The Global Rise of Fascism and White Supremacy

Originally published on March 25th 2019

I have always been an activist—something in my blood refuses to let me ignore the world around me. Since I can remember, I’ve pointed out the cracks in our system, questioned our choices, and challenged the structures we’ve built. Inevitably, I’ve lost friends because of it. People prefer blissful ignorance over the discomfort of acknowledging hard truths.

We live in a world infected with apathy, greed, and individualism. And I am guilty, too. I’ve swallowed my words to keep the peace and let moments of injustice pass in silence to avoid making people uncomfortable.

The Christchurch shooting was the final straw.

I’m done watching the world burn without saying something. I don’t expect my voice alone to change the tide, but if I can shift even one perspective, it’s worth it.

Understanding White Supremacy and Fascism

Before diving in, let’s define a couple of key terms:

White supremacy is the belief that white people are inherently superior to other races and should maintain dominance over them. It has deep roots in pseudoscientific racism and has been institutionalized throughout history—from the transatlantic slave trade to Jim Crow laws to Apartheid.

Fascism is an authoritarian, ultranationalist ideology that thrives on dictatorial power, suppression of opposition, and absolute societal control. It rejects democracy, glorifies war, and seeks to mobilize entire nations under a rigid hierarchy. It is not just a historical relic; its tactics are alive and well.

The world isn’t just seeing a resurgence of these ideologies—we’re watching them gain mainstream traction.

The Global Spread of Fascist Politics

Poland, India, Turkey, Myanmar, Hungary, China, and even the United States have embraced tactics that align with fascist politics.

It’s important to distinguish between fascist politics and a fully realized fascist state. Fascist politics are the tools used to gain power—before the final transformation occurs.

Jason Stanley, in How Fascism Works, outlines several key strategies used to manipulate the public:

• The mythic past (romanticizing a “better” time that never truly existed)

• Propaganda (shaping an alternate reality through misinformation)

• Anti-intellectualism (discrediting scholars, scientists, and experts)

• Hierarchy (rigid class structures to maintain control)

• Victimhood (painting the powerful as the oppressed)

• Law and order rhetoric (targeting marginalized groups under the guise of “safety”)

• Sexual anxiety (controlling and policing gender roles)

• Appeals to the heartland (demonizing urban areas and intellectual elites)

• Dismantling public welfare (removing social safety nets to increase dependence on the ruling class)

Sound familiar? It should. These tactics are in play right now.

Fascist politics dehumanize entire groups of people, stripping away our ability to empathize. And that is the most dangerous slope of all—the one that leads to repression, systemic violence, and, historically, genocide.

The “Us vs. Them” Mentality

Fascism thrives on division. The more a nation is fractured, the easier it becomes to consolidate power. History is rewritten. Education is devalued. Anti-intellectualism takes root, replacing reasoned debate with conspiracy theories and "alternative facts."

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

George Orwell’s warning is more relevant than ever. We are watching history be rewritten in real-time, and it’s leading us somewhere dangerous.

White Supremacy Never Left—It Just Rebranded

Racism didn’t end with the Civil Rights Movement. Hate wasn’t erased just because a few laws changed. White supremacy has been simmering under the surface, waiting for an opportunity to re-emerge. And now, emboldened by fascist rhetoric in politics and online, it’s becoming mainstream again.

Take the Christchurch shooting.

A country globally recognized for peace was rocked when a white supremacist gunned down 50 innocent worshippers in a mosque—live-streaming the entire massacre as people cheered him on.

He, like many others, believed in the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory—the idea that white populations are being deliberately "replaced" by immigrants, interracial relationships, and multiculturalism. This racist paranoia isn’t just found in dark corners of the internet; political leaders echo it.

After Christchurch, an Australian senator released a statement saying that while the victims were innocent this time, their deaths were ultimately their own fault—for having the audacity to immigrate. Let that sink in. This is the level of dehumanization we’re dealing with. This is what happens when hateful ideologies are given a platform.

White Supremacy in the Digital Age

Social media has changed the game. Radicalization isn’t happening in private meetings or secretive groups—it’s happening out in the open, on platforms designed to maximize engagement. Extremists are no longer just recruiting; they are creating movements.

Hate spreads like wildfire when people feel isolated. Groups like white supremacists, incels, and conspiracy theorists offer something deceptively simple: a sense of belonging. And that is what makes them so dangerous.

Take the Flat Earth movement—many of its followers aren’t unintelligent, but they are people who feel alienated. When society pushes people to the margins, they look for meaning elsewhere.

White supremacists exploit this same vulnerability but with far darker consequences.

The Future Depends on Us

This issue isn’t going away. Climate change will lead to mass migration. Economic instability will breed resentment. If we don’t start having difficult conversations now, fascist politics and white supremacy will continue to thrive in the vacuum.

We need to stop pointing fingers. Stop playing the “who’s to blame” game whenever a tragedy happens. Every time we use these moments as political weapons instead of uniting against hate, we give extremists exactly what they want—momentum and legitimacy.

History is a cycle, and right now, we’re at a turning point.

We either confront this head-on, or we repeat the mistakes of the past.

The choice is ours.