There’s a New Breed of Young, Violent, Far-right Activist in Britain: ‘White Jihadists’

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The neo-Nazi founder of the banned terror group National Action was jailed this week. Sadly, there are more like him

‘Alex Davies began outlining the framework for his neo-Nazi youth movement a decade ago.’ Alex Davies arrives at Winchester crown court, 20 April 2022. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Alex Davies, the co-founder of the proscribed far-right terror group National Action, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison this week, bringing the total number of people convicted of membership of the group to 19. Formed in 2013, National Action espouses extreme antisemitic and anti-immigrant views, and presented itself as better organised and more disciplined than other groups in a British neo-Nazi scene previously on the verge of collapse.

When it was banned by the then-home secretary, Amber Rudd, in December 2016, National Action was the first far-right organisation to be proscribed since the second world war. But it wasn’t the first such group in that period to espouse extreme neo-Nazi beliefs or promote the ideology of terror and violence – nor will it be the last.

Davies, 27, a former University of Warwick student, began outlining the framework for this neo-Nazi youth movement a decade ago, while he was being monitored by the government’s controversial Prevent programme. » | Matthew Collins | Saturday, June 11, 2022

Germany Shocked by Far-right Protesters Trying to Enter Parliament | DW News

German politicians from across the political spectrum have condemned a far-right attempt to storm the parliament building in Berlin. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called it "an intolerable attack on the heart of our democracy". Demonstrators against the government's pandemic policies, along with far-right groups and science deniers overwhelmed police to rush the entrance to the German parliament. The sight of black, white and red imperial German flags in front of the Reichstag was so shocking that science denial and conspiracy theories were forgotten.

The Hard Right Has Captured My Old Party - and Boris Johnson’s Victory Proves It

THE GUARDIAN: The Tories always used to put pragmatic economics first. British voters should not forgive them for abandoning this

Around 92,000 members who no longer even represent Conservative voters have crowned the “clown prince” as our prime minister. Just when we need a prime minister to bring us together, lead us through the Brexit crisis and on to tackling the serious issues we must confront, the party serves up Boris Johnson. His lifelong ambition has finally been realised; no one and nothing was going to get in his way this time, least of all integrity and truth.

The leadership hustings, far from allaying profound fears about Johnson’s ability and mendacity, went further than merely confirming them. Under friendly fire, he revealed he is actually worse than we had thought.

The hustings also revealed the real Conservative party and its drift to the right. It wasn’t simply that the members don’t look like today’s UK – 71% male and 97% white – it was more about what they said. And the regular applause for Johnson’s dog-whistle rightwing rhetoric proved – as did the election result – that Tory members were prepared, indeed pleased, to lose jobs and the union rather than lose their precious no-deal Brexit. That move to the right, away from the centre ground inhabited by One Nation Conservatives, was the major reason I left the Tory party, after serving it as an MP for nine years. » | Anna Soubry | Tuesday, July 23, 2019

The Guardian View on the Christchurch Attacks: Extremism’s Rising Danger

THE GUARDIAN: The far right seeks to divide. Responsible politicians ought, especially in times of grief and anger, to bring people together

New Zealand is best known for its breathtaking wilderness, found in distant but secure islands at the edge of the world. On Friday that changed. Forty-nine people were killed in shootings at two mosques in central Christchurch in a suspected terrorist attack during the congregational prayer. The horrific events have left the country in mourning and shock. Muslims make up less than 1% of New Zealand’s population and the faith’s most prominent adherent is a rugby player. This was a stupefying amount of lethal force in a country that saw only 35 homicides in all of 2017. New Zealand as a nation will collectively have to deal with a trauma that no parent, no relative, no friend should ever endure. » | Editorial | Friday, March 15, 2019

Poland Is Pushing the EU into Crisis

Poland’s far-right party is subverting democracy, and setting the country on a collision course with the EU.

The Rise of the Far-right in Germany

Nowhere is the rise of the far right more poignant and alarming than in Berlin, Europe's powerhouse. This city is pockmarked with the bitter lessons of history.

Germany has worked hard at what they call "Vergangenheitsbewältigung", or overcoming the past.

There are strict laws against hate crimes. And yet the city of Chemnitz saw mass rallies with neo-Nazi overtones in August and last week there were similar but smaller marches in Köthen.

What's more, the anti-immigrant AFD is now the official opposition party in the Bundestag with 92 MPs. They deny any links with extremists but we spoke to one extreme right-wing leader who believes it opens doors to his kind of views.

This film shows the extent to which fringe figures now feel they can speak out and also the public following they are gaining. It also contains themes some may find offensive.

