this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025
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Alternative for Germany has joined France's National Rally and Reform U.K. in becoming the most popular party in its country, according to polls.

A poll Tuesday showed Alternative for Germany — which is under surveillance by the country’s intelligence services over suspected extremism — is now the most favored by voters. The survey by broadcaster RTL put the AfD at 26%, ahead of the ruling Christian Democrats at 24%.

This is a high watermark for the European far right, a once fringe movement whose virulently anti-immigration, anti-Islam and culture-war politics were shunned by the mainstream just a decade ago.

Today, these parties have developed deep ties with President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who openly cite nationalists such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as inspirations on policy and tactics.

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[–] ToadOfHypnosis@lemmy.world 35 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Billionaires control the polls, own the news, own the social media, and have foundations and think tanks pushing society to the right. It’s all manufactured and twisted. They use lobbying / corruption to ham string all democratically started socialist programs so they no longer work well and it turns people against them. Billionaires are parasites that slowly suck society dry. They shouldn’t exist.

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[–] Xatolos@reddthat.com 67 points 3 days ago (8 children)

I wonder, how can people look at what Trump/MAGA has done to the US and think to themselves "I want THAT for my country".

[–] Trihilis@ani.social 29 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I feel that in 50 years from now there will be documentaries about how the Russians won over Europe and the US by influencing voters and just straight up frauding right wing parties into the government.

I refuse to believe that many people are this stupid/brainwashed to fall for literal 1930's Nazi propaganda.

[–] breecher@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 days ago

Your comment presupposes that there will be some kind of back to normal in 50 years, which is unfortunately not going to be the case. Climate change accelerates, economic and political crisisl follows, and these kinds of populist movements are going to thrive in that kind of environment.

Climate change will not have stopped in 50 years, on the contrary.

[–] Aetherion@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

IF there will be a free enough country to make this documentary

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[–] tankplanker@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

People are fed up with being broke and not able to afford the same things that they or their parents could afford even 20 years ago. Populists do not have to offer policies they can or event intend to implement so they can promise any old shit to the gullible who want change. Wrap that in a reassuring racist package: immigration is out of control, send back the small boats, etc. so that it doesn't smell like communism (not that communism cant be racist) that people confuse even moderate socialist policies for due to decades of western propaganda.

Couple this with the Overton window being moved ever towards the right due to left and center left parties being captured by neoliberals who seek funding and patronage from the Rich, plus decades of the press putting pressure on any left wing policies by enforcing a double standard of left wing policies required to fully document how they will work and be funded, while right wing fantasy policies are waved through without any scrutiny from the majority of press.

Then the right deliberately break any essential service, under fund it and spend it elsewhere, making it time consuming and expensive to fix, leading them to point at their opponents being ineffective, and the press refuse to hold the right to account over this.

This has reduced any coupling between those left of the far right and the general population in terms of policies meeting the requirement. You can start to see why they are gaining ground.

[–] Xatolos@reddthat.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This could help give some explanation of the election of Trump/MAGA, but 8 months into that election everyone outside can see that they just made all the problems worse. And when this rise was noted last year, I wouldn't have asked that question because the people don't have something to give an an honest response of what would really happen if such groups were elected to power (which these exact same problems happened the last time Trump was elected, but it's happened now twice in a row with a safety bumper between these elections which would help dismiss any claim of it was a fluke/bad timing). Which comes back to my question, how can you look at Trump/MAGA and say "I want THAT for my country?"

We aren't dealing with hypotheticals anymore, we are already seeing cause and effects.

[–] rozodru@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago (2 children)

They don't. But the wealthy, the corporations, etc, they do.

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[–] lack@lemmy.world 24 points 2 days ago

Thanks Elon, for your financial support of Hitler acolytes worldwide. Also, get fucked you Boer-reject piece of shit

[–] oyo@lemmy.zip 141 points 4 days ago (7 children)

Who the fuck looks at the US right now and thinks "I want that?"

[–] BakerBagel@midwest.social 54 points 3 days ago (5 children)

This is EXACTLY what leftists have been trying to warn liberals about. People everywhere are struggling under late stage capitalism. Centrists liberal parties like Labour, CDU/PSD, Renaissance, and PO are telling everyone that everything is great and the ship will right out soon. Meanwhile far right parties acknowledge that everything is fucked and they promise to punish "those responsibile" for it (they of course are referring to social minorities instead of the wealthy capitalists that are plundering our societies.

The current status quo parties if Europe either need to pivot their platforms to radical change and clamping down on the capital class whome literally everyone hates or they are simply paving the way for fascist takeovers.

