The die is cast, but socialists must fight for their outcomes, argues Jack Sherwood

Can we all be clear now? Donald Trump does not mean fascism in the US.

While there are broad, mass movements of resistance to ruling power of the kind we have seen in the last few days people are not living under fascism, whether Trump wants it or not.

Determined

In France, there is an actual fascist who has a chance (even if small) of gaining power. Were that to happen, the same still applies, as a fascist in power is not the same as fascism.

As long as this kind of movement exists and stands unified, and utterly determined not to be beaten, it is very difficult for fascism to take hold. I believe the French people are up to that and will stop Le Pen even being elected.

The problem is when people choose to sit on the sidelines and do nothing (and this applies to any progress of the right in general).

I hope anyone I know who was not out this weekend (if they had a choice), will join the upcoming national actions in March for the NHS, and against racism, or any local campaigning, where you are urgently required.

Transformational

There’s another side to this. As the political centre collapses and politics polarises – as it has begun to do here and in the US – such mass movements of resistance, combined with the popularisation of leftwing and socialist ideas have huge potential to advance a transformational alternative to the false claims, failure and scapegoating of the populist right in power.

Indeed, they absolutely must in this situation. As Rosa Luxemburg famously described: it is socialism or barbarism.

But in this we have to believe that working class people will fight for their interests – and they will – and as leftists we have to be in that fight on every front and advancing it wherever possible, because in mobilising the majority, we can win.