Far-right seizing pandemic 'opportunity' to expand in Germany and abroad
Far-right militants in Europe and the US are
increasingly forming global links and using the coronavirus pandemic to
attract anti-vaccine activists and conspiracy theorists to their cause, a
study commissioned by the German foreign ministry said Friday.
The study carried out in Germany, France, Britain, the US, Sweden and Finland by the Counter Extremism Project documents the emergence of a new far-right movement since 2014 that is "leaderless, transnational, apocalyptic and oriented towards violence".
The extremists believe in the nationalist theory of "great replacement" being orchestrated to supplant Europe's white population with outsiders.
And they are increasingly networking across national borders with other like-minded militants, including with Russian and East European extremists.
Music festivals and mixed martial arts fights are rallying points, where extremists also seek to draw new members, the study noted.
Over the last year, the pandemic has also become an opportunity seized on by the extremists to "expand their mobilisation efforts around anti-government conspiracy myths criticising the current restrictions," it said.
READ ALSO: How did a fringe corona conspiracy theory in Germany grow to a nationwide movement?
"Right-wing extremism is the biggest threat to our security -- across Europe," said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Twitter.
Voicing alarm that the scene is "increasingly acting and networking internationally", Maas added that Germany is seeking to counter the menace through coordinated action with other EU members.
Der Rechtsextremismus ist die größte Bedrohung unserer Sicherheit - europaweit. Um mit unseren Partnern besser gegen rechtsterroristische Strukturen vorgehen zu können, haben wir das Thema in unserer EU-Ratspräsidentschaft auf die Agenda gesetzt. #EU2020dehttps://t.co/jAPEDi6f9e
— Heiko Maas ?? (@HeikoMaas) November 20, 2020
A rally of nearly 10,000 opponents of government-imposed social restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Berlin this week saw extremists mingling among a motley crew of protesters.
READ ALSO: Berlin protesters clash with police in showdown demo
About a dozen demonstrators were shouting "Sieg Heil" while performing the stiff-armed Hitler salute, in the presence of police, an AFP reporter saw.
Anti-Semitic slogans have been a fixture of some of the demonstrations against coronavirus policies in Germany this year.
Comments (1)
See Also
The study carried out in Germany, France, Britain, the US, Sweden and Finland by the Counter Extremism Project documents the emergence of a new far-right movement since 2014 that is "leaderless, transnational, apocalyptic and oriented towards violence".
The extremists believe in the nationalist theory of "great replacement" being orchestrated to supplant Europe's white population with outsiders.
And they are increasingly networking across national borders with other like-minded militants, including with Russian and East European extremists.
Music festivals and mixed martial arts fights are rallying points, where extremists also seek to draw new members, the study noted.
Over the last year, the pandemic has also become an opportunity seized on by the extremists to "expand their mobilisation efforts around anti-government conspiracy myths criticising the current restrictions," it said.
READ ALSO: How did a fringe corona conspiracy theory in Germany grow to a nationwide movement?
"Right-wing extremism is the biggest threat to our security -- across Europe," said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Twitter.
Voicing alarm that the scene is "increasingly acting and networking internationally", Maas added that Germany is seeking to counter the menace through coordinated action with other EU members.
Der Rechtsextremismus ist die größte Bedrohung unserer Sicherheit - europaweit. Um mit unseren Partnern besser gegen rechtsterroristische Strukturen vorgehen zu können, haben wir das Thema in unserer EU-Ratspräsidentschaft auf die Agenda gesetzt. #EU2020dehttps://t.co/jAPEDi6f9e
— Heiko Maas ?? (@HeikoMaas) November 20, 2020
A rally of nearly 10,000 opponents of government-imposed social restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Berlin this week saw extremists mingling among a motley crew of protesters.
READ ALSO: Berlin protesters clash with police in showdown demo
About a dozen demonstrators were shouting "Sieg Heil" while performing the stiff-armed Hitler salute, in the presence of police, an AFP reporter saw.
Anti-Semitic slogans have been a fixture of some of the demonstrations against coronavirus policies in Germany this year.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.