Firewall against the right

Why are there only firewalls against the right? And who defines where the right begins? What about the firewall against the left (communists)? By Rainhard Kloucek

Agreed. Politics requires clear boundaries against anti-democratic, anti-European, nationalist, and polarising demagogues, especially when they also tolerate Putin’s war of annihilation against Ukraine or even openly side with Putin. We are also prepared to acknowledge that such parties or movements are referred to as right-wing today. Even if they originally stem from socialist or communist movements.

However, we should not forget that there are also parties and movements on the left that are against democracy, that polarise, and that side with Putin. The demarcation must also apply to these enemies of the open society.

The question of who defines against whom the firewall is erected must, however, be solved sensibly. Let us take the European Parliament as an example. There is Orbán’s new group, against which the firewall is intended to act. Agreed. Even if there are people there who once spied for the communist state police, they can be described as right-wing. Many in the conservative group, which includes the Polish PiS, for example, probably also have no objection to being described as right-wing.

But is it sensible to want to exclude them all from all decision-making processes through a firewall? Should the European People’s Party then no longer be allowed to support motions if they come from one of these groups, even if they make sense in terms of content but are simply not ideologically left-wing?

Or how does it stand specifically in the fight against Putin’s attack on Europe? One does not have to like the nationalism of the Polish PiS. However, it is clear that they stand firmly against Putin’s terror regime. They have proven this several times. On this issue, they are a partner to all those who want an independent Europe, even if the PiS is nationalist. So, one should not throw the baby out with the bathwater here.

Featured image: View into the plenary chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. © European Parliament