Following the arrest of one of its UK based followers last year, an organisation described by the Home Secretary as a “vile white supremacist group” that targeted young and vulnerable people online, became the most recent organisation to be proscribed under UK laws. Led by a 13-year-old based in Northern Europe, the organisation advocated the… Continue reading “Countering the Radical Right in the UK: Personal and Professional Experiences of Radical Right Extremism”
The terrorist attacks perpetrated by white supremacists in the United States, New Zealand, Germany, and other western countries in the past two years illustrate the transnationalization of the extreme-right.[1] This process occurs online, in discussion rooms on Telegram, Discord servers and other social networks and Internet forums; and offline, in marches,[2] music festivals,[3] and even… Continue reading “The Transnationalization of White Supremacist Discourse: The Hundred-Handers and the It’s Okay To Be White Campaign”
With access to online resources and communities, “lone wolf” terrorist incidents are increasingly prevalent among radical right extremists. What is unhelpfully called “lone wolf terrorism” is rising by every metric, no matter how it is defined. Unfortunately, for those determined to carry out premeditated acts of political violence, logistically alone, there are unprecedented resources available.… Continue reading “Radical Right Terrorists Are Usually Self-Radicalized”
There have been many definitions of the far-right, but it really comes down to three components: Cultural Nationalism, White Nationalism, and White Supremacy. To solve a problem, we must first define it. As mantras go, it is indisputable and yet we find ourselves stumbling over terminology when trying to understand and define ‘far-right terrorism’ and… Continue reading “We Can’t Combat Right-Wing Terrorism Until We Define It”
A young man, Philip Manshaus, who carried out the terror attack in Norway on 10 August 2019 has now been sentenced to 21 years ‘preventative detention’. He was charged with killing his step sister, Johanne Ihle- Hansen, and an act of terrorism for attacking the Al Noor mosque in Bærum, Norway. At the trial, he… Continue reading “Does Norway have a neo-Nazi terrorist problem?”
Memes remain an important potential influence on far-right online radicalisation and cannot be overlooked as an aspect of internet culture. The far right has always thrived in the online space, however scholars Lisa Bogerts and Maik Fielitz suggest that the advent of Web 2.0 catalysed “a process of (post-) modernisation” within the movement, thus creating… Continue reading “The Influence of Memes on Far-Right Radicalisation”
The radical right has always been good at spreading misinformation; now they might be spreading Covid-19. It is easy to look at the core ideology of the radical right—nativism, white supremacy, homophobia, misogyny—and call it ignorant and uninformed. This labelling is problematic because it is lazy; it assumes an either/or approach to knowledge and does… Continue reading “Is the radical right spreading the coronavirus?”
Isolation and fear are being used by the radical right to connect and indoctrinate people by spreading racist narratives about the virus. In the last four months, Coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread across every populated continent and infected more than two million people, with estimates of many more to come. More than just a tragic outbreak… Continue reading “The radical right is weaponising COVID-19 online”
From lies about 5G to vast conspiracies of a Bill Gates vaccine plot, COVID-19 has sparked an avalanche of conspiracy theories. Here’s how to spot them. Did you know that the anagram of “Carnivorous” spells “Coronavirus?” Think about it!!!!!!! (a Facebook post) This was posted by a vegan who peddles all types of conspiracies about… Continue reading “How To Debunk Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories”
Often when extremisms come about, they don’t occur in isolation. In the UK, for example, the emergence of extremist mobilisations have occurred subsequent to high-profile counter-movements, counter-protests and terror attacks that suggest a ‘connectivity between extremisms’ (Ranstrop 2010). In the far-right space, we’ve seen this in the creation of the English Defence League (EDL) in… Continue reading “Cumulative Extremism Online: How Moral and Strategic Aims Predict Narrative Escalation”
