Anti-Imperialism/Foreign Policy

Fascists Are Attempting to Win Followers by Rebranding as Antiwar

By Shane Burley, Truthout

Fascist activists are seeking to exploit a fracture on the left over the war in Ukraine to grow their movement.

"Rage Against the War Machine" rally at the Lincoln Memorial
Former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard speaks at the “Rage Against the War Machine” rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 2023.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP / Getty Images

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The idea of a political coalition that mixes self-identified communists with neo-Nazis may seem implausible at first. However, a February 19 rally in Washington, D.C., branded as an effort to “Rage Against the War Machine,” brought together dissident parts of the left and the right into common opposition to the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) role in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see so many people from so many different walks of life unite today to come out and say: It’s time for Washington to stop prolonging this war in Ukraine,” said Wyatt Reed, a reporter for the Russia-backed outlet Sputnik, before an applauding crowd.

The coalition included a strange assortment of libertarians, journalists, party-switching politicians and former presidential candidates.

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