Sweden's Electorate Lurches to the Right

Sweden's Elections Swing Right: Despite its reputation as a cosy left-leaning country, Sweden’s liberal immigration policy has divided opinion within its population. Now, the general election has brought simmering resentments to the fore.

The Far Right: Can Germany Defeat Its Demons? | DW English | Quadriga

The city of Chemnitz in the eastern German state of Saxony made headlines around the world for right-wing violence and anti-immigrant sentiment. But at a concert, tens of thousands took a stand against xenophobia and extremism. Can the movement 'There are more of us' last? Guests: Linda Vierecke (DW), Valerie Höhne (Spiegel Online), Matthew Karnitschnig (Politico)

How Much of a Threat Is the Far-right in Germany? – Inside Story

The city of Chemnitz, in the east German state of Saxony, has seen a series of violent anti-migrant protests. They began last Sunday after the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old German man…and the arrest of two suspects...asylum seekers from Iraq and Syria.

Briefly, the streets were owned by far-right protesters, who chanted Germany for Germans, and who reportedly gave Hitler salutes and chased anyone who looked foreign. Police struggled to keep control them and fights continued the following day between far-right and left-wing demonstrators.

The violence has raised concerns that the city is a neo-Nazi stronghold, and has shown divisions in German society about immigration.

Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed more than a million migrants into the country at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015. The biggest opposition party, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) seized on what it saw as an open-door policy, winning 92 parliamentary seats in last year’s elections.

Is anti-migrant sentiment growing in Germany?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Philipp Sauter, Student Activist and anti-Fascism campaigner; Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Professor of Education Sociology at the American University; Mona El Omari, political activist and community educator

Right-wing Protests in Chemnitz: What Is the Root of This Hate? | DW English

Rage and violence in the streets of Chemnitz. A deadly knife attack by refugees on a German man has led to riots and the targeting of foreigners. Right-wing demonstrators and anti-fascist counterdemonstrators are facing off. Are police and politicians out of their depth? Our guests: Karen Taylor (Policy Advisor), Hans Pfeifer (DW), Malte Lehming (Tagesspiegel)

Why the Far Right Believes Every Muslim—Including Me—Is a Liar

At a protest the night before Donald Trump’s inauguration last year, a woman accused me of “taqiyya” on the street. I didn’t know it at the time, but she was telling me I’m a liar because I’m Muslim.

'Liberal Élites Have Lost Contact with Ordinary People' – Slavoj Žižek on Right-wing Rise in Europe

An anti-immigration party has come out on top in another European election. Sunday's vote in Slovenia saw the Democratic party, the SDS, win the most seats, although it fell far short of a majority.

Yanis Varoufakis on Iran Nuclear Deal Demise, US Trade Negotiations, Europe’s Far Right & Capitalism

Today Austria... The Normalisation of Europe's Far-right

Far Right Gains Momentum in Chile's Presidential Elections

A far-right political party in Chile is expected to play a key role in determining the winner of Sunday's presidential run off. Its leader, Jose Antonio Kast, won a surprising 8% of the votes in the first round, and is now supporting former president Sebastian Pinera. Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman reports from Santiago.

US - President Trump Retweets Anti-Muslim Videos from Far-right Groups

How East German Voters Fuelled Far-right's Parliament Breakthrough

Catalonia Villagers Report Intimidation by Far-right Activists

While much of the focus from the Catalan secession referendum has been on the region’s capital, Barcelona, there are claims in smaller villages of a campaign of intimidation by far-right activists.

People in the Catalonia countryside say cars’ tires have been slashed and windows broken since Sunday's vote.

Al Jazeera’s Laurence Lee reports from the village of Verzhas.

The Rise of Far-right Populists in Germany | DW English

For decades Germany’s industrial Ruhr region was a Social Democratic stronghold. In some districts the SPD used to win 60 percent of the votes. That vote has been cut in half, and the far-right populist AfD party has made inroads.

Finland's First Female President on Women's Rights, Healthcare & Rise of Far Right in Europe

As we broadcast from UNESCO in Paris, we speak with Tarja Halonen, who was elected in 2000 as Finland’s first female president and served until 2012. Her election came about 100 years after Finland became the first European country where women were given the right to vote. In 2009, Forbes named Halonen among the 100 Most Powerful Women in the world. Since leaving office, she has become a prominent advocate for gender equality as well as transparency. She spoke today to mark the International Day for the Universal Access to Information, and we asked her about the country’s cost-effective healthcare system, which she says has given Finland "a lower infant mortality rate, better maternity care than the United States."