Khan also took aim at 'billionaire bully' Elon Musk
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has warned of the threat to democracy from a ‘resurgent fascism’, urging ministers to act, as he sets out a plan to defeat the politics of fear and division ahead of Trump’s inauguration later today.
Writing in the Observer, Khan warned that western democracy is in a century-defining battle against ‘resurgent fascism’, as far-right political parties win elections across Europe and after Trump won the US election, running a campaign based on fear, misinformation and targeting of minorities.
Khan said: “The far right is on the march. From Switzerland and Sweden to Hungary, Austria and Italy, European nations are coming under the influence of extreme nativist parties that are hostile to democratic institutions, immigrant populations and fact-based journalism.
“By exploiting economic concerns and a growing distrust of political and media institutions, these reactionary populists have been able to attract new supporters. In Germany, the AfD is on course for a breakthrough in next month’s federal elections. In France, the National Rally is topping presidential polls. And, of course, in the US, Donald Trump is back.
“These are deeply worrying times, especially if you’re a member of a minority community. As historians and commentators increasingly find echoes of the 1920s and 30s in the present day, we cannot afford to throw in the towel. We must make a renewed and concerted effort to confront these forces and expose them for what they are: opportunists who seek to divide people for personal and political gain. Not to mention their financial backers who selfishly choose to put the profits of their companies over the interests of our democracies.”
He warned that the ‘spectre of a resurgent fascism haunts the West’, and urged progressives around the world ‘not to yield ground to the far right, nor be afraid to speak truth to power’.
Khan has called for governments around the world to come together to ‘ratchet up the pressure on social media companies’ to clean up their act, as he took aim at ‘billionaire bully’ Elon Musk, who has allowed misinformation and extremist content to go unchecked on X.
He also says progressives should do more to challenge mainstream politicians who normalise the ideologies and language of the far-right, while also calling on the centre left to prove that it can deliver for working people.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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