Extreme Right-wing Research Articles

Hate Crimes Nourish Domestic Terror in the United States and Europe

ABSTRACT This paper provides cross-cultural application of the iceberg model of political extremism 1 conceptualizing hate crimes as reflecting the dangerous base that gives rise to mass casualty right-wing extremist attacks. Evidence is reviewed demonstrating that both offenses are motivated by the same prejudices and that right-wing violent extremists are more likely than other extremists to have engaged in pre-radicalization crime. 2 This discussion goes beyond previous considerations of the iceberg model by applying it across societies and showing its relationship to democratic backsliding. Comparison of the United States with countries in western and east-central Europe is centered on hate crime and far-right anti-government white supremacist extremism. The importance of recognizing hate crimes as a national security issue 3 overlapping domestic violent extremism is demonstrated as are the consequences of current limitations on the availability of data on both problems. 4

Policing White Supremacy: Asymmetry and Inequality in Protest Control

Abstract Despite evident and oft-cited disparities in the policing of right-wing extremists and more progressive social movements, we understand much less about how such distinctions emerge and unfold as the police prepare for, and act within, protest events. How does the racial and political orientation of social movements affect how they are policed? What are the processes through which such effects are realized? In contrast with most existing studies of protest policing, which emphasize how the actions of authorities are conditioned by the degree of threat associated with, for example, the size or capacity for violence of a given protest target, the analysis here of a cluster of cases associated with the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, recognizes the constructed nature of protest threats and highlights how those assumptions inform and interact with police planning and action. Findings emphasize how the degree of alignment between police and protesters shapes policing agents’ preparations for, and operational considerations within, protest events. This alignment provides a basis for asymmetric communication, differential assessment, and—ultimately—distinct treatment of different protest targets.

Does Martialization Contribute to Australia’s Right-Wing Extremism? Implications of an Analysis of the General Social Survey

Concept review on right-wing extremism (RWE) holds that authoritarianism, nationalism and anti-democracy are the values that most strongly correlate. Evidence suggests these views are prevalent among military veterans. In this paper we test the hypothesis that individuals that are subjected to martialization are more likely to hold RWE values than other individuals. Using the General Social Survey, which permits the operationalization of authoritarianism, nationalism and anti-democracy into 12 dependent variables, we find that individuals with high levels of exposure to martialization show higher probability of preferring a more extreme stance for every single dependent variable modeled for every year included in the analysis. The result suggests that counter-extremism policy must not ignore the overwhelming impact of military experience where “hearts and minds” are shaped.

Book Review: Aspects of the New Right-Wing Extremism

Book Review: Aspects of the New Right-Wing Extremism

Dehumanization, Hate Speech, and Violence in Right-Wing Extremist Environments

On November 24, 2021, Dr. Lisa Kaati, senior researcher at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, presented Dehumanization, Hate Speech, and Violence in Right-Wing Extremist Environments at the 2021 CASIS West Coast Security Conference. The presentation was followed by a group panel for questions and answers. Main discussion topics included extremists’ use of social media to justify and incite violence.

Internationalisation of Far-Right Terror?

On November 24, Dr. Daniel Koehler presented The Internationalisation of Far-Right Terror? History and Examples of International Far-Right Networks at the 2021 CASIS West Coast Security Conference. The overarching discussion of Dr. Koehler’s presentation centered on ways that right-wing terrorism is developing, as well as the transnational aspects of far-right extremism. The presentation was followed by a question and answer period directed at a panel of presenters allowing an opportunity for audience members and CASIS Vancouver executives to engage with the content of each speaker’s presentation.

The Phenomenon of Far-Right Extremism in Pakistan: A Myth or Reality?

