far-right extremism

Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023

CEP-GLOBSEC Webinar: Violent Right-Wing Extremism in Czechia | Prof. Miroslav Mareš

Prof. Miroslav Mareš, Security Analyst, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University
The Extreme Right-Wing in Czechia

November 15, 2023

Right-wing extremist groups and networks have been growing substantially in many European countries in recent years, including in Central Europe. Many of these movements espouse new right-wing extremist narratives, have a pro-Russian stance, and reject globalization as well as what they call “western” values. All of these movements reject human equality and try to institutionalize inequality. There are many common elements between the right-wing extremist movements in Czechia and Slovakia, including a close association of these networks with pro-Russian narratives.

Despite similarities, the right-wing extremist scenes in both countries consist of a diverse set of actors, ranging from political parties to paramilitary groups. Consequently, sources of financing are diverse and include campaign funds, crowd funding, and support from foreign governments. This presents a complex set of challenges for countering the threats that these groups pose. The key challenges are the spread of hateful online content and the interconnectivity between different movements on social media, which accelerates and spreads radicalization, especially of a new generation of right-wing extremist groups.

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"Joshua Fisher-Birch, a research analyst with the Counter Extremism Project, said people should not be quick to blame far-left groups for the letters just because of the symbols included. In fact, he said the opposite could be true.

'While this threat includes anti-fascist and what appears to be a Satanist symbol, as well as a version of an LGBTQ+ Pride flag, it is extremely likely that the sender does not belong to any of those groups or communities, but, in fact, holds far right or extreme right beliefs, and is seeking to blame antifascists, Satanists, and LGBTQ+ people," Fisher-Birch said. "The message that there should be ‘no more elections’ because the U.S. is ‘a communist country’ does not fit with the symbols. Overall, this resembles previous hoaxes by the far right in an attempt to blame the left.'"

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November 9, 2023
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"The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reported a tweet made by a verified account containing a video uploaded to Twitter/X on October 18, with antisemitic content receiving over 1.2 million views. The video praised Nazi Germany’s economic and monetary policies and Hitler for confronting German bankers. An accompanying tweet spread antisemitic conspiracy theories, encouraging the viewing of two antisemitic and pro-Hitler faux documentaries"

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October 31, 2023
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Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Night Wolves - Part 2

During the past decade and a half, extremist non-state actors in Russia have become a central element of the violent transnational right-wing extremist milieu. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and particularly its re-invasion of the country in...

Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Night Wolves - Part 1

During the past decade and a half, extremist non-state actors in Russia have become a central element of the violent transnational right-wing extremist milieu. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and particularly its re-invasion of the country in...

Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: The Other Russia of E. V. Limonov – Part 2

During the past decade and a half, extremist non-state actors in Russia have become a central element of the violence-oriented transnational right-wing extremist milieu. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and, particularly, its re-invasion of...

Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: The Other Russia of E. V. Limonov – Part 1

During the past decade and a half, extremist non-state actors in Russia have become a central element of the violence-oriented transnational right-wing extremist milieu. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and, particularly, its re-invasion of...

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"At least 46 so-called 'active clubs' – which publicly promote 'brotherhood' and training in combat sports and fitness while covertly advancing fascist and neo-Nazi agendas and preparing for large-scale violence – have sprouted in 34 states between 2020 and 2023, according to the report from the Counter Extremism Project."

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September 26, 2023
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"The Active Club movement is growing exponentially. A new report by the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project, reveals that there are at least 46 active clubs across 34 states in the U.S. The 'transnational' network also has chapters in 15 countries, including Canada, and across Europe, with 23 chapters in France alone.  Alexander Ritzmann, who conducted the CEP research, describes the groups as 'trying to build a militia' in plain sight."

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September 24, 2023
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"Data on the groups seen by Vice has been gathered by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) which published a report that claims: 'Since the creation of the first Active Club in late 2020, at least 100 Active Clubs have been created in the U.S, Canada, and Europe.'"

Alexander Ritzmann, the report’s author and senior advisor to the CEP, told the outlet: 'This is an unprecedented growth. I've never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast. Usually, it takes years to build a transnational network. It’s concerning.'"

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September 23, 2023
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