Condemn Fascism? House Rules Committee Republicans Vote No

On Tuesday, the US House Committee on Rules voted down a proposed amendment to a joint resolution that condemns “the horrors of socialism.”

The amendment they rejected? To also condemn fascism and include additional information about the “horrors of the Holocaust,” reaffirm Congress’s commitment to Holocaust education, and recognize the role of “American servicemen in defeating fascism.”

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All nine Republican majority members voted against amending the resolution to include a condemnation of fascism.

The vote comes on the back of US President Donald Trump’s recent moves to declare Antifa — the anti-fascist movement — a domestic and foreign terror organization. As I wrote in September, no such domestic terror designation currently exists in the United States, and across recent decades, studies have time and again shown that deadly far-right violence has far outpaced left-wing violence.

Spain’s ‘Dangerous Nostalgia’

At The Guardian, Sam Jones reports from Madrid on how the legacy of Francisco Franco, whose dictatorship ruled the country for four decades, continues “to haunt, divide and confuse 21st-century Spain.”

As the country marks the 50^th anniversary of Franco’s death, a growing number of people — especially among the youth — are attracted to the far right. “Surveys have shown us that about 24% or 25% of people aged 18 to 30 said they wouldn’t mind living under an authoritarian regime,” historian Fernando Martínez López, who serves as Spain’s secretary of state for democratic memory, told the paper.

Speaking to Jones, Spanish filmmaker Almudena Carracedo described the far-right drift as part of a “dangerous pattern of nostalgia.”

Neo-Nazi ‘Maniac Murder Cult’ Leader Convicted in US

The Georgian leader of an Eastern European neo-Nazi group was convicted after pleading guilty to charges related to attempting to recruit people to pass out poisoned candy to children in New York, Tim McNicholas reports at CBS News.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 22-year-old who headed an international group called the Maniac Murder Cult, wanted recruits to dress as Santa Claus and target Jewish children and children of color. He also attempted to foment a violent attack coinciding with a Jewish holiday.

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“Prosecutors say the Maniac Murder Cult’s manifesto and solicitations online have inspired real-life killings, including a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee,” McNicholas writes.

Trump Administration ‘Inadvertently’ Deports Trans Woman

At Politico, Kyle Cheney reports that Trump administration officials have admitted that they “improperly” deported a trans woman to Mexico despite an immigration judge’s order that she would likely endure torture.

“Now, the administration is working to bring Britania Uriostegui Rios back to the US from Tijuana — perhaps as soon as Tuesday afternoon — while it attempts to find an alternative country for her deportation. Uriostegui Rios is suing to force the administration to release her from custody when she returns to the US,” Cheney writes.

As a Department of Justice lawyer wrote in a court filing, “ICE confirmed that your client was removed to Mexico inadvertently. … ICE stands ready to remedy the inadvertent removal by allowing your client to voluntarily reenter the United States if your client wishes to do so.”

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As far as moments go, ours is the grimmest of the grim. As the US president tries to pass himself off as a peacemaker, his administration has bombed boats in Latin America and the Caribbean, threatened to invade Nigeria, and thrown its support behind autocrats and far-right strongmen the world over. As a nonprofit newsroom, Inkstick aims to shine a light on the news the people in power would rather you not read.

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Patrick Strickland, managing editor

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Dotted Line is a newsletter focused on global borders and the far right, written by Inkstick Media managing editor Patrick Strickland. If you have tips, email Patrick at pstrickland (at) inkstickmedia (dot) com.