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Banning the Proud Boys
Be careful what you ask for

Clarke, John
http://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/banning-the-proud-boyscareful-what-you-ask-for

Publisher:  Canadian Dimension
Date Written:  16/01/2021
Year Published:  2021  
Resource Type:  Article

Clarke argues that state efforts to eradicate the threat of fascism are often a double-edged sword that can be easily turned against the political left and used to threaten workers' rights.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

The federal NDP has called for the far-right Proud Boys to be banned in Canada and declared a terrorist group. The party is now widely circulating a petition to that effect. Obviously, the role this violent group played in the recent disturbing events in Washington is a major motivating factor in this initiative. Although the Trudeau government has not yet agreed to move against the Proud Boys, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair's spokesperson has indicated that "Our national security and law enforcement agencies are very actively engaged in monitoring the activities of these groups, and gathering the evidence required to support a determination of listing as a terrorist organization."

I want to be very clear that I'm no advocate of free speech for fascists. It's my firm belief that hate needs to be shut down, and I don't for a moment deny that those who face racist threats and violence have every right to call upon the authorities to act against the perpetrators. I'm not even suggesting that demanding the state prosecute or ban fascist formations is something that can be completely ruled out. If I had been in Athens recently, I would have joined the great mass of people who took to the streets to celebrate the successful prosecution of the Golden Dawn fascists.

Nevertheless, I think we should be very wary of relying on the state to legislate the threat of fascism away. Measures taken against the far right are something of a double-edged sword that can easily be turned against the political left and used to threaten workers' rights. There are lots of examples of this that readily come to mind. After the defeat of the Nazi regime and the restoration of a liberal democracy in West Germany, Section 86a of the Strafgesetzbuch or criminal code outlawed the "use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations." It was applied against the far right but it was primarily used as a weapon against the left, culminating in the banning of the Communist Party in 1956.

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