Deklarácia semináru ECOSY v Bratislave
339-krát zhliadnuté
MSD Slovensko a ECOSY prijalo deklaráciu voči pravicovému extrémizmu.
We, as ECOSY - Young European Socialists, gathered in Bratislava at the invitation of MSD Slovakia, express our determined will to fight back on the rise of right wing extremism, both in society and in political institutions.
Across the European Union, right wing populist and extremist parties are gaining ground with almost every election. Extreme-right ideas are slowly trickling down into the mainstream parties discourses. Xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, nationalism, homophobia, and sexism seem to grow deeper and deeper roots in European society. The shadow of a past that we thought was definitely behind us looms again in modern outfit. It is our duty, as the young generation of the left, to get the tide turning.
For an open society.
As young socialists, we stand for an open and inclusive society. A society of equals, in which everyone enjoys the same opportunities, regardless of socio-economic background, sexual orientation, religion, culture, gender or any other sociological determinant. A society in which every individual has the right and means of developing its own life project. A society in which people and groups are not only "tolerated", but actually included, and seen as proper actors of public life in its every aspects.
But it takes more than a declaration to implement such a society. Tools, as imperfect and unsatisfactory as they are, exist and need to be implemented. To take but a few examples, too many Member States have not ratified such an essential text as the charter on protection of minorities. Countries with legislation condemning hate crimes committed on the basis of xenophobia, racism or homophobia, etc. or encouragement to such crimes by the way of speeches and propaganda are still the exception. Quotas to enforce political representation of women are not the rule yet. If national parliament and government fail to take action in these areas, then it is at the EU level that action must be taken to fix a common compulsory legal framework, based on the highest standard. No opt outs can be undermining such legislation.
Some groups are de facto excluded from society. This cannot go on. We call for a "residence citizenship" for people living in Europe for three years or more.
At the organisational level also, there is much room for changes. People coming from minorities or lower socio-economic background are not present enough in our movements - there is still a long road to walk for this situation to improve but there is no reason to delay the first steps.
Besides, we strongly believe that extreme-right ideas in society are a symptom. Attacking the symptoms without tackling the causes at the same time is just vain. We think that education is the key to the construction of an open society. People can be educated to value differences as an enrichment rather than a threat, and that should start from the earliest age with compulsory classes on civic education as early as kindergarten. Classes must reflect the diversity of society.
Fighting the extreme-right wing in its institutional form.
We must never forget the lessons of the past - the most important one being that it is possible for right-wing extremists to get into power through the democratic process.
Since the beginning of the new millennium, we are appalled by the increasing level of participation of right-wing extremists in governments across the EU.
For ECOSY - Young European Socialists, the main tool to fight the institutionalised extreme-right is the Cordon Sanitaire: no contacts between democratic and extreme-right parties, no support for their political initiatives and no acceptance of support from their side to ours. Even if this is our most important tool, it is not the only one. No public money should be spent on propagating the ideology of hate. No additional time should be given in Parliaments to people preaching extreme-right thesis. Therefore, we call on the Member States' national parliaments and on the European Parliament to change their rules and regulation to cut down financial support and other advantages to fractions and parties condemned on a basis of legislation against hate crimes or hate speeches.
But the institutional and legal tools are not enough to overcome the extreme-right danger. A lot of voters, and especially a lot of traditional left-wing voters, go to the extremist parties out of deliberated choice. There are reasons to that, and it is those reasons that we must address as socialists and social-democrats.
First and foremost, those people believe that the extreme-right wingers can provide solutions to their everyday problems. They are convinced that the left wing politics cannot provide the needed changes and improve society anymore. We must prove them wrong!
Right-wingers seem to incarnate transformation while they are only advocating for reactionary politics. Inside the socialist family, we must push for a strong left-wing identity, and incarnate the dynamic of social transformation and progress. Only by providing clear answers to the socio-economical problems lifted by neo-liberal globalisation can we work to win back the support of the citizens. Having a strong and clear message, even when it comes to compromises made in Government, participate of this cultural battle: we must show that there is an alternative to neo-liberalism and the social insecurity it generates, and this alternative is on the left.
Finally, the strength of the left-wing parties is that they are mass-based parties. But unfortunately, being a member in a party does not necessarily means taking part in the internal processes. Our parties must reform to allow every member to be a true participant in the debates and in the decision making process, but also to allow every member to further develop him or herself.
A united anti-fascist front!
Whether fighting the symptoms or the causes of the rise of right-wing extremism, we cannot hope to win the battle on our own. The Cordon Sanitaire only makes sense if every democrat sticks to it. A strong commitment and an everyday vigilance are needed to avoid the trickling down of extreme-right ideas into the discourse of other political structures. This is why we are calling for a wide alliance of the youth political structures into a campaign for implementation of legal tools at national and European levels.
The fight against extreme-right is not to be fought in Parliaments and law courts only. It is to be led on the ground, convincing person after person of the fundamental importance of eradicating the "brown tide". The socialist and social-democratic parties are not enough to reach all segments of society and bring the fight for social transformation to the people. We call for a strong alliance of all progressive forces in society, from political parties to trade unions, via the civil society structures and youth organisations against extreme-right ideology. Together we must build up our alternative vision of a society based on solidarity and bear contradiction to the extreme-right vision of a society of division and hate. And, together, we must lead the fight to convince people that this society is possible, and not just a Utopia never to be reached.
TOGETHER, LET'S MAKE EXTREME-RIGHT HISTORY!
