The ongoing coronavirus crisis has seen an increasing number of people participating in movements opposed to state measures to curb coronavirus waves in various countries. While these movements are often based on misinformation, the author holds that the reasons underlying them should be seen in an extremist interpretation of the term “freedom,” as epitomized in former US president Trump’s behaviour. This is an expression of new relations between labour and capital. It is incumbent on the left to wrest away the notion of “freedom” both from such politicians and from capital. Against voices demanding a prohibition of fascist groups following the latest fascist attack on Italian trade unions, the author holds that the left should seek to revalorize ideas such as solidarity and mutualism in order to counter radicalized neoliberal ideas. Referring back to the cycle of factory struggles in the 1970s, the author highlights the critical contribution exponents of that movement made to a critical understanding and implementation of public health policies.