For one of the first times since the 1930's, the British Union of Fascists flag was unfurled in Trafalgar Sq today

Like Hitler's Nazi's, Mosely's Nazi's were defeated

Britons came onto the streets of London to fight them gave their lives to rid Europe of the scourge of fascism https://twitter.com/StefSimanowitz/status/1134437596199829504
Camus writes: “The plague bacillus never dies or disappears for good: it can lie dormant for years…and perhaps the day will come when, for the bane and the enlightening of men, it will rouse up its rats again & send them forth to die in a happy city.” https://twitter.com/StefSimanowitz/status/1125022414860095490
“The most sophisticated tyrannies are ones that have a showman as their frontman. Clown or blowhard. Jester or villain. The type of showman doesn’t matter. Their audience will love them just the same." (Emerson Warner, 1949) #DonaldTrump #BorisJohnson https://twitter.com/StefSimanowitz/status/1276993242010173440
"It’s as if the Age of Reason - the era of evidential argument - is ending & now knowledge is delegitimized & scientific consensus is dismissed. Democracy, which depends on shared truths, is in retreat, & autocracy, which depends on shared lies, is on the march." @SachaBaronCohen
Fascists on both sides of the Atlantic are feeling emboldened.

Far-right views are increasingly normalised in our politics & in our media.

On the battleground of language, the narratives are often framed, not just by conservatives, but by the far-right.
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1291330797727821830?s=21 https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1291330797727821830
This thread by @McFaul - an expert in fascism & autocracies - unpacks the narratives, messaging, symbols & methods on display this week at #DonaldTrump’s #RNCConvention

The alarm is sounding

It’s time to wake up

This is not a drill

This is NOT a drill
https://twitter.com/mcfaul/status/1299393439327346688?s=21 https://twitter.com/mcfaul/status/1299393439327346688
The road to authoritarianism:

1. Degrade, co-opt & intimidate the media

2. Hollow out civil society

3. Undermine the rule of law & weaken the judiciary

4. Politicise the civil service

5. Whip up mistrust, anger & division

6. Do it "for the people"
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1279766855658409984?s=21 https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1279766855658409984
The danger does not come from two angry men waving a fascist flag in Trafalgar Sq.

It lies in what is happening behind the scenes, right now, in the UK & the US

It is not immediately apparent, particularly amid all the ‘sound & fury’.
#ThisIsNotADrill
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1286946529446699008?s=21 https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1286946529446699008
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