Voting in the US presidential election will be held on November 5. Among them, current Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate, while former President Donald Trump is the Republican candidate. The presidential debate has taken place, but the accusations and counter-accusations continue. During the episode, Harris called Trump a fascist. This is a big word. Adolf Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini in Italy continued to be called fascists.
But what is fascism? Could Trump take any legal action over his comparisons to the world’s most notorious dictator?
The fascist era begins in Italy
It is a political ideology and governance system developed in the early 20th century. Emphasize absolute loyalty to one leader, one party, and one country. If someone fails to do so, then political and military force will also be used to suppress him.
Italian dictator Mussolini was the instigator of all this. Instigated by the leaders of the National Fascist Party, a fascist militia was formed in October 1922, and they marched through the streets of Rome shouting slogans. Anyone who protested was eliminated. This idea later spread to Germany. Hitler’s militia followed similar lines. But there it was called National Socialism. From here, fascism spread to Spain and other countries.
Fascism – Derived from the Latin “fascis” meaning “ax in the wood”. In ancient Rome, it was a symbol of strength and unity. Mussolini adopted this as a symbol of his party, and the term fascism came into use thereafter. In this regard, the focus is not just on one party or one leader, but on many other things. Just like only party leaders can take all important decisions of the country. He even controls the public’s basic desires. In this case, the ruler can control the media and even reading and writing.
Now the term has become much broader. It is used not just in politics, but in any field where leaders want to have a say in all decisions. Like the decision to lock down during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been called a fascist decision in the United States and other countries. People are saying there should be a poll before closing.
Why is Harris cornering Trump?
The vice president has already called Trump anti-democratic. They claim Trump could also seek military help to neutralize his political opponents. Trump’s tough stance on his opponents also added fuel to the charge.
Trump has expressed his disapproval of such news channels because they do not report the news he says. This happened many times especially during the last election. The Proud Boys are also a group among Trump supporters who use violence to control people. This is not a political group, but a group of young people. Trump also spoke in their favor during the last election. In January 2021, a group of Trump supporters caused riots in Washington, D.C., because they suspected voting fraud, resulting in Trump’s defeat.
Can charges filed during election season also be prosecuted?
Harris’ comments have not caused much uproar so far. However, Trump or his supporters could file a lawsuit against the other party if they wanted to. There are many such cases. For example, tensions between Trump and Hillary Clinton heightened in 2016, when each made numerous serious accusations against the other.
Trump subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing the newspaper of colluding with Russia for quoting Hillary. During the campaign, however, leaders speak cautiously, often saying only what they have said before to keep themselves safe. Even after this, if someone files a lawsuit, an apology will do the job. There has been no mention of any major legal action being taken in this regard.
