In the campaign “Gemeinsam für das Grundgesetz” (Together for the Basic Law), the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) presents its far-right political positions as liberal-conservative to defy accusations of anti-constitutionality. During the last month, the German far-right populist party AfD has faced two major challenges. The Corona crisis has decreased public interest in immigration issues and… Continue reading ““Long live freedom!”: How the AfD presents itself as Defender of the German Basic Law”
The fight against the coronavirus fits well with far-right views on protectionism and their zero-tolerance approach to law and order. “Despite coronavirus, leftists want open borders for migrants” is the caption in an image showing a large group of male migrants on a rubber boat by popular right-wing outlet Voice of Europe. The image is… Continue reading “How is the far-right capitalizing COVID-19?”
The anti-immigrant rhetoric we’re seeing in Europe and from President Trump is not only dehumanizing, it has a dangerous resonance in history. In April this year, Christian Schilcher, a local government leader for the radical right Austrian Freedom party, was forced to step down after publishing a poem titled ‘Die Stadtratte’ (‘The City Rat’). The poem compared… Continue reading “Pests, Invaders and Infestations: The Radical Right’s Dehumanization Of Immigrants”
As I was anxiously finishing my beer and looking around an empty and fusty pub in inner Budapest, the prospects of my fieldwork and research appeared rather gloomy. I, a student from Central European University, an academic institution that was founded by George Soros and is the meta-enemy of the populist government and the wider… Continue reading “A short account on the experience of interviewing the far-right: anticipating ‘that’ moment”
Recall that in the last CARR blog, I offered key definitions in the literature, including what we mean by the radical right, populism, nativism, and illiberalism respectively. I also highlighted some interpretations of these terms and underscored some of the links between them. In this blog, I want to offer seven theses on the rise… Continue reading ““The Global Rise of Nativism and Illiberalism: A Conversation on the Contemporary Political Pathology,” Part 3: Seven theses about the radical right”
The Christchurch massacre and the Australian state of mind. A cocktail that has been years in the making. The Christchurch terrorist carnage serves as a stark reminder that Australia is not only the home of funny beer commercials (“Fosters is Australian for beer”) and strange ways to play football, it is also home to an… Continue reading “What’s wrong with Australia?”
German neo-Nazi bands attempt to appeal more broadly to an audience that is opposed to the government’s position on asylum seekers. Plato once wrote, in an argument postulating the banning of music, that “any musical innovation is full of danger to the whole State.” While an extreme position to adopt in its own right, the… Continue reading “Tracking German Neo-Nazism Through Music”