COVID-19 and the Threat of Disaster Fascism

On the 30^th March, the Hungarian Parliament voted 137 – 53 to give Viktor Orban’s government the power to rule by decree in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such measures, ostensibly in order to give the government a free-hand to take action against the spread of the virus, have raised significant concerns both within Hungary and across Europe, with critics arguing that it gives Orban “unnecessary and unlimited power”. Particularly worrying is the fact that these powers have been bestowed upon Orban with no time limit, effectively, in the words of opposition leader Peter Jakkab, placing the whole of Hungarian democracy “in quarantine” indefinitely.

Despite support in the public sphere for governments to have tight control over their coronavirus response, the main worry is that certain individuals and governments may use this power to their own advantage. Viktor Orban has long been seen as a threat to democracy in Hungary, and since rising to power in 2010 has systematically chipped away at many of the checks and balances of the Hungarian state. His far-right populist policies, claims that Europe is “under invasion”, and authoritarian tendencies have plagued policy-makers in the European Union since long before the current crisis. COVID-19 has given him the push he needed to seize absolute control of Hungary, ostensibly as a legitimate response to the current emergency. His track record, however, suggests that such powers will be used to further solidify his position, leading some to claim that with Hungary, COVID-19 has “killed its first democracy”.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban - the first Western leader to use COVID-19 for personal gain?

Whilst it remains to be seen if such fears have been misplaced, the threat of authoritarian rulers using the COVID-19 pandemic to consolidate their own power and pursue external goals is very real. It could be argued that the pandemic has taken hold at an unfortunate time in history, where many states around the world are witnessing a shift towards authoritarian thinking. Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, for instance, has flouted the international norm and pushed ahead with continued economic and social activity across Brazil, despite members of his own cabinet falling victim to the virus. In response to criticisms of his approach, he has threatened to fire his health ministers and scientific advisers. As Bolsonaro continues to bury his head in the sand, it has fallen to Rio's gangs to enforce social distancing measures in the communities they inhabit.

In India, Hindu-nationalist leader Narendra Modi has been widely criticised for his botched handling of the lockdown which resulted in widespread violence and displacement across the country. In a context of great division even before the pandemic, Indian minority groups now fear that the lockdown measures will be used as a way to further disenfranchise and disconnect them from access to government support. Muslim groups, displaced by pogroms in Delhi, can expect little to no support from the government in the coming weeks. With those forced to exist in displaced people’s camps, with little to no medical support or capacity to self-isolate, the coronavirus can be expected to spread rapidly amongst these vulnerable groups. A rising number of sick Muslims in India could easily be weaponised as a way to further alienate the group from the Hindu majority, and these populations can expect to be scapegoated as the crisis deepens in the coming weeks.

Xenophobia and racism can spiral in times of crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Donald Trump’s insistence at referring to the virus as the “Chinese Virus” highlights the way that populists can turn an emergency into a blame game. China’s own authoritarian leadership has been quick to fuel rumours that the coronavirus outbreak may have been caused by the US military in an act of biological warfare, an absurd claim that nevertheless escalates the war of words between the superpowers and undermines global diplomacy at a time where it is needed more than ever. With the outbreak originating in China, there will undoubtedly be questions directed at the management of the early stages of the spread of the virus in Wuhan, and many of them will be well-placed and require hard answers. With global economies sliding into free-fall thanks to COVID-19, China finds itself in the firing line as stock markets tank, industries collapse, and people lose their livelihoods. 

Accompanying this real need for accountability comes ignorance, scapegoating, and thinly-veiled racism.

Never far from the crest of any wave of opportunistic race-baiting, Nigel Farage is again making headlines for attacking the UK government for its decision to purchase ventilators from China, with others suggesting that we cannot ‘trust’ the Chinese to sell uncontaminated ventilators. With reports that US government officials are referring to the virus as the “Kung Flu” in response to Chinese-American reporters asking questions, and increasing vitriol being posted on social media accounts across the West aimed at Chinese users, it seems clear that we are witnessing a global rise in hate speech as the pandemic continues. Such rhetoric has spilled over into actions, with reports of mob-violence directed at Asian people in the UK, and a “shocking rise” in hate crimes reported by police, even with the current social distancing conditions in the country.

In response to such behaviour, already stretched emergency services can and should respond to limit the damage caused by those who do not follow the rules of the lockdown. In the UK, we’ve seen allegations of the rise of a “police state” as forces around the country seek to limit interpersonal contact. Such a claim is absurd and ridiculous, but it demonstrates how uncomfortable British people are with government encroachment on their own social lives. In Italy, we’ve seen increasingly aggressive tactics being used by stretched-to-the-limit police forces trying to ensure people stay on lockdown. In Spain, the military has been deployed to keep people inside.

The Spanish military enforcing lockdown measures. Credit: Olive Press.

Avoiding these authoritarian measures is simple. Do what is being advised by the experts. Stay inside, keep your distance from others, support the vulnerable in your community where possible, wash your hands, and do everything possible to slow the spread of the virus. If we practice personal responsibility, and social solidarity, then our governments need not intervene as stringently on our behalf.

We in the West do not take kindly to the sort of authoritarian response that has been seen in China. We do not do well when our civil liberties are threatened. Some people take this to mean they do not have to follow government advice. But those people should remember that in a crisis, advice can very quickly become an order. In an attempt to protect its people, a government sometimes has to make undemocratic decisions. In the case of Hungary, the country’s leadership has solidified its power in order to respond to an unprecedented crisis. When the pandemic has subsided, Hungary may just find that one of the victims of COVID-19 was its democratic values.

Strong, sometimes draconian, measures will be required to combat the spread of COVID-19. Governments will be forced to make decisions that they would never consider in business-as-usual circumstances. In some cases, the democratic process may have to be postponed. There are many legitimate reasons for governments to impose more direct rule in a time of crisis. But now is no time to blindly support the actions of national leaders. We must watch closely what is done, critique the decisions that are made, and be definitive about where we as citizens draw our hard lines on what we deem acceptable intervention on our behalf.

The COVID-19 pandemic will pass, and when it does, we will be left with the consequences of our actions during this time. This means we must take personal responsibility for every decision we make. This means social solidarity with our neighbours and communities, helping the vulnerable where we can, and abiding by social distancing measures to slow the spread. This also means holding our governments to account for their actions during this time. If we do not take personal responsibility for halting the spread of COVID-19, our governments will be forced to enact more authoritarian policies to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable. Once that power is wielded, it can be difficult to put back in the box.

We all want the COVID-19 pandemic to be brought to an end. The only measure to stop the spread of the virus is to keep ourselves physically distant from one another until we have a vaccine or a cure. That can be achieved by a mass movement of social solidarity, or through government force.

Now more than ever, we need to look at our leaders, and look at ourselves, and ask what kind of society we want to live in.

The most insidious side effect of COVID-19 could be the way it erodes the social fabric of our democracies globally. We cannot allow that to happen.

Stay physically distant, but socially engaged. Help your friends, your neighbours, and the most vulnerable in your communities. Hold your governments to account. Use this crisis to build a new world that is better equipped to cope with whatever the future may hold. Do not look blame others. The power is in every one of us to do the right thing and avoid the threat of disaster fascism encroaching on our liberties and our lives.