this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2024

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285

Senior Democrat calls for arrests of ‘leftwing fascists’ urging Gaza ceasefire | The Guardian (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by RoseTintedGlasses@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/news@lemmy.world

102 comments fedilink hide all child comments

accidentally posted this in world news before bcs i forgot about the no internal US news rule by accident

Congressman Adam Smith says ‘totalitarian’ protesters are ‘trying to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them’

Protesters calling for Israel to cease fire in its war with Hamas who have disrupted US public events and infrastructure are practicing “leftwing fascism” or “leftwing totalitarianism”, a senior US House Democrat said, adding that such protesters are “challenging representative democracy” and should be arrested.

“Intimidation is the tactic,” said Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democrat on the House armed services committee. “Intimidation and an effort to silence opposition … I don’t know if there’s such a thing as leftwing fascism. If you want to just call it leftwing totalitarianism, then that’s what it is. It is a direct challenge to representative democracy now.”

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[–] Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works 146 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (15 children)

Congressman Adam Smith says ‘totalitarian’ protesters are ‘trying to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them’

Says the man wanting to lock people up.

“Intimidation is the tactic,”[…] “Intimidation and an effort to silence opposition”

Is this man so comically evil he’s trying to be the Spanish Inquisition?

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 37 points 6 months ago

Does he plan on locking up Chuck Schumer too?

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 104 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Totalitarian... protesters?

[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 27 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You get a buzzword, you get a buzzword, everyone gets a buzzword!!!

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The ANTIFA are culturally appropriating the Jewish space lasers! Antisemitism!

[–] Tryptaminev@lemm.ee 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Fun fact. The organization of holocaust survivors, bund of anti fascists in Germany, whose members are mainly Jewish holocaust survivors and their descendants has been targeted by the German government for being "far left extremism." Because actual holocaust survivors are clearly suspicious for demanding antifascism.

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I've heard that its also including bank account freezes for them as well in some cases, utterly ridiculous behavior by the German government.

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago

Antiwar Tankies

[–] ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 99 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This is the most incoherent thing I've ever seen...

By speaking out, these "totalitarian" protesters are silencing everyone else and challenging representative democracy? And to stop them from silencing others, they must be arrested to prevent them from speaking?

Dude, this couldn't have sounded good in your fucking head...

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.world 26 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (4 children)

It's called doublespeak.

A guy called Orwell wrote a book about Modern Totalitarianism that includes this (prety good book, recommended read).

It was supposed to be a work of fiction but apparently a lot of politicians are using it as a roadmap.

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 10 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

This is beyond double speak. It doesn't even need to make sense anymore. As in, like, they don't even need to form a complete, coherent sentence anymore.

They don't need to. They've had far more success with the big lie than anyone ever expected, I believe.

[–] Tryptaminev@lemm.ee 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

double speak and double think didn't need to make sense. The key to them is accepting directly contradicting statements as equally true as long as the party puts them out. The total ignorance to contradiction is the key.

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[–] HuddaBudda@kbin.social 72 points 6 months ago

Strange .. I don't remember storming a capital building trying to subvert our democratic process....

All I suggested is that not everyone in Gaza is Hamas. That 6 year old girls are way to young to understand what a Nazi even is.

And that Israel's tactics for a hostage situation is deplorable. Considering they used more Bombs in a week then the USA dropped in Afghanistan in a year.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 65 points 6 months ago (19 children)

Wish we had an anti-genocide party in this country.

[–] Saurok@lemm.ee 7 points 6 months ago

We have anti-genocide parties. The problem is not enough Americans are willing to vote for them or organize for them as alternatives to the Democrat and Republican parties. Plus the coffers for the Democrats and Republicans are filled by corporations, so it's grassroots funding vs multi-billion dollar industry donations and super PACs.

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[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 58 points 6 months ago (7 children)

What an absolute dickbag. He even complains about silent protests that are 100% peaceful. Maybe if your stance is so weak that silent protestors are enough to derail your plans, you should rethink your stance. He even downplays children being killed.

Also, if we are talking about silencing opposite points of views, how many pro-Israel people in the US have been kicked out of school, arrested, vilified in the mainstream press, or fired from their jobs?

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[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 55 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Pretty standard perspective for a politician that has been in office since the 90s.

When you really haven't felt accountability for decades, it probably feels intimidating. He might have to, you know, represent these opinions from his constituents somehow.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 15 points 6 months ago

"You're either with us, or you're with the terrorists"

[–] Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world 54 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (9 children)

Friendly Reminder:

Neoliberals are conservatives. Always have been. The D next to the name does not change that.

We do not currently have a viable left-wing party. We have a conservative party and a more conservative party.

[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 19 points 6 months ago

We have two parties, conservative and fascist.

We used to have a centrist and far right party. And before that, for a brief time, we had a liberal and a Conservative party.

One party makes outrageous and unreasonable demands that only move to the right, and the other party is happy to negotiate with those demands, and so the country moves further and further to the right.

We're told the only way to stop this is to keep doing what we've already been doing.

[–] Tryptaminev@lemm.ee 18 points 6 months ago

From an outside perspective you have a an economic far right party with gay rights and systemic racism and genocidal imperialism as well as a fascist party w.o. gay rights

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[–] AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today 34 points 6 months ago (4 children)

I can't wait to vote him out of office. He has done little for the state and district, and clearly doesn't give a shit.

I like how he said intimidation is the tactic they're using (while calling them fascists) and in the same breath says the protesters should be arrested. He's literally complaining about fascism while supporting it himself.

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[–] masquenox@lemmy.world 24 points 6 months ago

Oh look... the (so-called) "moderates" and "centrists" peddling the exact narratives their fascist cousins want them to peddle.

I guess it's true what they say - fascism can only sprout once liberals have loosened the ground for it.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 23 points 6 months ago

These tools use the novel 1984 as a self help book.

[–] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 22 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Man I sure do love being forced to be in the same party with this guy and not having a bowl of punch to stick my dick in.

[–] AshMan85@lemmy.world 22 points 6 months ago (1 children)

People like this democrats and republican should not be allowed in government

[–] MeekerThanBeaker@lemmy.world 12 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Problem is that the people who really should be in government are the ones who don't want to be in government.

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[–] Jaysyn@kbin.social 20 points 6 months ago

Ooh, sounds like some asshole just found out he's going to be replaced in November.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 18 points 6 months ago

"the ranking Democrat on the House armed services committee"

Oh you mean the guy who almost certainly is being paid by the military industrial complex to keep arms sales going as much as humanly possible? That tracks.

Get fucked Smith. Hope your "totalitarian" base votes you the fuck out.

[–] tacosanonymous@lemm.ee 17 points 6 months ago

Come and try it, you old ,corporate cock gobbling, douche bag.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 11 points 6 months ago

"Why do these pinko commies keep talking about what happens when they scratch me?"

[–] Veraxus@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

This is your daily reminder that the Democratic party is right wing and are just as ignorant of the mere definition of “leftist” as the Republican fascists are.

[–] 3volver@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

“challenging representative democracy”

What he means is, they're challenging this fucked system that doesn't represent people equally. 2 senators per state, gerrymandering, and the electoral college. This guy is a fascist himself, and that's why he immediately calls his opposition fascist. Imagine calling people who want a ceasefire fascist? That is something Joseph Goebbels would have said I bet. We don't have a representative democracy.

[–] sandman@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 months ago

“Intimidation is the tactic,”

Yes, absolutely. There is a war against free speech and they're trying to make people afraid to even fight back.

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