Transcription
When did women's rights shift from being a left-wing issue to being a right-wing cause? I used to be a left-wing supporter. 20 years ago, women's rights were a left-wing cause. Women's rights and safety were championed as a core tenant of the political left. Feminist activism focused on equal pay for women, workplace protections, ending domestic violence against women, and protecting women and girls from sexual assault in public places from violent men. These causes were pushed through left-leaning political parties and social movements. Feminist Sweden, for example, was admired the world over as a progressive model the rest of the world should aspire to. Sweden was a nation where women's equality was not just a policy goal, but national identity.
However, in recent years, a political realignment has emerged. Issues that were once seen as the territory of the left, such as the protection of women's private spaces, safety from male violence and harassment, and fairness in sports, are now voiced mainly by right-wing politicians and right-wing commentators. These topics are now the domain of right-wing YouTubers rather than left-wing journalists and left-wing YouTubers.
Consider the issue of migrant-related violence in Europe, which is especially high against women and girls. In Europe, a strong divergence has appeared between the left and right in relation to migrant violence against local women. While those on the right have strongly voiced their concerns for the safety and welfare of women and girls, those on the left have mostly remained silent. In Sweden, Germany, the UK, and France, there has been a significant increase in crime statistics. Police data shows that thousands of women have been victims of harassment, assault, and rape at the hands of male migrants and refugees, mainly those from cultures with very different gender norms than those seen in Europe.
Left-wing parties and left-wing media downplay or avoid reporting on incidents of violence against local women and girls perpetrated by migrant men. Some left-wing politicians have even lashed out and accused right-wing politicians and even accused the police of fabricating crime statistics. In reality, the police in Europe downplay migrant violence against women, and they avoid publishing the perpetrator's ethnicity unless, of course, he's a local white male, and then they will publish it.
In contrast, right-wing parties such as the Sweden Democrats, the National Rally in France, and Germany's AfD have lamented the significant decline in women's safety in Europe. These parties blame left-wing immigration policies for the erosion of women's safety in Europe. They argue that the mass migration of uneducated, unskilled men from the Middle East and Africa has brought not only demographic change to Europe, but it's also increased violence against local women, particularly in public spaces that used to be considered safe only 25 years ago. Feminist Sweden was once the gold standard of gender equality, women's rights, and safety for women. It's now turned a blind eye to migrant gang violence and violent crime against women. Crime is now so high against women in Sweden that female tourists avoid traveling to Sweden altogether. And what is feminist Sweden doing about this?
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the right-wing parties that have spoken up about migrant-related violence against women in Europe have increased in popularity. The Sweden Democrats have gained an unprecedented number of votes in Sweden's last election. And in Norway's election, which was a month or so ago, the right-wing populist party doubled its vote. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has spoken passionately about protecting Italian families from violence perpetrated by illegal migrants. And Denmark's Mette Frederiksen has spoken out about the importance of reducing migrant numbers to protect local women and children. Across Europe, women are now voting for right-wing parties after realizing left-wing and feminist parties have turned their backs on women's rights.
The Swedish left, in a desperate attempt to appear inclusive and anti-racist, failed to acknowledge the negative effect of migrant men on women's daily lives and safety, particularly in migrant-heavy suburbs in Sweden. They've ignored the racism of migrant men towards their own local women. Sweden's failure to protect women serves as a stark warning to women across Europe, many of whom are now reconsidering their loyalty to left-wing parties as they are afraid that their nations will end up as unsafe as Sweden.
This has created an ideological rift. On the left, politicians raise concerns over racism, Islamophobia, and the inclusivity of trans people. These issues have taken priority over the rights of local women, making it difficult for left parties to directly address gender-based violence committed by migrants without facing a backlash. These left-wing parties strongly rely on votes from migrants, so they're reluctant to speak out to defend local women and victims of migrant crime, as this will jeopardize their votes. The priority of left-wing politicians these days is securing migrant votes, not protecting women and families. Consequently, women are being ignored and dismissed by the feminist institutions that once advocated for women's rights.
Some female voters are still on the fence about which parties to vote for. Many feminists are still unwilling to join anti-immigrant parties. Yet, at the same time, they feel frustrated when they see yet another woman attacked or murdered by a migrant in Europe. Left-wing parties turn a blind eye, as usual, as they are unwilling to address uncomfortable truths and acknowledge crime statistics against women. The result is a fractured women's movement that's divided by identity politics, as the issue of women's rights competes with the rights of migrant male perpetrators. Feminists are now torn between supporting women or showing support for refugees who are largely made up of uneducated males from anti-feminist societies.
Another issue is the debate around gender identity and women's spaces. Left-wing and progressive groups have embraced the view that trans women are women, advocating for the inclusion of biological males who identify as women in women's sports and prisons and changing rooms. However, many women, including left-wing feminists, have raised concerns about fairness and about women's safety. Women who do speak out about this issue have found more support from people on the right than support from people on the left. Right-wing American commentators like Matt Walsh and Riley Gaines have been vocal defenders of women's sports and women's rights. However, critics argue that those on the right are merely using the issue of women's rights to win women's votes.
Irrespective of which side you believe, women are shifting to the right in droves. The fact remains, when it comes to preserving women's rights and safety, it's conservatives who speak up for us, while progressive parties avoid the topic or shoot childish insults at the right, calling them transphobes, Islamophobes, racists. Voters are growing tired of these petty insults and the left's inaction. Voters want to see results, not name-calling from the left. As left-wing politicians are entangled in competing progressive causes that result in inner conflict within left parties, the right presents the facts calmly and offers sensible solutions to these problems. This is why so many of us who voted left for many years are now vowing to never vote left again. Left-wing ideologies have allowed harm to come to far too many women and children. Every nation that has followed left ideologies has seen a strong increase in violence against innocent people, particularly women and children. While left ideologies sound like a dream in theory in the textbooks, in reality and in practice, left policies created a nightmare, especially for women and those.