Tucker Carlson attacks Ukrainian government which he describes as a “growing dictatorship” and “authoritarianism”
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From the March 21, 2022, edition of Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight
TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): So with a single command, Zelensky made it impossible for anybody to run against him for president. He did this not just to Opposition Platform For Life, but to ten other political parties that he believed were insufficiently loyal to him. They're all illegal now. Obviously, there's a war underway in Ukraine and, on that basis, Zelensky has declared martial law. But we must tell you, there is no evidence that the opposition parties he banned were aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine. Opposition Platform For Life, for example, denounced the Russia invasion the moment it happened, just like everybody else. But Zelensky took the opportunity to turn Ukraine into, effectively, a one-party state, which it now is.
So having banned all opposition, he then seized control of the country's media outlets. Zelensky signed a decree that combines all national television channels into a single platform that he controls. He described this as a, quote, "unified information policy," and it certainly is unified.
So if all of these details seem shocking to you, if this is not the Zelensky you've heard about on "The Today Show," then you may not have been paying attention to Ukraine. Zelensky has been solidifying complete control over Ukraine for a long time, since long before the Russian invasion and the war. Last year, he had his main political opponent arrested and his assets seized by the state. At the same time, Zelensky shutdown three of Ukraine's most popular television networks, channels that, not coincidentally, had criticized him.
So, how should we as Americans assess this? Well, first and most obviously, by admitting this is authoritarianism, it's not democracy. And then second, by acknowledging that actually it's pretty common around the world. Even in 2022, real democracy is a rare thing anywhere. Most countries are still governed by some variety of dictatorship, whatever they may call it and that includes close American allies.
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You should be very worried by your leaders' response to what's happening in Ukraine, the growing dictatorship there. And that's a word for it. What's another word for it? If you have ideas, send it to us.