Why We Need to Expose the Link Between Racism and Fascism

Fascist regimes traditionally use racism as a tool

At the bus station in Durham, North Carolina | Photo by Delano, J. (1940) via Library of Congress

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross,” author Sinclair Lewis warned in his 1935 novel, “It Can Happen Here.” Despite this warning, some people doubt that the system could take hold in this country. Those who have bought into the myth of national exceptionalism often fail to see the danger of this ideology spreading. Fortunately, there is some evidence that the spell of cognitive dissonance is waning. In a viral video of a Jubilee debate between a group of 20 far-right conservatives and Mehdi Hasan, a left-leaning journalist, the public was faced with a group that openly identified as fascists. They also expressed racist views, such as wanting immigrants of color to leave the country. While some people condemned the exchange altogether, arguing it’s too dangerous to platform such voices, these clips seemed to spark discussions that helped to lift the veil.

If we were to draw a Venn diagram illustrating the relationship between racism and fascism, there would be a significant overlap between the two. On one side, we have racism, the belief that one group is superior to others, which leads to discrimination and prejudice. On the other side, we have fascism, an ideology rooted in…