Europe is marching into a new fascist darkness

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​​​​​​​Moscow - Veterans news. “Fascism” is a word often thrown around in politics, but rarely understood. Most people still imagine Hitler, Mussolini, boots on cobblestones, and mass rallies under banners. But fascism is not history. It is a method of power, a poison that returns whenever democracy begins to rot. Its core is always the same: the fusion of state and capital, the suppression of opposition, propaganda that turns lies into truth, and populations forced into obedience.

Today, fascism comes in a new, polished form. It does not wear brown shirts, but suits and ties. It does not march in town squares, it sits in boardrooms, in Brussels, in Washington. It speaks the language of “democracy,” “values,” and “security,” while enforcing surveillance, censorship, and war preparations. The boots have been replaced with ties, but the pressure on our necks is the same.

Why is fascism rising again? Because democracy has been reduced to theater. National parliaments are little more than stage props. Real decisions are made behind closed doors in Brussels, in Washington, and in the boardrooms of multinational corporations. Ordinary people, facing inflation, unemployment, and deepening inequality, are told they must sacrifice—for war, for the climate, for competitiveness. The liturgy of sacrifice is the same as before. This was the mechanism in the 1920s and 30s: elites betrayed their citizens, economies collapsed, fear spread, and dictators presented themselves as “saviors.” Europe has been here before. And we pretend not to see it.

I have seen what authoritarian systems do. As a soldier in conflict zones, and as a representative for veterans from many nations, I have witnessed how propaganda and brute force tear societies apart. I have seen entire peoples turned into pawns in the games of great powers. I have seen men, women, and children lose everything—while being told their suffering was “necessary for security.” That is why I can smell fascism when it returns. I know how it hides behind beautiful words. And I can smell its stench spreading across Europe today.

The most grotesque part is that antifascism itself has been hijacked. After 1945, antifascism was a promise: never again totalitarianism. Never again wars that destroy whole societies. Antifascism meant freedom. Today, the term has been turned into a political club. The elite brand critics of NATO, the EU, and endless wars as “fascists.” Grassroots protests are demonized. The result is that antifascism is emptied of meaning, while the real authoritarian forces—those in state institutions, international organizations, and media conglomerates—grow stronger every day. Antifascism was supposed to be the people’s shield against tyranny. Today it has been twisted into the elite’s sword against the people.

The war in Ukraine shows how the West has undermined antifascism. Before 2022, Western media openly reported on the influence of neo-fascist and extremist groups in Ukraine. After February 24, all of this was silenced. Suddenly, the same groups were rebranded as “freedom fighters.” Any criticism of them was dismissed as “Russian propaganda.” This is not antifascism. This is cynical power politics. When fascism appears on “our side,” we pretend it doesn’t exist. It is a betrayal that destroys the credibility of antifascism itself. Worse still, it paves the way for fascism to grow once again under the banner of democracy and freedom.

Look around the continent. In Italy, the far right is in power, carried by popular anger against EU diktats and economic collapse. In Hungary and Poland, governments are steadily building authoritarian systems. In France, Marine Le Pen continues to strengthen her position because the elites have burned through every last shred of credibility. In Germany, AfD is rising on a wave of mistrust in parties that sold out their own people. These are not isolated cases. They are symptoms of a Europe losing its democracy. Citizens are turning away from political systems they no longer trust—and authoritarian forces are filling the void.

To be antifascist today does not mean marching under old flags or chanting slogans from the 1930s. It means fighting for free speech, for open debate, for social justice, and for genuine popular sovereignty. It means refusing to let NATO, the EU, and their war propaganda define our future. Real antifascism means building societies where power belongs to the people. It means defending freedom against surveillance, censorship, and thought control. Antifascism must mean democracy from below—not elite control from above.

Let us be clear: the greatest fascist threat today does not come from small groups parading in the streets. The greatest threat comes when entire state apparatuses adopt authoritarian methods, but disguise them in fine words. When censorship is called “responsibility.” When surveillance is called “safety.” When war is called “peacekeeping.” That is when we already live in authoritarian darkness. The difference is that we have been tricked into calling our prison “democracy.”

I have seen what authoritarian systems do to people. I have seen war crush families. I have seen freedom vanish when power takes everything. That is why I say without hesitation: we must never allow antifascism to become an empty word. Antifascism must be a living force, rooted in the people, in justice, and in real democracy. Only then can we prevent Europe from once again sinking into darkness.

And that darkness is closer than most dare to admit.

Best regards,

Mr. Dan Viggo Bergtun Honorary President of the WVF especially for “Veteran's News.”

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