Populists ‘anti-fascists,’ Bannon says at debate
TORONTO — Ordinary people have long been shut out by political and capitalist elites who have done them immense harm, the former strategist who helped Donald Trump win the White House told a protest-delayed debate in Toronto on Friday.
Denying that the U.S. president or his supporters are racist, Steve Bannon called populists the true anti-fascists because, he said, fascism looks to worship the state.
Bannon slammed what he called the “great elites of the permanent political class” for causing the devastating financial crisis in 2008 and waging endless wars like the one in Afghanistan. Those same elites consider the populist movement to be made up of racist, nativist xenophobes, he said.
“Well, it’s not. They’re the backbone of our country, the most decent people on Earth,” Bannon said during the 90-minute debate.
Bannon’s opponent, conservative commentator David Frum, conceded that liberal democracy was in trouble for many of the reasons Bannon outlined. However, he said, Trump and populism should not be the answer.
“The failures of a good system are no reason to turn to an evil one,” Frum said. “We have to renew and repair.”
Frum accused Bannon and Trump of using code words to incite antipathy toward Jews, blacks and immigrants — something Bannon denied.
Police outside the downtown auditorium made several arrests as chanting protesters slowed attendees from getting inside. Video on social media showed officers using batons to hold back the crowd, and one photo showed an officer using pepper spray. Police reported no injuries.
“I think the people of Toronto have shown how they feel about the far right,” said David Langille, who was among those protesting outside. “We want to protect our democracy — it’s very important.”
Bannon, 64, the former executive chairman of right-wing Breitbart News, helped Trump win the 2016 presidential election and was White House chief strategist for eight months until August 2017.
Frum, 58, a senior editor at The Atlantic magazine, was a speechwriter for ex-U.S. president George W. Bush.
Friday’s event was part of the decade-old Munk Debates.