The MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk, who was cold-bloodedly murdered yesterday, was a central figure of Trumpism: an influential voice against diversity, equality, and enlightenment. Kirk denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election, organized buses for the \u201eStop the Steal\u201c rally on January 6th, demonized Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ+ rights, and the feminist movement, called for a total abortion ban \u2013 and systematically incited hatred against migrants. On his recent trip to Asia, he promoted a global conservative men's movement against the \u201eeffeminate West,\u201c warning of \u201eglobalists\u201c and \u201ecultural decay.\u201c.<\/p>\n
Just hours after the attack, Fox News host Jesse Watters rambled about an alleged \u201ewar on MAGA\u201c and swore \u201eretribution.\u201c But in reality, it is Donald Trump who is waging war \u2013 against migrants, queer people, the poor and homeless, critical Democrats and journalists, judges who do their duty, and anyone who resists his claim to leadership.<\/p>\n
The murder is now being instrumentalized by Trump and his circle. While the US suffers from record inflation, an exploding budget deficit, and massive social tensions, and while the president is in the spotlight for sexual abuse, the Kirk murder helps him distract from his catastrophic record. His approval ratings are dropping, but the willingness to escalate is rising. The rhetoric is intensifying \u2013 a wave of purges is within reach, despite the unclear background of the Kirk murder.<\/p>\n
Europe is not unaffected by these developments either. For a long time, despite all the important and justified criticism of neoliberal and neocolonial elites, the transatlantic space served as a reference point for democratic standards. However, with the progressive decay of American democracy, Europe finds itself increasingly alone \u2013 caught between an unpredictable, authoritarian-led America and a war-mongering Russia, which has long been exerting influence not only militarily.<\/p>\n
In this double bind, the responsibility of EU citizens is growing. It is not enough to hope for stability. Democracy must be actively defended. Because while the US abandons its principles of the rule of law, forces ideologically close to the Trumps of this world are also gaining strength in Europe: the AfD in Germany, the Rassemblement National in France, Fidesz in Hungary, the PiS in Poland, the FP\u00d6 in Austria. They all adopt the same narratives: of \u201ecultural replacement,\u201c of a \u201eeffeminate West,\u201c of the \u201esickness of democracy.\u201c They incite hatred against refugees, against queer people, against independent media and intellectuals \u2013 and they do it with increasing professionalism, using digital networks, NGO imitations, and state-affiliated media channels \u2013 and conservatives are increasingly following them down this catastrophic misguided path.<\/p>\n
What has become de facto normal in the USA \u2013 intimidation, lies, the erosion of the rule of law \u2013 must not take root in Europe. Especially in Germany, which has a special obligation to protect democratic structures due to its history, now is the time to create clarity: Politics that question the equality of people is not an \u201ealternative opinion\u201c but a direct threat to open society. Those who incite hatred against asylum seekers, attack judges, demonize queer life, or delegitimize press freedom are not on the fringes of democracy, but already outside of it. A ban on the AfD is unavoidable \u2013 if it's not already too late.<\/p>\n
A dual consolidation is needed now: an domestic one, which brings together left-wing, liberal, and conservative democrats again to jointly build a democratic firewall against authoritarian forces. And an foreign policy one, which no longer sees the EU as an appendage of the transatlantic order, but as an independent actor with a clear social, democratic, and human rights agenda.<\/p>\n
Because if authoritarian America sets a precedent, Europe will tip over too.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Murder of Charlie Kirk and its Consequences for Europe<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-texte"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t