In the immediate aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, the threat posed by military personnel in radical right groups quickly became apparent to policy makers and military leaders worldwide before being eclipsed by the event of September 11 and the resultant ‘Global War on Terror.’ While this phenomenon has attracted little scholarly attention, with the… Continue reading “An Overview of the German Military Counterintelligence Service Report on Extremism Within the German Federal Defence Force”
On 5 February, the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) candidate, Thomas Kemmerich, was officially appointed to the position of Thuringia’s Minister-President, relying on the votes of both the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the populist far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party. The latter congratulated itself for being at the bottom of concessions made by the… Continue reading “In Bed with the Far Right in Thuringia: A Watershed Moment for Muslim CDU supporters?”
COVID-19 has shutdown numerous activities in the public spaces of Europe—including far-right demonstrations. Yet the relaxation of protective measures will surely bring renewed far-right demonstration activity. In most European countries, protective measures against COVID-19 have dramatically reduced activities in public space. While these measures have wide-ranging and diverse impacts, a particular effect on far-right social… Continue reading “COVID-19 and the Pause of Far-Right Demonstrations in Germany”
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”
German far-right responses to the COVID-19 pandemic reveal their lack of social responsibility. As the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting public life across the globe, the far-right “Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the Occident” (PEGIDA) which emerged from the eastern German city of Dresden has difficulties to conform with the new safety and health regulations.… Continue reading “Germany: is the COVID-19 pandemic weakening the far right?”
“Police confirms: Mallorca thugs are Leipzig hooligans“: This headline – caused by two henchmen of the extreme right hooligan scene of the Leipzig-based club 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig (Lok Leipzig) – was the most recent one to cause massive repercussions in public and media. Both men attacked a Senegalese bouncer during a disco attendance at… Continue reading ““A past still present?”: Lokomotive Leipzig and its fan scene”
Books and literature have become important elements of a thriving radical-right that not only sustains political and economic ideas, but also forms a cultural space held together by shared “cultural imaginaries”. This blog entry is part two of a mini-series that looks at how novels and other pieces of fiction help to envision ideal… Continue reading “Images of a ‘Better’ World? Fictional Storytelling in the Radical Right (Part II)”
We still have fundamental gaps in our understanding of the radical right and effective policy responses to counter it. he news of the terror attack in Hanau come amidst a surge in activity to counter the extreme right in Germany, with several arrests and raids having taken place in recent months. Yet in the light… Continue reading “What do we know about the extreme right in Germany?”
Before the beginning of a so-called fourth wave of far right politics, some far right actors with political ambition, especially party officials, ate crow to strive for social acceptance, whereas White Power bands worldwide – in most cases – didn’t mince their words. At first glance this might not be surprising due to diverging self-images,… Continue reading “Personal Public (Death) Threat II: How Germanophone White Power bands threaten their enemies”
The central question that politics, security authorities and society are still failing to answer: who will protect us from right-wing terrorism? The racist attack in Hanau on 19 February 2020 has left Germany with the question of whether the problem of radical right terrorism has been wrongly addressed so far. After the murder of Walter Lübcke in June… Continue reading “Germany’s terrorist attack: migrant communities have lost trust”