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The accusations of fascism are hurled with too much frivolity in our times. Certainly, in the vast majority of cases, this adjective is unfair. A fascist is not someone who has a different opinion from us. Someone who promotes left or right-wing policies is not a fascist. People who propose nonsense are not fascists, and not even those who lack diplomacy are fascists. Fascists, simply and exclusively, are those who promote a fascist model.
And this Tuesday, February 15, 2022, in the facilities of the Mexican Senate, Obradorismo showed its fascism.
Not because they proposed some nonsense, but because the official senators added their voice and signature to a clearly fascist document, a statement that Mussolini himself would have signed without the slightest hint of doubt.
What happened?
The pro-government senators, desperate to help President López Obrador (who is under the spotlight because of the mansions where his son José Ramón has been living in Texas) published and read a clearly fascist communiqué. And I will quote it in their own words:
“President Andrés Manuel López Obrador embodies the nation, the homeland and the people; opponents of the president, therefore, seek to stop the advances to give the people of Mexico a more dignified future.”
“The enemies are not only opponents of the democratic and popular principles headed by the Executive, but opponents of Mexico and all citizens who seek justice and social equality.”
“We, the senators of Morena, will be unconditionally supporting the President of the Republic, who symbolizes the ideals of the Nation, of the Homeland, of the people, of independence, sovereignty and the interests of national welfare.”
“Therefore, those who oppose the President of Mexico are nothing more than a handful of mercenaries…They are traitors to the Nation, to the Homeland and to the people.”
“Benefits for a few, never. The collective benefit must always come first”.
It is not simple politicking, it is fascism
Why? Because the Morena senators and their allies start from the idea that the president embodies in himself the values and loyalty of the nation, and that, therefore, any act of “disloyalty” or disobedience to the president constitutes, in their terms, a “betrayal of the homeland”.
And that is precisely the key difference that distinguishes democracy from totalitarianism in general, and fascism in particular.
A prerequisite for Democracy is the conviction that one can dissent without being a traitor; that within a single country different political and social perspectives can coexist, different “models of nationhood” that compete with each other through the rules and institutions of the democratic system, without any of them completely annulling or extinguishing the others.
Fascism, on the other hand, is based on the idea that the political and ideological unity of the nation is the fundamental value of the fatherland, that the sum of wills that are fragile when isolated, when united in a fascio become invincible.
The full force of the State… against the opposition
By accusing those of us who oppose the political project of President López Obrador of being traitors to the homeland, the ruling party not only launches a trivial accusation, but also places millions of people in the sights of the regime’s repressive apparatus itself, since in Mexico treason is a crime, specifically contemplated in Article 123 of the Federal Penal Code and punishable by up to 40 years in prison.
Therefore, although the pro-government senators are not (yet) asking for jail for their enemies, they do question the political and democratic legitimacy of any vision different from the one promoted by López Obrador, and this may be irreversible.
Whether they have understood it or not, Obradorism discloses its fascism. They labeled millions of people as traitors to the homeland, and in doing so they eroded the political channels that sustain institutions and laws, since without the shared conviction that we have the right to dissent, dialogue is not possible, democracy is not sustainable and freedom is not safe.
When everything is subject to the whim of the government and the label of treason, we are facing a fascist system. And on February 15, 2022, Obradorism openly disclosed its fascism.
Gerardo Garibay Camarena, is a doctor of law, writer and political analyst with experience in the public and private sectors. His new book is "How to Play Chess Without Craps: A Guide to Reading Politics and Understanding Politicians" // Gerardo Garibay Camarena es doctor en derecho, escritor y analista político con experiencia en el sector público y privado. Su nuevo libro es “Cómo jugar al ajedrez Sin dados: Una guía para leer la política y entender a los políticos”