The world has witnessed an increase in far-right extremism, particularly in Poland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, India, and the U.S. where far-right political parties have assumed power. However, the term "far-right extremism" is not frequently used in Pakistan and is generally considered synonymous with religious extremism or radicalization. This study explores the applicability of the term in the context of Pakistan to determine which political entities in Pakistan can be labeled as far-right political parties. The study observes increasing electoral support for far-right political parties in Pakistan, especially in the last general election held in 2018. Though the support increased, it failed to materialize in a tangible form as the far-right political parties could not win any National Assembly seat in the election. The paper concludes by arguing that the increase in the vote bank of far-right political parties in the last general elections was a temporary and politically-motivated phenomenon that capitalized on people's disillusionment towards the mainstream political parties. Nonetheless, the phenomenon has seriously disrupted the socio-political order in Pakistan, as witnessed in the recent violent standoff between the Government of Pakistan and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters.

The Phenomenon of Far-Right Extremism in Pakistan: A Myth or Reality?

The world has witnessed an increase in far-right extremism, particularly in Poland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, India, and the U.S, where far-right political parties have assumed power. However, the term ‘far-right extremism’ is not frequently used in Pakistan and is generally considered synonymous with religious extremism or radicalization. This study explores the applicability of the term in the context of Pakistan to determine which political entities in Pakistan can be labeled as far-right political parties. The study observes increasing electoral support for far-right political parties in Pakistan, especially in the last general election held in 2018. Though the support increased, it failed to materialize in a tangible form as the far-right political parties could not win any National Assembly seat in the election. The paper concludes by arguing that the increase in the vote bank of far-right political parties in the last general elections was a temporary and politically-motivated phenomenon that capitalized on people’s disillusionment towards the mainstream political parties. Nonetheless, the phenomenon has seriously disrupted the socio-political order in Pakistan, as witnessed in the recent violent standoff between the Government of Pakistan and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters.

White Supremacy and the Future of Liberal Democracy–the Case of the Nordic Resistance Movement

In 2015, the largest neo-Nazi organization in Scandinavia, The Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) registered as a political party and entered electoral politics in Sweden. Utilizing qualitative content analysis, the current work explores changes in NRM’s rhetoric from before the party entered politics in 2010 and five years later in 2018. Focus centers on NRM’s ideology, what or whom they frame as their threat, and their suggested solutions for constructed problems. Results show fascist rhetoric in both time periods. An argument is made that there is no actual moderation in NRM’s politics by liberal democracy. Rather, far-right extremism is a threat to liberal democracy, as we know it. Implications of the growth of the far-right, and the future of liberal democracy are discussed.

When the Medium Is Not the Message

Abstract While much academic effort has been devoted to exploring various aspects of right-wing extremist lone-actor terrorism, little attention has been devoted to establishing how the terrorists create meaning by locating themselves within a larger narration of history. This article tries to fill this gap, by analysing the conceptions of history and the historical narratives evoked in the manifestos that the right-wing extremist perpetrators uploaded online in relation to the terrorist attacks in Norway on July 22, 2011 and in Christchurch, New Zealand March 15, 2019. Employing a combination of discourse and narrative analysis, the article argues that a shared fascist ‘regime of historicity’ may be identified in the manifestos. Furthermore, it places the narratives found in the manifestos in relation to different right-wing extremist virtual communities.

Alt. Health Influencers: how wellness culture and web culture have been weaponised to promote conspiracy theories and far-right extremism during the COVID-19 pandemic

This article examines the proliferation of alt. health influencers during the COVID-19 pandemic. I analyse the self-presentation strategies used by four alt. health influencers to achieve visibility and status on Instagram over a 12-month period from 11 March 2020, when the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organisation. My analysis reveals the ways in which these influencers appeal to the utopian discourses of early web culture and the underlying principles of wellness culture to build and sustain an online following. While early accounts of micro-celebrity treat participatory culture as democratising and progressive, this article demonstrates how the participatory affordances of social media have been exploited to spread misinformation, conspiratorial thinking and far-right extremism. These findings develop previous work on ‘conspirituality’ by demonstrating how wellness culture and web culture can coalesce for authoritarian ends.

