Category Archives: The far right

The neo-Nazi symbol posted by Pete Evans has a strange and dark history | Jason Wilson

Posted on by

The sonnenrad is associated with a grab bag of esoteric racist nonsense, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful as a symbol of hatred and murder

If you weren’t aware that the symbol posted by Pete Evans is functionally equivalent to a swastika, that’s because part of its attraction to contemporary neo-Nazis is its slight obfuscation of the true nature of their movement.

It’s also because it has been more widely adopted as a symbol for the racist politics of fascism as the focus of that movement has changed its emphasis from ultranationalism to a transnational focus on supposed dangers to the white race, wherever they may be.

Continue reading...

German minister condemns lockdown protesters’ Nazi victim comparisons

Posted on by

Heiko Maas criticises young protester who compared herself to Sophie Scholl, a German student executed by the Nazis

German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, on Sunday lashed out at anti-mask protesters comparing themselves to Nazi victims, accusing them of trivialising the Holocaust and “making a mockery” of the courage shown by resistance fighters.

The harsh words came after a young woman took to the stage at a protest against coronavirus restrictions in Hanover on Saturday saying she felt “just like Sophie Scholl”, the German student executed by the Nazis in 1943 for her role in the resistance.

Continue reading...

Driving Mr Donald – White House excursion reveals a presidency pushing up daisies

Posted on by

From the motorcade, leaving Washington, it was clear how Trump thrives on a noisy minority’s support – and why he lost

It was a jarring few minutes of seeing the world through Donald Trump’s eyes and indulging his fantasies.

Related: Trump supporters gather in Washington as president refuses to concede to Biden

Continue reading...

End of Trump era deals heavy blow to rightwing populist leaders worldwide

Posted on by

As Biden’s victory sinks in across Brazil, Hungary and elsewhere, dreams of a rightwing global crusade appear to be fading

As the Donald Trump era draws to a close, many world leaders are breathing a sigh of relief. But Trump’s ideological kindred spirits – rightwing populists in office in Brazil, Hungary, Slovenia and elsewhere – are instead taking a sharp breath.

The end of the Trump presidency may not mean the beginning of their demise, but it certainly strips them of a powerful motivational factor, and also alters the global political atmosphere, which in recent years had seemed to be slowly tilting in their favour, at least until the onset of coronavirus. The momentous US election result is further evidence that the much-talked-about “populist wave” of recent years may be subsiding.

Continue reading...

Steve Bannon banned by Twitter for calling for Fauci beheading

Posted on by

Former Trump adviser falls foul of Twitter rules with ‘heads on pikes’ comments

Twitter has banned the account of the former Donald Trump adviser and surrogate Steve Bannon after he called for the beheading of Dr Anthony Fauci and the FBI director, Christopher Wray, and the posting of their heads outside the White House as a “warning”.

Speaking on his podcast, the War Room, which was distributed in video form on a number of social media outlets, the far-right provocateur appeared to endorse violence against Wray and the US’s most senior infectious diseases expert.

Continue reading...

Prosecutors in Brazil file embezzlement charges against Jair Bolsonaro’s son

Posted on by

Flávio Bolsonaro accused of siphoning off employees’ publicly funded wages

Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son has been formally accused of embezzlement, money laundering, misappropriation of funds and directing a “criminal organisation” as sleaze allegations continue to swirl around the family of Brazil’s far-right president.

Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro announced late on Tuesday that they had filed the charges against Flávio Bolsonaro, 39, a senator whose affairs have been under the spotlight since the eve of his father’s January 2019 inauguration.

Continue reading...

Joe Rogan hosts Alex Jones on Spotify podcast despite ban

Posted on by

Interview with conspiracy theorist leaves streaming service in awkward position

Joe Rogan, Spotify’s biggest podcast star, has left the platform in an awkward position after conducting a lengthy interview with Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist banned by Swedish streaming company for producing “hate content”.

Rogan, the libertarian host of the long-running and wildly popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, uploaded a three-hour discussion on Tuesday featuring Jones, the founder of the conspiracy site Infowars.

Continue reading...

Golden Dawn deputy leader evades arrest after jail sentence

Posted on by

Greek neo-Nazi ideologue Christos Pappas will not turn himself in, says lawyer

Greek authorities have been forced to acknowledge that the neo-Nazi ideologue behind Golden Dawn’s unhindered embrace of national socialism has evaded arrest as other members of the extremist group headed to prison.

In an admission that is likely to raise embarrassing questions, police said on Friday they had been unable to find Christos Pappas, the party’s de-facto number two.

Continue reading...

