Georgia, and wanted more security and pro-democracy allies. That does not mean that the EU made Ukraine into a Nazi puppet state to fight Russia.

      • FreudianCafe@lemmy.ml
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        18 hours ago

        Let people decide. What if they want a far right leader? I dont think its good, but its people righ to have the leader they choose.

        • comfy@lemmy.ml
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          8 hours ago

          I dont think its good, but its people right to have the leader they choose.

          Well, that’s all well and good in an idealistic liberalist abstract, but in reality it often leads to (and Romania’s own history did lead to) mass suffering, extermination of minorities, and getting invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union after their fascist leader Codreanu allied with Hitler. So, it’s best nipped in the bud, no matter what the majority believe.

          Șoșoacă, in fact, is under investigating for commemorating Codreanu in public.

          • Bloomcole@lemmy.ml
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            5 hours ago

            They fully deserved to be invaded by the Soviets.
            They had a fascist regime indeed. Don’t go crying about the consequences of their own actions.
            And you only believe in democracy when it turns out how you want?
            Looks like fake democracy to me if they let them participate and then ban them AFTER they win.
            It’s exactly what the US did when they held ‘democratic elections’ in Afghanistan.
            The Taliban won despite all their meddling after which they annuled it and had to do it over again without them.

            What will happen in other countries, let’s say if the horrible AfD win in Germany, are they going to ban them then?
            Either you ban them before or honor the results.
            But that would break the illusion of having a real democracy.
            It’s clear only centrist results in the narrow overton window are tolerated.
            And you think it was better for Georgia when they basically got a French president puppet or that corrupt one who had to flee to fascist ukraine where he had to flee again for doing the same?
            They literally started a war with Russia.
            And somehow the west doesn’t mind extreme right when they are against Russia.
            They fully suported them in ukraine, turned out great for them didn’t it?

        • andrew0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          14 hours ago

          Ok, but there are laws involved here. In Romania, you can’t be president if you are under 35 years old, or, among others, if you have a criminal record. The people that were stopped from running for president weren’t barred because they went against the mainstream parties, but because they openly promoted personalities that were doing the equivalent of the Holocaust in Romania. This is punishable by law by up to 3 years in jail, and they’re being actively investigated.

          The lady in this post was previously denied her run in the summer of last year, and she kept quiet about it until now because they probably told her they won’t pursue it further if she steps back. She took the deal, probably because she realises that she’d rather keep grifting on Facebook than spend 3 years in jail.

        • Bloomcole@lemmy.ml
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          17 hours ago

          I feel the same.
          as long as their program is not against the law extreme right parties can take part everywhere else in Europe.

          • comfy@lemmy.ml
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            8 hours ago

            …the leaders generally get to make the laws, so I don’t think legality is a useful safeguard.

        • BaconIsAVeg@lemmy.ml
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          16 hours ago

          It’s the same reason you don’t let your kids have candy and ice cream for every meal.

          Because the people are idiots.

            • BaconIsAVeg@lemmy.ml
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              16 hours ago

              Well for starters, I don’t support far right candidates which sounds like I have a leg up on you at least.

              • FreudianCafe@lemmy.ml
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                16 hours ago

                You support authoritarism over the peoples choice, wich kinda makes you far right yourself, but yeah you probably have many legs

                • BaconIsAVeg@lemmy.ml
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                  15 hours ago

                  authoritarism

                  Romania has 6 other political parties, ranging from centre-right to far-right. Are you insinuating the people don’t have a choice?