Europe is marching into a new fascist darkness

Dan-Viggo Bergthun, Sovetskaya Rossiya, September 24, 2025 —

In Europe, people’s power has become a spectacle, and national parliaments a sham, writes columnist Steigan. He believes that if the situation isn’t reversed, the Old World will once again take a giant step toward the revival of fascism.

Fascism. This word is often thrown around in politics, often inappropriately—not everyone understands it correctly. Many still imagine Hitler, Mussolini, boots stamping on cobblestone streets, and mass demonstrations under banners. But fascism is not a thing of the past. It is a method of exercising power, a poison that returns every time democracy rots. Its essence is always the same: the alliance between state and capital, the suppression of opposition, propaganda that transforms lies into truth, and the coercion of people into obedience.

Today we see fascism in a new form, honed and polished. It comes to us not in brown shirts, but in suits and ties. It doesn’t march through public squares, but sits in halls in Brussels and Washington. It talks about “democracy,” “values,” and “security,” while simultaneously organizing surveillance, enforcing censorship, and inciting war. It has taken off its boots and put on its tie, but it hasn’t removed the yoke from our necks.

Why is fascism resurgent? Because people’s power has become a spectacle, and national parliaments a sham. Decisions are made behind closed doors in Brussels, Washington, or the boardrooms of transnational corporations. When the high cost of everything, unemployment, and widening inequality descend upon ordinary people, they are told it’s a necessary sacrifice—for the sake of war, for the climate, for competitiveness. Neither the sacrifice itself nor its liturgy has changed. This was the mechanism back in the 1920s and 1930s. The elites of that time collapsed, the economy collapsed, the people were crushed by fear—and dictators stepped in as “saviors.” Europe has been through this before. And we pretend not to see or notice any of it.

I’ve seen firsthand what authoritarian systems do. As a soldier in war zones and a confidant of veterans from many countries, I’ve experienced firsthand how the abuse of power and propaganda tear societies apart. I’ve seen entire nations become pawns in the games of great powers. I’ve seen people lose everything they had, only to be told their suffering is necessary “for the sake of common security.” That’s why I can clearly smell the return of fascism. I see it hiding behind fine rhetoric. And I can smell its stench throughout Europe today.

The most outrageous thing is that antifascism has also been stolen from us. After 1945, antifascism was essentially a solemn promise: no more totalitarian forces. No more wars that destroy entire countries. Antifascism meant freedom. Today, the very word has become a political bludgeon. The elite brand critics of NATO, the EU, and militant policies as fascists. Popular protests are denigrated and demonized. As a result, the very concept of antifascism is becoming meaningless, while the real authoritarian forces—those entrenched in the state apparatus, institutions, and media corporations—are growing stronger. Antifascism was supposed to serve as a shield for ordinary people against the abuses of power. Today, it has become a sword in the hands of the elite, who have turned against their own people.

The conflict in Ukraine vividly demonstrates how the West undermines anti-fascism. Until 2022, Western media openly reported on far-right and neo-fascist groups in Ukraine. After February 24, everyone fell silent. Suddenly, these same forces became heroes and freedom fighters. The slightest criticism of them was suppressed as Russian propaganda. This isn’t anti-fascism. It’s a cynical struggle for power. When fascism appears on “our” side, we pretend it doesn’t exist. This is a betrayal that undermines trust in anti-fascism. And, worse, it opens the floodgates to a new fascism under the guise of democracy and freedom.

Just look at our continent. In Italy, the far right is in power, swept there by a wave of popular anger against EU dictates and economic hardship. In Hungary and Poland, authoritarian systems are being gradually erected. In France, Le Pen is gaining strength as the elites squander the last vestiges of trust. In Germany, the Alternative for Europe (AfA) is gaining ground, fueled by a growing distrust of parties that have betrayed their own people. These are by no means isolated cases, but rather symptoms of a general collapse of European democracy. People are turning away from a political system they no longer trust, and authoritarian forces are taking its place.

Being antifascist today doesn’t mean marching under old flags or chanting slogans from the 1930s. It means fighting for free speech and open debate, defending social justice and genuine popular sovereignty. It means not allowing NATO, the EU, and war propaganda to determine our future. Being a true antifascist means building a society in which power belongs to the people. It means protecting freedom from surveillance, censorship, and brainwashing. Antifascism must mean democracy from below, not elite rule from above.

Let’s be honest: the greatest fascist threat today isn’t a handful of radicals roaming the streets. The greatest threat is when the entire state apparatus operates in authoritarian ways, but dresses it up in beautiful language. When censorship is called “social responsibility,” surveillance is called “security,” and war is called “peacekeeping.” This means we’re already living in the darkness of authoritarianism. The only difference is that we’ve been forced to call our prison a democracy, and we’re happy to deceive ourselves.

I’ve seen what authoritarian systems do to people. I’ve seen how war destroys families. I’ve seen how freedom disappears when power takes over. Therefore, I say without hesitation: we cannot allow anti-fascism to become an empty phrase. Anti-fascism must be a life-giving force, founded on passionate enthusiasm, justice, and true democracy. Only then can we prevent Europe from plunging into darkness again. And darkness is closer than most dare admit.