News & Analysis
Victories for the far-right AfD party in eastern Germany
Elections took place in the German federal states of Thuringia and Saxony on September 1, 2024, and in Brandenburg on September 22. The far-right party “Alternative für Deutschland” (AfD) saw significant gains across all three states.
Who are the Reichsbürgers in Germany?
The following text introduces a far-right movement in Germany whose followers believe that the “Deutsche Reich” continues to exist and that the elected government is illegal. Although its rejection of the state makes it seem bizarre, it is dangerous and
Great Friends of the Croatian Far Right
After the Homeland Movement (DP) became part of the ruling coalition, it first attacked the independent media because of its allegedly “anti-Croatian agenda.” The same media exposed the DP leaders as those with questionable asset declarations and finances who cooperate
Antifascist Front Suppress the French Far-Right
The New Popular Front (NPF) coalition has won the second round of French parliamentary elections. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) came third but increased its presence in the National Assembly.
The Far-Right Maneuvers for Power in the EU Parliament
Following last month’s election, about 180 Members of the European Parliament, a quarter of the total 720 members, belong to far-right parties. Considering the immense political moves ahead of and after the elections, it seems almost impossible that the old
National Rally won the first round in France
The far-right in France is closer to power now than at any time since the Nazi occupation of the country during World War II.
Antifa United – Seven Antifascists Detained in Russia
On June 5, Russian police and the FSB conducted a large-scale operation and detained seven antifascists in Moscow and the Moscow region in the Antifa United case. The alleged leader of the group, Bogdan Yakimenko, was detained in Rostov-on-Don. The
The last straw – AfD’s departure from the Identity & Democracy Group
The sacking of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) from the Identity & Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament traces back to clashes between AfD and Rassemblement National (RN), resulting from non-matching strategies and conduct rather than ideological mismatches.
RDK claims responsibility for the attack on villages in the Bryansk region of Russia
A neo-Nazi unit of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) led by Denis Kapustin has claimed responsibility for an attack on villages in the Bryansk Region. This follows a video posted on the RDK channel. The recording shows Kapustin in white camouflage standing at the entrance to the Lyubechanskiy paramedic and midwife station. On 2 March, Russian media reported that Ukrainian units crossed the border and attacked the village of Sushany, Klimovsky district, Bryansk Region. Later, an attack on the village
“Russia is giving carte blanche to the far right”
A year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war against Ukraine on the pretext of “denazification”. A year after the outbreak of war, IRGAC member Alexander Tushkin from Russia spoke to Sergey Movchan, left-wing activist and participant in the Marker project which tracks far-right violence in Ukraine, about Ukrainian nationalism, the far right and antifascists in the Ukrainian army, and how the war has affected their position in society.
A Decade of Right-Wing Radicalization
Ten years after its founding, the Alternative für Deutschland shows no sign of moderating its politics By Gerd Wiegel The rise of Germany’s leading right-populist party, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) or “Alternative for Germany”, is unprecedented in the German political system. The AfD won 10.3 percent in the autumn 2021 elections, securing it seats in the German federal parliament, the Bundestag, for the second time since 2017 (when they won 12.6 percent). In only one short decade, the AfD
The Far-Right in the European Parliament
This ePaper is a publication by transform!europe and written by Pierre Balas. Download the full version here. transform!europe is a European Left Think Tank and Network. The European Parliament (EP) is yet another institution where we are able to see the rise of the far-right and its influence on policies and political agendas. This global trend does not come to a halt, and the paper aims at examining the far-right in the EP from 2019 up until today. The focus
Making Russia Great Again?
