What the Hell is Going on in Europe?
A series of disturbing stories from across the continent highlight the very real problem of government authoritarianism in Europe. Americans must take note, and be alert to threats to our liberities.
If you care about having rights or keeping your money, it’s probably best to stay away from Europe right now. Things are getting real bad.
In proof that America’s Bill of Rights are a necessary bulwark against tyranny, a German court ruled that people associated with the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland Party are banned from owning firearms.
The case came before the court when two married AfD party members had their weapons possession permits revoked and sued the state.
Per the Brussels Signal, the court ruled that “membership of a party that is suspected of anti-constitutional tendencies alone regularly leads to the presumption of unreliability under weapons law according to the applicable strict standards of weapons law.”
As a result, the court ruled that the couple must surrender or destroy their guns and ammo even if they decide to appeal the court’s decision.
AfD is not a fringe party animated by the dregs of society. In the last German election, it earned a tenth of the vote and a tenth of the seats in the Bundestag. Reuters reports that the party has seen a 60% rise in membership since January 2023, and the group is leading a new group in the European parliament.
The court even acknowledged that AfD is “not prohibited but is hostile to the Constitution” meaning it made a judgment call on whether members of a political party was dangerous based on nothing but vibes. Strangely, members of the far-left Linke Party are not blocked from owning weapons despite belonging to a group directly descended from the Soviet-backed party in charge of East Germany.
Using the power of the state to disarm political opposition is nothing new in Germany. As noted by Stephen Halbrook in National Review, after Hitler rose to power “constitutional rights were suspended, and mass searches for and seizures of guns and dissident publications ensued. Police revoked gun licenses of Social Democrats and others who were not ‘politically reliable.’”
As is becoming alarming common here in the U.S., apparently rights in Germany are reserved only for #TheGoodGuys. Whether those losing their rights are AfD members or Social Democrats, it’s a very slippery slope to facism when the government gets to capriciously decide who gets access to arms.
But if the loss of basic human rights isn’t your thing, consider moving to France! Oh wait…
The leftist coalition that recently took charge in France already dove off the deep-end, using its miniscule majority to call for a radical slate of policies. The coalition's head, Communist anti-Semite Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has already claimed his coalition “will apply its program, nothing but its program and all of its program.”
That program would be one of the most radical in Europe if implemented and includes out-there ideas like price controls for many everyday products, a massive push for wasteful and ineffective environmental policies, enacting a wealth tax and setting up a rescue agency for illegal migrants.
The boon for illegal migrants seems especially odd given how the issue served to balloon support for Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in the most recent round of elections. Regardless, it is seemingly the prerogative of the new leftist coalition to install Communism in France. Communism, of course, is an ideology steeped in freedom and liberty and so Frenchmen should have no worries about enacting it.
Europe has always had an issue with guaranteeing the rights of its citizenry, but these recent developments mark a chilling return to the continent's more authoritarian tendencies. Germany and France should serve as a stark reminder of the protections against government overreach we hold dear at home.