Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Friday, August 19, 2022
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Europe

Far Right terrorism is a transnational challenge. Time to start treating it like one.

Angelos Kaskanis by Angelos Kaskanis
22 July 2021
in Europe
Far Right terrorism is a transnational challenge. Time to start treating it like one.
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Athens (Brussels Morning)  EUROPOL’s 2021 ESAT report (EU Situations & Trends) focuses on the catalytic role of propaganda for the emergence of communities that encourage lone-wolf attacks among right-wing extremists.

Framing the Far-Right Challenge 

While it is commonplace to talk of Jihadism as a global challenge, the way we deal with the Far Right is “nationally fragmented,” as their political language makes reference to racial and cultural hierarchies that are articulated as extreme nationalism. There is good reason for a more pan-European approach to the challenge at hand. 

Rightwing terrorism is a wide ideological spectrum of movements that call for political violence in the name of racial purity, affirmation of national and racial hierarchy (white supremacy) or cultural and religious supremacy.  The online fusion of all these ideological trends on common platforms creates a Hydra that empowers each network individually.

As a  community, the platform bombards the individual with various messages, seeking engagement. These messages are usually framed as the product of “investigative journalism” and “top analysts” who wish to awaken their audience, creating an alternative and presumably more accurate message to that articulated by “mainstream media.” 

At times, this messaging may reference a “mystic” source of legitimisation, not unlike Jihadis. The Far Right has its own set of prophets, rituals, and spiritual leaders.  

To discuss the pan-European dimension of the Far Rright, Brussels Morning discusses with Ismail Ertug MEP (SPD, Germany), Vice-Chair of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. 

Welcome Shift of attention to the Far Right

“Until recent high-profile attacks, the rise of rightwing online groups was neglected. Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre was entirely focused on jihadist terrorism. The shift in focus was long overdue”, Mr. Ertug notes. 

Crimes by rightwing extremists have hit their highest level since 2001 in Germany, according to  a public broadcaster DW report. This trend is the culmination of a growing online space for the Far Right on social media platforms – mainstream and “niche” – that include chat applications and blogposting. The common denominator is incitement to violence. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the trend to a highly polarised society. Due to social distancing and lockdowns, time spent online increased dramatically. And rightwing groups used the public dissatisfaction to spread extremist propaganda online. The internet is the perfect tool to reach a broader audience, plan events, finance and recruit”, Mr. Ertug notes.

A 2021 report by the Radicalisation Awareness Network suggests that conspiracy  theories “often serve as a ‘radicalising multiplier,’ as they serve to affirm radical beliefs and in-group loyalty. Not surprisingly, conspiracy theories constitute a powerful recruitment tool for extremist  ideologues and, conversely, extremist ideologies can be conducive to conspiracy theories. 

“Conspiracy theories featuring anti-Semitism, anti-immigration and anti-Islamic rhetoric are mixed up with disinformation about COVID-19 and technophobic narratives about 5G via Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp or YouTube”, Mr. Ertug adds.

The Question of Regulation

The political consensus in Europe is that research engines and Tech Giants or the Big Five (Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon) have a responsibility to filter out hate discourse, including rightwing extreme propaganda. If not, EU member states should come up with a solution, in a joint campaign to tackle radicalisation. .  

Mr. Ertug believes that, even if the EU is only catching up to technological developments, the regulatory steps taken are in the right direction. 

“It was only this year that the EP approved new rules to help fight the spread of terrorist content online while safeguarding freedom of expression and freedom of information. The new rules give authorities in EU member states the ability to make sure hosting service providers like Google or Facebook remove online terrorist content as quickly as possible ”. 

Copycat terrorism 

Rightwing terrorists tend to target communities and public spaces with the objective of creating chaos and maximising the effect of the attack. The shootings that we witnessed in Hanau, a small city in western Germany, is a textbook example. The town was considered a shining example of co-existence, respect and community flourishing. That is why it was chosen, to shake EU’s values of respect, democracy and plurality. 

Unfortunately, communities tend to be terrorised, creating an action/reaction vicious circle. That is why the EU should introduce initiatives to the public that expose the discriminating propaganda and the groups that represent it. The public should be well informed about the ideology, the groups and their modus operandi. That is when minorities can feel safe and have an expectation they will be protected. 

According to EUROPOL’s press release,  the threat posed by copycats has been growing. The terrorist attacks in Christchurch (New Zealand), Poway (USA), El Paso (USA), Bærum (Norway), and Halle (Germany) constitute a worldwide phenomenon, in a chain of incidents in which the perpetrators share via transnational online communities and take inspiration from one another.

“In June 2021, Frankfurt am Main city’s Special Task Force (SEK) was disbanded following the discovery of Far Right extremist messages in group chats. Some of the police forces were on duty during the anti-immigrant attack in Hanau in February 2020. The killer was motivated by xenophobic and racist ideology which he disseminated on his own website. A rightwing extremist attacked a synagogue in Halle in October 2019. He was inspired by the terrorist attack in Christchurch. A rightwing extremist assassinated a German conservative politician in June 2019”, Mr. Ertug underlines. 

“The European Union must support the member states coping with the problem, as it is not limited to borders. Rightwing groups are a serious threat to our democratic society. Copycat terrorism is becoming the new modus operandi inspired by previous terrorist attacks”, Mr. Ertug adds. 

Tags: European-SecurityMain-Slider

Latest post

Afghanistan: One year of agony

Afghanistan: One year of agony

3 days ago
EU burned areas reach new high due to wildfires

EU burned areas reach new high due to wildfires

3 days ago

Most Read

  • Losing Balance on Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Losing Balance on Bosnia and Herzegovina

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What Are The Highest Paying Jobs In Finland?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Here Are 10 Highest Paying Jobs In Norway 

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What Are The Highest Paying Jobs In Luxembourg?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • These are the 10 highest paying jobs in the Europe in 2022

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • EU Institutions
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Member States
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT