Benedetta Scuderi on the Double Standards of European Protest

Scuderi points to a jarring disparity within the European Parliament: colleagues can characterize Muslims as a collective threat without facing repercussions, yet calling for the liberation of Palestine invites arrest. This selective enforcement of political speech, she argues, has normalized the repression of specific activists while shielding others. She cites the contrast between the lenient policing of far-right marches or farmer-led tractor protests and the violent dispersal of small, peaceful sit-ins held for Gaza.

Beyond the streets, the Italian MEP expresses concern over the capture of free speech discourse by the far-right. She warns that European democracy is eroding as authorities increasingly tolerate fascist symbolism and discriminatory language while criminalizing dissent. For Scuderi, the current environment allows a dangerous double standard to flourish, where the right to protest is no longer a universal guarantee, but a privilege granted only to those whose messages do not challenge the prevailing political consensus.