US President Donald Trump recently chastized South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) for their efforts to oppress all right-wing ideology in South Korea and persecute their political opponents. Although Lee and his government have feigned ignorance and attempted to explain away their misdeeds as the necessary result of his predecessor’s so-called self-coup, Trump is absolutely correct: Right-wing ideology is being relentlessly purged from the country.

Yet South Korea is by no means an outlier in international politics. In fact, virtually every nation that has been forced to endure the advent of a left-wing regime over the course of the past decade has visibly punished right-wing ideology and politics.

Right-wing persecution in the West and East

Just take Europe, where conservative philosophies are routinely oppressed. Marine Le Pen, president of the National Rally party in France’s National Assembly, was recently and unjustly convicted of embezzlement and barred from running for political office for five years. The reason? Because she is an unabashed populist and a constant vector for right-wing values in France.

In Germany, politicians have long hidden behind the country’s infamous Brandmauer (“firewall”), refusing to work with any right-wing political parties or values in an overt effort to prevent a resurgence of right-wing politics or ideology. It is now almost impossible to purchase books by even world-renowned conservative authors there, because they have been shamefully blacklisted and banned.

In Canada, since the Liberal Party took over in 2015, all right-wing politics and ideology have become openly oppressed. Right-wing political actors such as Sean Feucht and Tamara Lich have been consistently persecuted for their beliefs and denied numerous fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression and religious liberty.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau frequently misrepresented populists as some species of crypto-Nazi and attempted to associate all right-wing ideology with the accusations of bigotry and fascism that have been heaped upon Trump. His crusade to outlaw populist ideology and right-wing values was so all-consuming that it compelled him to violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in an effort to oppress the Freedom Convoy during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.

Meanwhile, Lee and the DPK have relentlessly cracked down on all right-wing ideology and politics in South Korea. The party has forcibly attempted to preclude South Koreans from exercising their rights to freedom of expression and political assembly in an attempt to censor all right-wing ideology from public discourse. Since its victory in South Korea’s election this year, the DPK has brutally persecuted its political opponents and any right-wing political actors.

In fact, the DPK has leveraged its newly minted special counsel to raid the headquarters of its political rivals, the People Power Party (PPP), with impunity. It has even broached legislation that seeks to dissolve the PPP entirely.

Americans under attack

Although Trump has labored valiantly to destratify American society and reestablish the fundamental liberties of all Americans, right-wing ideology has become openly persecuted in America since the presidencies of Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Since Trump’s first presidency in 2016, left-wing extremists and groups such as antifa have been permitted to attack Trump supporters and right-wing rallies and events.

In truth, anyone who is an open conservative, never mind an unabashed populist, is under constant threat of violent attack in the United States.

Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign was marred by various assassination attempts by deranged leftists intent on “saving” America. The most famous was Thomas Matthew Crooks, a disgruntled left-wing extremist who, in his attempt to end the life of the now commander-in-chief, killed a Trump supporter and severely wounded three others.

Oppression continues internationally

Despite its abhorrence, the open persecution of right-wing ideology and politics that has gripped South Korea during Lee’s regime is by no means abnormal or uncommon within the international political system. Unfortunately, as I see it, virtually every nation that has been forced to endure the advent of left-wing regimes and politics over the past decade has oppressed and persecuted right-wing ideology and politics in its society.

It’s clear that any person who refuses to worship at the altar of liberalism will inevitably be forced to confront a grim reality: The conservative has become the most openly scorned and oppressed minority of the modern era.

[The Washington Times first published this piece.]

[Lee Thompson-Kolar edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.