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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: goldsnow who wrote (16660)	6/19/2000 4:25:00 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

The Fascist's Return to Power by Martin A. Lee monitor.net Excerpt: "Neo-fascism and neo-Nazism are gaining ground in many countries, especially in Europe," says Maurice Glele-Ahanhanzo, special rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Of particular concern, Glele-Ahanhanzo noted in a recent report to the UN General Assembly, is the "increase in the power of the extreme right-wing parties," thriving in "an economic and social climate characterized by fear and despair." Among the key factors fueling the far right, according to the UN report, are "the combined effects of globalization, identity crises and social exclusion." Radical right-wing populist movements with openly fascist roots have made significant inroads into mainstream politics in several West European countries, including Belgium, where the neo-fascist Vlaams Blok outpolls all rivals with 30 percent of the vote in Antwerp, the second-largest city. Far-right parties have also gained at least 15 percent nationwide in France, Italy and Norway. While this percentage may seem inconsequential in terms of the U.S. two-party system, it can carry great weight in parliamentary balloting and determine the political makeup of government. Even when they lose elections, neo-fascists are like a toxic chemical in the water supply of the European political landscape, polluting public discourse and pressuring establishment parties to adopt extremist positions to fend off challenges from the hard right. Scapegoating foreigners and ethnic minorities, ultra-right-wing demagogues have touched a raw nerve in a tumultuous post-Cold War world still reeling from the demise of Soviet-bloc communism, the reunification of Germany, global economic restructuring and major technological change. In Western Europe today, there are 50 million poor, 18 million unemployed and 3 million homeless -- and Eastern Europe is faring much worse. Such conditions are ripe for exploitation by extreme-right organizations that range from tiny splinter groups and underground terrorist cells to sizable political parties. While skinhead gangs may function as shock troops of the far right's march through Europe, leaders of the more successful mass-based neo-fascist organizations have softened their image and tailored their message to appeal to mainstream voters. [snip]