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Originally Posted by Itse
To add to the problem, especially in Europe right now far right and racist sentiments are on a rise to the point where we people are seriously starting to fear right wing takeovers. It's a slightly paranoid fear in many cases, but not completely. Democracy essentially already ended in Hungary for example.
There's also the issue of scare campaigns directed towards the liberals. In Finland for example if you're an even slightly visible female liberal you are almost 100% quaranteed to get death threats and rape threats against you and your family. Literally every single female left winger I can think of has gotten them in some for or another. Just think what that does to the atmosphere of discussion.
I have a friend who is married to a Middle-Eastern man, but avoids being seen with him because of the amount of racist vitriol it brings upon them both. This is in Helsinki.
The problem of constant death threats and rape threats towards liberals and especially women is in my opinion one of the biggest failings of "free speech" in the west right in the last few years. It's one of the reasons why I'm extremely hesitant to criticize those people too harshly for their possible overreactions to things. "Checking my privilege" just doesn't even begin to cover the gap between us.
(I'm actually quite surprised that I've never received a death threat. One person I ran into personally did suggest that my kid should get raped so I'd understand the threat of immigration better. Closest I've come to literally digging the eyes out of someones skull. I'm not kidding, I scared him and his friends pretty good and I'm glad I did. Just some lines you don't even ####ing touch.)
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I fully expect that there's going to be a far right government in some countries in Europe within the next decade. I don't think it's paranoid in the least. I'm not sure what effect it will have on democracy, but it's not likely to make it more vibrant.
Nobody should have to experience that kind of harassment, but there's not a lot anyone can do about that. All trying to aggresively ban that would do is further fuel the far right.
That being said, when the right rises up, it's almost always a reactionary movement, usually to issues that were ignored for too long, like the failure to integrate Muslim populations withing the larger population in Europe.