“From street soldiers to political soldiers”: assessing how extreme right violence has been criminalised in Portugal

ABSTRACT Historical evidence points to the fact that extreme right-wing (ERW) violence has not always been prosecuted under terrorism legislation, but under various other criminal statutes. In Portugal, since the regulation of terrorism in the general Criminal Code in 1982, which was then replaced by counterterrorism (CT) legislation in 2003, there have been five terrorism convictions. However, none was related to ERW violence, despite the existence of numerous ideologically motivated crimes committed by groups and individuals occupying this side of the political spectrum. In this study, we aim to understand the reasons behind such penal selectivity in contemporary Portugal by comparing two legal files: the first case sentenced according to the Portuguese CT Law, whose defendant was a Spanish national, and member of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA); and the first case of ERW violence sentenced after the introduction of the Portuguese CT Law, in which 36 alleged skinheads were sentenced for racial discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence, as expressed in section 240 of the Portuguese Criminal Code. We discuss how the Portuguese case can contribute to the international debate regarding the criminalisation of ideologically motivated violence.

From 11 September to 6 January: A Vexingly Dotted Line

Two books examine the connection between the 11 September 2001 attacks and the 6 January 2021 insurrection in the United States. In Reign of Terror, Spencer Ackerman overreaches in arguing that 9/11 led directly to 6 January by impelling the Bush administration’s expansion and empowerment of the ‘Security State’, which encouraged government officials and the American public to embrace right-wing extremism and Donald Trump’s authoritarianism. Factors other than the ‘war on terror’ amply explain America’s sharp turn to the right and Trump’s ascendancy. In Subtle Tools, Karen Greenberg offers the more nuanced and credible argument that Trump and his inner circle simply used the degradation of language, ‘bureaucratic porousness’, reflexive secrecy and the rejection of precedent arising from the policy and statutory responses to 9/11 to stoke right-wing extremism and manipulate government security policy and institutions.

Erasing historical violence from the study of violent extremism: Memorialization of white supremacy at Stone Mountain, United States

ABSTRACT There has been a rise in far-right extremism (FRE) globally, with a related rise in white nationalist and white supremacist violence. In all this, places connected to white supremacist violence remain less well-studied. This article reflects upon the politics of commemoration at the largest Confederate memorial in the world, Stone Mountain, Georgia in the United States. We analyse visitor reviews on TripAdvisor and YouTube videos about commemorative events to illustrate how visitors to Stone Mountain erase its and, more broadly, the United States’ history of white supremacy. Instead, there are claims that this is a tourist site, a place for leisure where violence and politics have no place. Such claims evade the issue of white supremacist violence that was foundational to the Confederate cause and to the production and development of memorials like Stone Mountain. Such erasure means understandings of “violent extremism” in the United States – wherein events like the Confederacy and its aftermath in relation to racial injustices are not discussed – is limited and incomplete. This article argues that before debating what is or is not “violent extremism”, this history of white supremacist violence needs to be reckoned with, especially regarding its presence and its traces on the landscape.

Strain theory, resilience, and far-right extremism: the impact of gender, life experiences and the internet

ABSTRACT There has been a notable increase in support for far-right ideologies across the West. The seriousness of this threat has been acknowledged by the UK government which has banned certain far-right groups using terrorism legislation. While criminological theories have been useful in explaining general criminality, they have been under-utilised in explaining extremism and terrorism. Agnew’s General Strain Theory, which hypothesises that negative life events increase the chance of a turn to criminality, is explored in this article alongside Control Theory. Based on a survey (N 1,138) conducted on Facebook in late 2019, we explore how strain and resilience based on participants’ gender, economic situations, life events and their use of the internet impacts individuals’ far-right extremist attitudes and behaviours. We use regression analysis to investigate the impact that strain and resilience, individuals’ gender, economic situations, individual life experiences, and their use of the internet have on their propensity to associate, engage, and support far-right ideologies and linked violence. While strain is not found to be significant, resilience, gender and the use of the internet are.

