As the far right seizes state power in an increasing number of Western countries, its attacks on the antifascist camp are multiplying and diversifying. How can we defend ourselves? And how can we regain lost ground? ---- In France, the *Rassemblement National* (RN) has never been closer to capturing the Élysée. While this is often the first thing that comes to mind when the far right is mentioned-especially with the presidential election less than a year away-we must not let it obscure the bigger picture: the far right is already in power. This is true locally in France (in 74 town halls), nationally in European states like Italy or Finland (often, as in these two examples, through "right-wing alliance" coalitions), and further afield in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Israel, and Japan-a list that is obviously, and unfortunately, not exhaustive. The far right has now become a major, unavoidable political force in global geopolitics.
This situation is new compared to a few decades ago. Perhaps it is this novelty that causes disbelief and denial to prevail so often. In many circles, it remains difficult to discuss the consequences and have them acknowledged for what they truly are. Yet these consequences are very real. For us revolutionaries, the task is to analyze them precisely and-urgently-to find ways to spark a mass antifascist mobilization that is equally real and yields tangible results. Seizing power provides new weapons
Verbal and physical assaults-and even murders-committed by neo-fascist activists are nothing new; for previous generations, they likely remain the defining image of the far-right threat in France up until the late 2010s. Often dismissed as isolated incidents-or worse, as mere turf wars between opposing far-right and anti-fascist factions-this direct violence failed to raise sufficient alarm. The media coverage surrounding the deaths of Clément Méric in 2013 and Federico Martín Aramburú in 2022 stands as a grim testament to this.
This violence, which must never be downplayed, persists. In Lyon, the local headquarters of the *Solidaires* trade union has been targeted three times overnight since the February death of neo-Nazi activist Quentin Deranque; furthermore, on the sidelines of the August 29 football match between Olympique Lyonnais and Le Havre, far-right hooligans brutally beat several people in racially motivated attacks. These two examples are far from exhaustive; indeed, the remainder of this article could easily consist of a long list of violent acts committed by neo-fascist thugs in 2026, both in Lyon and elsewhere in France.
Yet, such violence is no longer the only danger. On the contrary, recent months have provided ample evidence of the new weapons now at the far right's disposal.
Viktor Orbán's far-right government had long sought the extradition of Gino, an Albanian anti-fascist activist who had taken refuge in France. In August, the French courts ruled to hand him over to Germany; Gino's appeal to the Court of Cassation is currently pending. Also in August, the Trump administration decided to designate the Italian activist web host Autistici/Inventati an "international terrorist organization," with serious consequences for both the host and the internet users who relied on its services. The *Union communiste libertaire* issued statements on both these developments in early September[1]; they are part of a broader trend of criminalizing anti-fascism.
Following an action in 2023 during the "Day of Honor" (an annual neo-fascist demonstration in Budapest akin to the C9M event in Paris), former Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán and current President Baka are calling for the heads of Gino and several other participants.
Credits: UCL Lyon
We should also mention the offensive launched by RN mayors elected or re-elected in 2026. In Carcassonne, Christophe Barthès waited only a few weeks after his election to attempt to evict the CGT, CFDT, FSU, and Solidaires trade unions from the *Bourse du Travail* (Labor Exchange). The same mayor also withdrew a municipal grant from the Human Rights League (*Ligue des droits de l'Homme*). In Castres, Mayor Florian Azéma cut off water and electricity to around a hundred Traveller families. In Hénin-Beaumont, Steeve Briois persists in his relentless targeting of two SUD *Collectivités territoriales* union members, Fabienne Payen and Djelloul Kheris. We also wish to acknowledge the work of the National Observatory on the Far Right (Oned), which monitors the actions of RN mayors and produces reports made freely available on its website[2].
It is impossible to conclude this list of the far right's new weapons without broadening the scope. The imperialist wars unleashed by the US far right, along with the genocide in Gaza orchestrated and encouraged by the Israeli far right, offer a glimpse of the worst-case scenarios should the RN come to power in France.
Street-level attacks do not subside as state repression intensifies; on the contrary, recent statistics on "ultra-right" violence show that the two trends rise in tandem.
Defending ourselves and fighting back
How should we respond to these increasingly frequent and multifaceted attacks? Our first instinct must be class solidarity. We must not abandon the organizations or individuals targeted; instead, we must support them, donate, bear witness, join legal proceedings as civil parties, and so on. In many of the cases mentioned above, this solidarity was mobilized in various concrete ways, helping to mitigate the damage.
A consistent antifascism is one that seeks to abolish the material conditions of fascism and fights capitalism without compromise.
Credits: Photothèque rouge
The far right attempts to divide us by targeting the most vulnerable and isolated among us first. Let us never forget Pastor Martin Niemöller's famous quote: "When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist." If it is not yet our turn, it soon will be. Class solidarity protects the most vulnerable-and protects us, too. It is in this spirit that UCL activists work to foster inter-organizational solidarity against the far right wherever they are active. Rivalries between unions, associations, or political parties have their place, but in the face of the "brown plague," solidarity must always be the answer.
Yet, it is not merely a matter of defense. Through class solidarity, we must rediscover the path to a more organic, more confident class unity-one capable of launching a genuine anti-fascist counter-offensive. A schedule of autonomous struggle, driven by the population's material needs rather than electoral gambles, must enable us to wrest social and environmental gains from those truly responsible for the state of the world: the capitalists. These gains will allow us to dismantle the false solutions advocated by the RN, counter its racist scapegoating, and ultimately marginalize it-relegating it, along with the rest of the global far right, to the dustbin of history.
Léo (UCL Lyon)
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[1]"Freedom for Gino, Zaïd, Maja, and all anti-fascists facing prosecution in Europe and the USA!", Union communiste libertaire, September 3, 2026. https://unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Liberte-pour-Gino-Zaid-Maja-et-tous-tes-les-antifascistes-poursuivi-es-en
[2]RN-led Town Hall Observatories (Oned).
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Antifascisme-Sur-tous-les-terrains-no-pasaran
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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