Written by Alexander Tushkin. He is a Russian anti-fascist journalist and visiting researcher at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. Currently, he is a fellow of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies. How the Kremlin suppressed Russian nationalists, but ended up pursuing their greatest ambition When Russia’s long-running conflict with Ukraine escalated into a full-blown invasion on 24 February 2022, Russian nationalists of all stripes rejoiced. For although Russian leader Vladimir Putin justified his
Raid Against ‘Reichsbürger’: Mad in Germany
In the early morning hours of the 7th of December 2022, 3.000 police officers conducted 130 house searches and arrested 25 individuals. All of this took place in 11 Federal States including Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Thuringia, Lower Saxony, as well as Kitzbühl (Austria) and Perugia (Italy). Out of the 25 individuals, 22 are accused of being members of a right-wing terrorist organization, and three suspected to be supporters of this organization. Additionally, there are 27
Giorgia Meloni Is a Global Phenomenon
Italy’s new prime minister belongs to a transnational network of far-right groups, of which she is now the most powerful representative. This article was first published in the Croatian weekly Novosti, 24 October 2022. Written by Hrvoje Šimičević. In the wake of the recent Italian general election, which saw the far-right Brothers of Italy party win an unprecedented 26 percent of the vote, a video went viral of a fiery speech party leader Giorgia Meloni gave at the World Congress
Golden Dawn Is Back on Trial
Loukas Stamellos reports on the criminal proceedings against the Greek neo-Nazi organization. He is a co-founder of the Greek media collective, OmniaTV. Translated by Danai Kapranou. On October 2020, the news that a Greek court had convicted leading members of the neo-fascist Golden Dawn party of running a criminal organization travelled around the world. The trial that ultimately disbanded Greece’s premier neo-Nazi organization, which until 2019 had 18 members seated in the Hellenic Parliament, was initiated in 2014 and lasted
Russian Volunteer Corps: Denis “WhiteRex” Kapustin is Back in Business
A new unit consisting of Russian volunteers has appeared on the Ukrainian side. It calls itself the Russian Volunteer Corps. Antifascist Europe has concluded that the group is made up of neo-Nazis from Russia, who were organized by the well-known far-right entrepreneur Denis “WhiteRex” Kapustin. A short overview of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) The Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) is a new volunteer unit made up of far-right militants from Russia fighting on the Ukrainian side. Information about the group
Putinisher Beobachter – Documenting How Nazis and far-right journalists in Russia Engage in War Propaganda
Originally published on 06/08/2022 via The Left Berlin written by Antifacist Europe New Research from Russia shows the extent of Nazi Influence on State Media President of Russia Vladimir Putin declared denazification was the aim of the war in Ukraine – or, the liberation of Ukraine “from Nazi-minded people and Nazi ideology“. Many Nazis and far-right media work for state propaganda to promote Russian “antifascism“, which was just a pretext for the invasion of Ukraine. ‘Antifascist Europe’ reported five such Russian far-right journalists and two media
Research Project: “Cultures of Rejection”
“Cultures of Rejection” brings together research teams from five European countries. Its objective is to comprehend the polarization and radicalization of society that has recently taken place, as well as the accomplishments of right-wing movements and parties in Europe. Find out more details via their website: Cultures of Rejection The wave of migration to Europe in 2015 gave rise to right-wing movements and parties across Europe. The transnational research project “Cultures of Rejection” takes a closer look at what role
Hammerskins: What German “security services” (don’t) say
This article is part 7 of 7 in the Hammerskins Series. This series was originally published in German via Exif – Recherche & Analyse, and gives us an in-depth look into one of the oldest and most stable neo-Nazi organisations worldwide. This final part of the series focuses on the failure of German intelligence services to identify Hammerskins as an influential actor within right-wing extremism in Germany and worldwide. Part 1 of this series draws a larger picture of the
Event: Antifacist Matinee on 3.7.2022
Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Place: Red Salon in the Volksbühne at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin Free admission – The event will be held in English. In the Red Salon of the Volksbühne, the anti-fascist research project Antifascist Europe will present itself. Antifascist Europe comprises activist initiatives, journalists and academics from all over Europe and monitors the development of transnational networks of far-right and right-wing populist parties, including in the European Parliament, as well as neo-Nazi and fascist groups. We
A marginal phenomenon for now
Original text by Damian Lawlor, Offaly and Dieter Reinisch, published in German by junge Welt on 24 April 2022. Translation by Joshua Rahtz Historical reasons, apart from a brief episode in the 1930s, a fascist movement has never been able to establish itself in Ireland. Currently the National Party is seeking influence—but with limited success. While right-wing and far-right formations such as Le Pen’s Front or Rassemblement National in France, Vlaams Belang in Belgium, and Vox in Spain have steadily
“Copy-and-Paste” Terrorism in Buffalo
By Bjørn Ihler for Antifascist Europe In the week since the terrorist attack that unfolded in Buffalo, New York on 14 May, we’ve dissected manifestos, combed through chat logs, and studied the background and development of yet another terrorist who was driven to kill by the same kind of hatred that has already driven so many others. The terrorists’ pattern is being repeated, and with it the pattern of pundits, researchers, analysts, and journalists scraping through the bits of information
How Foreign Far-Right Volunteers Are Arriving to Fight in Ukraine
Antifascist Europe presents a report on the activities of foreign far-right volunteer fighters who have flocked to Ukraine since the invasion of Russian troops. It includes the results of monitoring public sources during the first 50 days of the war as well as an analysis of existing publications on the nature of the phenomenon of right-wing volunteerism in Ukraine. The report is an attempt to construct a chronological sequence of far-right militant involvement in combat operations, a brief overview of
Germany’s anti-Covid Protests: Dangerous Self-Victimization
This article takes a look at the protests against the Corona restrictions and vaccine mandates in Germany during the Covid-19 pandemic and explains the affective dynamics behind them. After identifying far-right actors as central agitators and promoters of Covid-related conspiracy narratives and introducing the concept of affect for a general audience, it points out how self-victimization is the central affective dynamic behind the anti-covid movement in Germany.
Presidential Elections in France
The timing couldn’t be more fortuitous: as the war in Ukraine unsettles political certainties across Europe and Emmanuel Macron seeks to assert himself in the diplomatic arena, voters will head to the polls for the first round of France’s presidential election on 10 April. The second round is scheduled for two weeks later. In the midst of an unexpected war and a moderate economic recovery, the French electorate will decide whether Macron gets five more years to continue down his
