It is never a good idea to seek to save ‘democracy’ by destroying it. Nevertheless, this is now happening in Europe where right-leaning parties and politicians are either banned or convicted of trumped-up charges that violate the democratic ideal of free speech. Australia too is not immune to this evolving global development.
Let us have a look at Europe where the ideal of ‘democracy’ is in turmoil. This can be seen in Germany where that country’s intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, suspended its classification of the Alternative für Deutschland Party (AfD) as a right-wing extremist organisation. The suspension is in response to AfD’s initiation of judicial steps to have the classification overturned. AfD won 20.8 per cent of the popular vote in the federal parliamentary election held on February 23, 2025; it holds 152 out of 630 Bundestag seats. The intelligence agency’s designation of AfD as a right-wing extremist organisation would intensify, and justify, increased government surveillance of its activities. But a decision on banning the party can only be made by the Federal Constitutional Court in accordance with Article 21(2) of the Basic Law which stipulates, ‘Parties that, by reason of their aims or the behaviour of their adherents, seek to undermine or abolish the free democratic basic order … shall be unconstitutional.’
Similarly, earlier this year, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the first round of the presidential election because Russia had allegedly interfered in the electoral process by purchasing space on social media for political advertisements, thereby allegedly advantaging the victorious candidate, Călin Georgescu. Soon after, the electoral authorities prohibited Georgescu, who dared to speak in favour of a sovereign Romania and against Nato involvement in the Ukraine conflict, from participating in the electoral process.
In France, the land of fraternité, legalité, and égalité, political upheaval has been increasing for several years, due to uncontrolled immigration. Local authorities desperately seek to maintain law and order, despite the desire of the electorate to bring the violence engendered by social conflicts under control. Alongside this, support for the Opposition Leader, Marine Le Pen of the National Rally, is growing and she is a serious contender in the upcoming presidential elections. However, after her popularity reached significant support, a French court imposed a five-year ban on her engaging in politics, holding her responsible for alleged misuse of EU funds. This is despite European institutions do not usually prosecute this matter when other Eurocrats engage in the same practice.
It is yet to be seen what will happen in Slovakia and Hungary, the two EU Member States that are openly opposing EU directives.
The proposed, even anticipated ban of AfD in Germany and the documented growth of totalitarianism in Europe raise questions about the state of ‘democracy’ – rule by the popular will of the people.
The term ‘democracy’ originated in the Ancient Greek city-state, the ‘polis’ of Athens, around the 5th Century B.C. where it comes from the Greek words ‘dêmos’, meaning common people, and ‘krâtos’, meaning force. The term describes the political involvement of all free people in Athens, males aged 18 or older, in the administration of their polis. Since ancient times, the principle of ‘democracy’ or the rule of the people by the people has been the symbol of a free, fair, and just political system. From the time of the French Revolution and the creation of the first nation states, Europe has been the cradle of world democracy.
Hence, state oppression of political parties and conservative politicians, preventing them from gaining power through unquestionably democratic means, undermines the very concept of ‘democracy’. The current political elites, although they may lack voter support, attempt to disable the proper functioning of democracy in Europe and purport to punish conservative-leaning parties that pursue legitimacy through elections, a privilege denied to them by the elites’ distorted understanding of democratic values.
Although the democratic form of government is meant to be a defining characteristic of the European Union (EU), the treatment of AfD in Germany, the National Rally in France, and the oppression of right-leaning parties and politicians throughout Europe suggests that something ‘strange’ is happening in Europe, namely the advent of totalitarianism.
As seen in Romania, France, Germany, and Moldova, a right-wing conservative resurgence triggers political and judicial responses that fuel totalitarian tendencies. ‘Totalitarianism’ is a political system that imposes total rule over the lives of its citizens, prohibiting political opposition, parties, and ideologies. A totalitarian system controls both public and private components of society and limits individual freedoms.
There is no doubt that the erosion of political freedom in the EU is gaining momentum, and has now progressed from acceptable, yet unpalatable, criticism of electoral outcomes to undemocratic practices aimed at preserving the power of progressive elites. And not just the EU, but most Western democracies are experiencing a decline in freedom caused by the suppression of free speech, freedom of religion, and free and fair elections.
Douglas Murray, in this celebrated book The Strange Death of Europe, masterfully described the decline of Europe, citing uncontrolled mass immigration and a spectacular loss of faith in its values as the main reasons for its demonstrable decline. His message is also apposite in an Australian context because Australia too is not immune from these totalitarian tendencies. The recent federal election has resulted in the enthronement of the incumbent Labor government. We can only hope that basic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, or the common law culture will not be trashed. However, as can be seen in the silencing of ‘Billboard Chris’ and American tech companies such as X that criticise the transgender policies of the government, the future of free speech is precarious. This is despite the ruling by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom that a woman is a biological female. We have seen a relentless assault on free speech that, not unlike the European examples that focus on the banning of right-leaning political parties and politicians, has totalitarian tendencies which ultimately result in people being subjugated by intolerant left-wing governments. Are we witnessing the dismantlement of Western civilisation? It reminds readers of Vice President, JD Vance’s now iconic speech delivered at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2025, when he prophetically admonished his European audience. ‘I believe that dismissing people, dismissing their concerns, or, worse yet, shutting down media, shutting down elections, or shutting people out of the political process protects nothing. In fact, it is the most surefire way to destroy democracy,’ he said.
Indeed, it is never a good idea to seek to save ‘democracy’ by destroying it.
