There are extremists on both sides. Anyone living in a highly developed first world country using violence to "defend" their ideals is an extremist. They're only feeding extremism on the other side and it's why political divides keep growing deeper, despite the internet and social networks theoretically allowing more people of different beliefs to come together and discuss differences.
That's why "decorum" doesn't work. Fascism must be opposed at all turns, by all means. Otherwise they will succeed in moving the overton window even further to the right.
That's not what we're doing. We're not silencing anyone, only fighting back when they try to spread hatred and incite violence against minorities.
It is resistance, not aggression.
Btw, your use of left-wing term is the classical No true Scotsman fallacy.
The far right says the same.
This idea that the left are the good guys and care about the poor and vulnerable itβs their m.o. since the beginning but any serious book about the 20th century will obliterate that image.
Not sure if serious... "Libertarian left" is not even close to being the strongest libertarian current today, so to suggest that it's "the strongest left-wing current" is beyond ludicrous. Don't get me wrong I even think left-libertarianism has a lot to go for from a purely intellectual POV, but that's some serious wishful thinking.
People from the left have practiced extreme authoritarianism in the past (Stalin, Mao, Khmer Rouge).
There's no reason to think they won't in the future.
The extreme left and right behave exactly the same way, while saying different things.
Analysing left v right is less useful than analysing authoritarian v non-authoritarian.
Not sure of the context you meant, but in the general context left can be bullish on authoritarianism.
a) would not have authoritarians
b) hence could not implement authoritarian power structure if it became prominent
History has shown that authoritarianism can rise in what ever political ideology.
Pretending that ones political collaborators did not include at least some potential authoritarians (even if not vocal) is politically quite naive, despite what the common accepted mainstream position in ones party is.
They're also a relatively tiny group of ridiculous LARPers that no one takes seriously.
The strongest left-wing group today is the Communist Party of China...
Let's not forget that the Progressives lauded Hitler and his eugenics program in the 30s shall we.
That's a decidedly right-wing power fantasy.
The people on the left using violence are using it to fight the extreme right directly.
E: for clarity, I am speaking from a modern left-wing position, specifically the libertarian left, which is the strongest left-wing current today. Unfortunately the so-called "left"-wing in many Western countries has drifted to the right, which is absolutely deleterious.