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[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 173 points 4 days ago (7 children)

Maybe if the left wing party that got in for the first time in 15 years actually behaved remotely like they should, this would not be happening in the UK

All Kier Starmer has managed to accomplish is vindicating the idiots that say "both sides are the same" and fuelling Reform's populism.

His government's current policy focus areas make Tony fucking Blair look like a socialist by comparison—and he earned the fucking red-tie Tory assessment of his policies.

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[–] fluxixx@piefed.social 103 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Man it's the 1920s all over again!

This is so depressing. I remember 10 years ago seeing how the world was changing, I was full of hope for the future, we were slowly becoming more socially accepting of minorities and it seemed to be slightly getting better. Now the progress didn't stop, it fucking reversed and shit is so much worse than it was. This makes me really sad.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 31 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

The people pretending they cared about the gays and the minorities ignored people's basic human needs.

That's how we got here.

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[–] Puddinghelmet@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago
[–] selkiesidhe@sh.itjust.works 52 points 3 days ago (4 children)

You'd think what's going on in what used to be the US (now a crater of burning shit) would have been a lesson for the rest of you.

Do Not Vote Con If You Don't Want Life To Suck.

[–] Treetrimmer@sh.itjust.works 23 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Stupid euros always talking mad shit about hep they're better than us and turn around and do the same dumb shit

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[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

A Brit told me

I vote for whomever says they will get rid of the boat people

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[–] ur_ONLEY_freind@lemmy.zip 52 points 3 days ago (15 children)

WTF is happening in the world rn? Why are all the right wingers taking control? I thought it was just the US going through a crazy-stupid phase

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 63 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Billionaires learned how to use the world wide web as an AI powered disinformation network

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[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 43 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Social media. Muskrat, Zucc, Thiel, etc. are high on the fumes of the AI hype, and want that sweet AI money, from the surveillance state using AI.

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[–] mrslt@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago (9 children)

This is bewildering. As an American citizen who has no idea how the actual fuck we wound up with another Trump presidency, all I have to say is, if you live in any other country and think the answer is to import this bullshit into your own country, I have no sympathy for you.

[–] OutsiderInside@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

Social media plays a big role in this. People have been inoculated with a state of mind that allows this kind of ideas to succeed.

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[–] fluxion@lemmy.world 88 points 4 days ago (8 children)

Are people not paying attention to how destructive these parties are to democracy?

[–] Pipster@lemmy.blahaj.zone 88 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Nope and by design from the media to keep them distracted from it. Get people riled up about trans people in toilets and asylum seekers in small boats rather than the rich destroying the planet and causing horrendous inequality in basic living.

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[–] Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works 22 points 3 days ago

Holy hell, what a comment section. I'm seeing Americans calling out Europeans for being all talk about what America is supposed to do, several people lamenting impending doom, and more blame targeting the ultra wealthy.

Our future needs to be Solarpunk and have class mobility. Do something for your community this week. The answers lie with the people that think differently than you. De-propagandize your neighbor by giving them a shared enemy. Nothing binds people together like conflict. While we're at it, encourage boxing matches between government officials. Mabne then we'll keep younger, highly motivated individuals in office.

[–] Gorilladrums@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Far right parties are a product of stupidity and foreign money. The stupidity of the establishment parties in Europe ignoring the people's will on immigration enabled the far right, and Putin's Russia gave them the means to run with it.

These parties are here to stay unless the establishment parties take the Denmark approach and become more anti immigration.

[–] horse@feddit.org 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

These parties are here to stay unless the establishment parties take the Denmark approach and become more anti immigration.

This is exactly what has been happening in Germany (most notably with the CDU and SPD) and it's not working. All that happens when these parties take on AfD talking point is that their voters no longer want to vote for them while the AfD's positions get normalised in the mainstream.

What they actually should do is stop picking uninspiring and corrupt candidates and push for things that would actually benefit the working class (wealth tax, tackling the housing crisis, etc.) instead of funneling more wealth upwards. At the end of the day the AfD is strong because people are struggling to make ends meet and the AfD is using the racism that's always been present in Germany to offer them an easy scapegoat.

[–] Gorilladrums@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's the wrong approach to take the talking points of AfD to begin with. They're neo fascists, why would they try to copy them? Not only is that lazy, but it's also shows that these establishment parties are out of touch with the populace. These far right parties are gaining ground because there's no viable alternative to them on immigration. Establishment parties trying to compete with far right parties at their own game is a losing strategy, and it shows. If they want to win people over on immigration then they need to actually understand what people are concerned about and then actually take the time to provide a viable and pragmatic alternative for people to vote on.

