Unlike yesterday’s fascists, today’s radical right-wing leaders propagate neither territorial expansion nor anything close to the racial laws of the 1930s. Björn Höcke is public enemy number one in present-day Germany. At least that’s what German media suggest. Höcke is a leading exponent of the “völkisch” wing of Alternative for Germany (AfD), the country’s radical right-wing populist… Continue reading “Have We Seen the Eternal Return of Fascism?”
The murder of Walter Lübcke, a member of Merkel’s political party, highlights the long history of radical right terrorism against German politicians. On 2 June 2019, Walter Lübcke, the acting district president of Kassel (Hesse) and member of Angela Merkel’s CDU, was murdered in front of his house door with a headshot. A couple of… Continue reading “The Neo-Nazi Murder Of A German Politician Highlights Threat Of Radical Right Terrorism”
When it comes to Trump, Republicans choose to either leave the party or twist themselves into sycophancy. We rarely see them speak out and stand firm. The impeachment of President Donald Trump and his impending trial in the US Senate has created a crisis atmosphere in the GOP. Fortunately for those of us observing these… Continue reading “Republican Impeachment Crisis: Exit, Voice, Or Loyalty”
The tradition of German historismus (often translated in English as historicism) was the leading method of historical study in Germany through the 19th and well into the 20th century. Its reputation for rigour made it attractive to historians across Europe, notably in Britain through the advocacy of Lord Acton, Regius Professor of Modern History at… Continue reading “Historismus. Part One: Historismus, Ranke and its Roots at the University of Berlin”
Within the context of our policies for Integration, Hate Crime and the Prevention of terrorism, do we need a “Hateful” Extremism policy at all? In October the results of the Extremism Commission’s review of the Extremism Strategy were published. The “Challenging Hateful Extremism” report is critical of the Government’s approach to countering extremism thus far… Continue reading “The UK’s “Hateful Extremism” report: more muddled thinking on an already over-crowded pitch”
By now, the climate-change scepticism of the radical-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) is well-known and has been discussed in both academic and non-academic publications. Opposition to the thesis of anthropogenic climate change – as well as scientific/public processes and responses to the phenomenon – are visible in the party’s manifesto and a range of… Continue reading “‘Protect the Environment!’ – Environmental Campaigning by the Radical Right Alternative for Germany”
In 2019, the harassment, attacks and conspiracy theories targeted at the Sámi population in Norway are on the increase. The abuse is particularly ugly on social media and – for the first time in Norwegian history – a man was charged with hate speech on Facebook against a Sámi person and sentenced to 18 days… Continue reading “Harassment and attacks on the indigenous Sámi and industrial colonialism in Norway”
Lack of reporting and coordination between federal and local law enforcement are just some of the challenges with tracking hate crimes like anti-Semitism. The Halle synagogue shooting in Germany, which occurred on October 9th, 2019, during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, serves as a tragic reminder that anti-Semitism among the radical right often directly… Continue reading “Unquantified Prejudice: The Challenges Of Tracking Hate Crimes”
*This was given as Keynote Speech at the 2nd Meeting of the Working Group on the Implementation of the Council Declaration on the Fight against Antisemitism European Commission to the Working Group on Antisemitism & European Jewish Congress December 2019, Brussels.* Antisemitism is not just one form of discrimination among others. It is not just… Continue reading “Antisemitism in Schools”
The EU needs to regain control of the political debate around social welfare, which has been masterfully monopolized by European populist parties in the last decade. The European economy is expanding for the seventh year in a row despite a slowdown at the global level. However, social and economic inequalities within EU member states have been increasing… Continue reading “It’s Time for a New European Approach to Social Policy”