Right-Wing Extremism in the Military

This research paper seeks to examine the nature of the nexus between right-wing extremism and the military by surveying five potential consequences (i.e., problem areas) arising from the presence of right-wing extremists within the armed forces of twelve Western countries. The five problem areas identified are military personnel: 1) committing right-wing extremist violence; 2) facilitating right-wing extremist violence by organisations; 3) perpetuating ideologically motivated hate crimes or violation of procedures and rules of engagement while on deployment; 4) hampering military diversity and inclusion efforts with activities and behaviours; and 5) undermining civilian control over the military. Based on a systematic review of five years of news media articles and government reports from 2017-2021, we find that for most problem areas the worst conceivable manifestations have thus far not (yet) materialised. Further, activities of military personnel with right-wing extremist leanings were not more dangerous as a result of their military background. Overall, the nature of the nexus between right-wing extremism and the military was vastly different amongst the countries in our study, with Germany and the US appearing to be the most heavily affected. The mapping of this threat serves as a basis for informing policymakers of the various scenarios and appropriate responses to counter right-wing extremism within the military.

Right-wing Extremist Organizations of Modern Germany: Attempts to Revise History as a Threat to Social Cohesion

The article presents an analysis of the activities of right-wing extremist organizations in Germany aimed at revising the results of the Second World War. Historical revisionism has become a central place of propaganda for German legal extremism since the 1970s. Its goal is not to generate new scientific knowledge, but to be aimed solely at an ideologically motivated rethinking of historical facts. They present events, creating the impression of an unbiased study of a historical source in a little-informed community. In accordance with their worldview, right-wing extremists deny the guilt of Germany in unleashing the Second World War, transferring it to the victorious powers. In modern Germany, the number of supporters of neo-Nazi groups has increased, which is a blow to social cohesion. In order to counteract this, significant work is being carried out by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the police and other State structures. A special role is being played by research activities. In 2020 A research institute of social cohesion was established on the basis of eleven higher educational institutions and research institutions. It is a structure funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, located in ten different lands. Almost 200 scientists from different research teams are developing practical proposals that will help solve the social problems of our time, using empirical research and large-scale comparisons. Among the topics that are analyzed and become the basis for the development of practical proposals, the themes of conflict, polarization and populism, as well as anti-Semitism and hate crimes occupy a prominent place.

Leveraging Natural Language Processing to Analyse the Temporal Behavior of Extremists on Social Media

Aiming at achieving sustainability and quality of life for citizens, future smart cities adopt a data-centric approach to decision making in which assets, people, and events are constantly monitored to inform decisions. Public opinion monitoring is of particular importance to governments and intelligence agencies, who seek to monitor extreme views and attempts of radicalizing individuals in society. While social media platforms provide increased visibility and a platform to express public views freely, such platforms can also be used to manipulate public opinion, spread hate speech, and radicalize others. Natural language processing and data mining techniques have gained popularity for the analysis of social media content and the detection of extremists and radical views expressed online. However, existing approaches simplify the concept of radicalization to a binary problem in which individuals are classified as extremists or non-extremists. Such binary approaches do not capture the radicalization process's complexity that is influenced by many aspects such as social interactions, the impact of opinion leaders, and peer pressure. Moreover, the longitudinal analysis of users' interactions and profile evolution over time is lacking in the literature. Aiming at addressing those limitations, this work proposes a sophisticated framework for the analysis of the temporal behavior of extremists on social media platforms. Far-right extremism during the Trump presidency was used as a case study, and a large dataset of over 259,000 tweets was collected to train and test our models. The results obtained are very promising and encourage the use of advanced social media analytics in the support of effective and timely decision-making.

O Kasper está morto? Domesticação e doutrinação do Kaspertheater durante o Nacional-Socialismo

ABSTRACT The text presents preliminary results of research on the strategies employed in the appropriation of Kaspertheater for propaganda purposes under National-Socialism. This popular form of German puppet theater was adapted into Nazi ideological plays, and performed on various circuits, including war fronts. The article examines the relationship between art and politics in this context and discusses the ambiguities of the use of comicality linked to right-wing extremist programs, as a counterpoint to contemporary performances of Kaspertheater. It investigates the relations between popular culture and the legitimization of national identity projects, with the intention of contributing to this debate in Brazil.

Editors’ Introduction

Editors’ Introduction