[–] horse@feddit.org 2 points 1 day ago

I don't think the issue is really immigration at all. It's that working class people are being squeezed harder and harder and no party, including the AfD, seems to take it seriously. The AfD is just good at populism and pretending they have a solution by blaming it on immigration and selling themselves as less corrupt and incompetent than the others, while actually being just as bad or worse. If the CDU and SPD in particular hadn't allowed things to get this bad while spending decades in power, the AfD's populism wouldn't have fallen on fertile ground.

And there is also an argument to be made that the media has dropped the ball by allowing the AfD on talkshows and debates without sufficiently pushing back and calling out their bullshit and thus allowing them to paint themselves as a legitimate alternative despite being fascists that are found to be at odds with the constitution (Grundgesetz) time and time again.

Also the AfD is probably the best out of all the parties at social media.

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (9 children)

Can you link me to some credible sources on legitimate problems caused by immigration in Europe? I'm in the US and I don't see the downside of immigration. Most of the folks angry about immigration here are just being sold a scapegoat.

Admittedly, we're much more culturally diverse to begin with, harder to get to, and have quite a large base population so maybe I'm comparing apples and oranges.

[–] Gorilladrums@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I think it is a case of comparing apples to oranges. I'm saying this as a first gen immigrant from Iraq myself, I'm in the US but I have family in Europe (Finland, Sweden, and Germany), and it's just a very different dynamic. The national narrative about immigration, the ways immigrants are treated by society, and the way government assists immigrants in Europe and the US are quite different. They also get different kinds of immigrants, which is also important. All these factors contribute to very different situations economically, politically, and socially.

But I think this is the wrong way to approach this topic in this context because what matters more in politics is perception. When you look at the polls of any European country with a large immigrant population, virtually all of them have a pretty big chunk of the population, usually ethnically native and working class, that are heavily anti-immigration. This implies that the big issue with immigration in Europe is integration and assimilation. Since the establishment parties over there outright ignore them entirely, they end up flocking to far right parties instead since they're the only ones who want to place restrictions on immigration.

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[–] NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world 33 points 3 days ago (9 children)
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[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 26 points 3 days ago (5 children)

Schizo rant about media manipulation

We are isolated from the right wing side of it here but propaganda is dominating most media. Its really sophisticated and resourced by different states and groups.

On mainstream platforms open Nazi imagery and ideas go viral in hyper specific pockets. Its targeted at groups they think will be suspectable then those groups adopt it, wash it and then spread it. At this point its several stages in and most of the work is done by actual people for free.

They compile emotional imagery, videos and stories and blast them in the face of average people and it baits them hook line and sinker. If you can show a 35 year old white women clips of vicious attacks on women from refugees of the course of the year she will internalise it and become radical. These dont have to be recent she just needs to see them regularly. Strip context, make up different narratives for the same clip it doesnt matter.

With the lovely invention of social media and targeted advertising you can get your message put in front of these average people. People dont choose what they see, they just view what comes across their feed.

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[–] monogram@feddit.nl 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Britain: Conservative + Labour starts Online Safty Act, Reform tops polls shocked pikachu face

[–] Iceman@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Labour: We were sure continuing purging our own left base and adopting all Tory policies would make us look good! Fucking traitors the lot of them.

[–] DrFistington@lemmy.world 54 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Hey UK, they're all being funded by Russia, just like to dipshits who told you brexit was a good idea. Don't fall for it again

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[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 30 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (5 children)

The US is a huge cautionary tale that other countries would do well to heed. I see "Why don't the Americans do something??" all the time, but meanwhile, your country is creeping towards the same conclusion. "We'll do something to stop it if it gets too bad!" Yeah, that's what we said while the far-right continued to gather support.

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[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 13 points 3 days ago

Do not split.

But what is happening in Hong Kong is they come up with a slogan, which is translated as Do Not Split, which is, we know that some people are willing to be confrontational with riot police.

And when they are, that’s going to cost the state in terms of not only resources, but it’s going to cost the state in terms of political capital and support. And we know that there are some people who are not willing to do that. And we are going to abide by the protocol of Do Not Split, which means that we’re not going to criticize them openly, and they’re not going to criticize us openly.

If we’re the pacifists, we’re not going to have them criticize us for being sort of like, I don’t know, limpid or flaccid or not courageous or whatever. And we’re not going to criticize them for being more confrontational. And the thing is that the support is also tacit.

https://sh.itjust.works/post/42969194

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