One of the fundamental principles of free democracies under the rule of law is tolerance, the acceptance of values ​​different from our own without adopting them or following them.

From this, we could perhaps conclude that anyone who wishes to maintain democratic values ​​must(!) accept everything and everyone, in other words, they must provide space even for fascist groups.

If we were to follow this approach, we would end up undermining democracy itself, no matter how contradictory it may seem.

In order to resolve this paradox, it is worth approaching the issue from a different angle. Let's turn the tables and look at it from the side of the fascist system. What does fascism tolerate? Contradiction? No. Individualism? No. Criticism of the system? No. Fascism is a very strictly controlled system, where not even the slightest deviations are tolerated. Why? Because it would endanger the entire system.

Now let's look at democracy. Democracy is also a system, much freer than fascism, but it still has rules and restrictions.

This system allows criticism, individualism, and contradiction, but only as long as it does not endanger the democratic principles themselves, the structure and basic pillars of democracy. So even in such a freer society, there are limits that, if crossed, endanger the system itself. So even democracy is not completely tolerant. It cannot be tolerant, for example, against fascist movements, whose goal is to dismantle and replace the democratic framework itself with the fascist system.

In such cases like this it's always worth examining "tolerance" in terms of how much deviation and fluctuation the given system can allow itself without endangering its functionality and persistence.

Definitions: (From https://www.merriam-webster.com/)

• tolerance -- sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own -- the act of allowing something : toleration -- the allowable deviation from a standard
• paradox --a person or thing having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases --a statement or sentiment that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true
• democracy --government by the people : rule of the majority --a form of government in which the people elect representatives to make decisions, policies, laws, etc. according to law --political, social, or economic equality : the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges
• fascism --Fascism : a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition