President Trump has crossed the Rubicon from traditional Republican racism into full-blown white supremacy, and it’s a threat to our national security. Donald J. Trump describes Latino immigrants as “rapists” and drug dealers, comparing them to “vermin” who “infest” the United States. They are, he says, like “vomit” pouring across the border. Trump says black… Continue reading “Radical Right Expert: Donald Trump Is A White Supremacist Asset”
Ethnocentric, sexist and racist ideologies demonstrate why it is important to de-colonise the study and teaching of European culture and history. Recently, Javier Ortega Smith, the leader of Vox, the populist radical right party in Spain, came under scrutiny for language that Spanish Attorney General Luis Navajas called “abominable” and “repulsive” but not a… Continue reading “The ups and downs and clashes of Western civilization”
We need to empathise with those we fundamentally disagree with. Is society ready for that? In a year that marks the twentieth anniversary of the London Nail Bomber’s campaign of terror, two recent terrorist incidents, the Christchurch Mosque and San Diego Synagogue tragedies, have reinforced the deadly reality of neo-Nazi conspiracies and sharply focused the… Continue reading “Preventing radical right extremism requires honesty, empathy and a whole society approach. Are we doomed to fail?”
How should we reconcile the historically low level of Americans’ negative feelings about Jews with the recent surge in attacks on Jews? The April 27 attack on the Chabad synagogue in Poway, a suburb of San Diego, California, set off alarms within American Jewish communities. The attack came six months after another lone-wolf assault that… Continue reading “Despite Recent Attacks, Anti-Semitism in the US Remains Low”
Countering five common myths promoted by the radical right, from anti-semitic conspiracy theories to political correctness. Britain, as a liberal democracy, clearly has free speech. Yet, there is a distinction between people using free speech to express themselves and inciting hatred and violence to others. The latter is something which governments have every right to… Continue reading “Radical-right narratives and how to counter them”
It can be difficult to separate the alleged watchdogs of freedom from the bloodhounds of the populist radical-right discourse. On June 6, 2017, Sweden’s national holiday, charges were filed with the Swedish international prosecution office against “a number of individuals in key positions inside Sweden’s government administration, media and in the country’s political establishment” engaged… Continue reading “How the Swedish Radical Right Hijacked Human Rights”
Racism and anti-Semitism remain problems in global soccer. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia supporters of the Moroccan national soccer team fought with fans holding Israeli flags at the end of Morocco’s loss to Portugal. David Whelan, the former owner of Wigan Athletic, was also accused of making anti-Semitic statements (He repeated a common… Continue reading “Anti-Semitism in global soccer”
The Jewish Octopus trope has 19th century roots but was most fully exploited in Nazi Germany. This article is dedicated to the memory of Paul R. Weinstein. A January issue of The Times of Israel reproduced, as an example of “recent anti-Semitic memes around George Soros,” a caricature of Soros as a tentacled monster hovering over North… Continue reading “George Soros Targeted By Anti-Semitic Meme That Predates The Nazis”
The idea of European civilisation is repeatedly evoked by a range of different actors within radical right movements in the West. Paradoxically, whilst much of the European radical right is resistant to the European Union as a political project, many elements of radical right discourse return to the idea of Europe as a homogenous culture.… Continue reading “The Narrative of European Civilization within Radical Right Discourse”
Is there really a new wave of anti-Semitism sweeping the United States? At first glance the answer appears to be in the affirmative. There’s certainly substantial – though fragmentary – evidence to support this response. Here are some manifestations of hatred toward Jewish people that confirm the existence of such a wave. Exhibit ‘A’ is… Continue reading “The New Wave of Anti-Semitism in America”