Far-right online forum 8chan loses internet after protection services are cut

Posted on by

Site was back online Monday morning with a Russian company enlisted to protect it from DDoS attacks

The latest incarnation of the hate-filled online forum 8chan was temporarily kicked off the internet on Sunday, after a company protecting the site from DDoS attacks cut its services.

The site, which is now called 8kun but was formerly known as 8chan, was back online on Monday morning, security researcher Brian Krebs reported, with a Russian company freshly enlisted to provide the protection services.

Continue reading...

Anti-lockdown advocate appears on radio show that has featured Holocaust deniers

Posted on by

Dr Martin Kulldorff discussed ‘Great Barrington declaration’ letter on Richie Allen Show

One of the three co-authors of a letter that calls for lockdowns to be abandoned in favour of herd immunity has appeared on a radio broadcast that previously featured multiple Holocaust deniers and antisemites.

Dr Martin Kulldorff of Harvard medical school appeared on the Richie Allen Show on 6 October to discuss the letter, described as the Great Barrington declaration, after the Massachusetts town where it was drawn up.

Continue reading...

Dutch state broadcaster pulls logo from vans after attacks

Posted on by

NOS takes unprecedented step amid far-right risk, saying ‘journalism is under attack’

The Dutch state broadcaster has removed its logo from outside broadcast vans as politicians complained of a steep rise in threats and the national counter-terrorism agency warned of a heightened risk of far-right violence in the Netherlands.

The broadcaster, NOS, said it had been forced to take the unprecedented step because “almost daily, journalists and technicians on the road to report are confronted with verbal abuse, garbage is thrown, vans are blocked [and] people bang on their sides or urinate on them”.

Continue reading...

Neo-Nazi leaders of Greece’s Golden Dawn sentenced to 13 years

Posted on by

Leaders of violent far-right group, including former MPs, shown little leniency by judges

The neo-Nazi leaders of Golden Dawn have each been sentenced to 13 years in prison by a court in Athens, at the end of a historic hearing.

The neo-fascist group was officially laid to rest as its disgraced former MPs were shown little mercy by a three-member panel of judges. Last week the court ruled that Golden Dawn lawmakers had operated a criminal organisation under the guise of being a democratically elected party.

Continue reading...

Far-right plotters ‘discussed kidnapping Virginia governor Ralph Northam’

Posted on by
  • FBI agent makes claim in Michigan court hearing testimony
  • Six men were charged with plot to kidnap Michigan governor

Members of anti-government paramilitary groups discussed kidnapping Virginia governor Ralph Northam during a June meeting in Ohio, an FBI agent testified on Tuesday during a court hearing for a group of men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic governor.

Related: How the domestic terror plot to kidnap Michigan's governor unravelled

Continue reading...

Norway grants asylum to man claiming persecution by Polish government

Posted on by

Rafał Gaweł’s prison sentence for fraud was retaliation by rightwing regime, Norway says

Norway has granted asylum to a Polish man who was facing prison for fraud and forging of documents, saying the sentence was a form of political persecution under Poland’s rightwing government.

Observers say that Rafał Gaweł’s case is the first time political asylum has been granted to a Pole in more than 30 years since the fall of communism in Poland. They see it as another sign that international trust in Poland’s justice system has been undermined by the government, which is putting it under political control.

Continue reading...

Michigan terror plot: why rightwing extremists are thriving on Facebook

Posted on by

The platform provides tools for radicalization and coordinated violence, and critics say it’s been slow to ban dangerous groups

In a year of escalating political violence in the United States, Facebook has served as a key organizing tool for violent extremists.

An alleged plot to kidnap the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, was planned in part on Facebook, with one leader of the scheme broadcasting a video of his frustrations with Whitmer to a private Facebook group, and participants later sharing footage of their paramilitary exercises and bomb-making training, according to an FBI affidavit.

Continue reading...

Gretchen Whitmer accuses Donald Trump of inciting domestic terror

Posted on by
  • Michigan governor targeted by alleged far-right kidnapping plot
  • Tweets attacking Whitmer creating ‘very dangerous situation’

The Michigan governor who was the target of a foiled rightwing kidnapping plot said on Friday that Donald Trump’s rhetoric “incites more domestic terror”, after the president posted a series of aggressive tweets overnight that sought to shame the victim of the plot.

Related: How the domestic terror plot to kidnap Michigan's governor unravelled

Continue reading...

Biden blasts Trump for not condemning Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot – video

Posted on by

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has slammed Donald Trump for not condemning right-wing militias following the foiled kidnapping plot against Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Speaking from his campaign in Arizona, Biden criticised the president for not watching his words after Trump previously tweeted 'Liberate Michigan' in response to the state's Covid restrictions. 'You saw what the head of the FBI said a couple of days ago. He said the greatest terrorist threat in America is from white supremacists,' Biden said. 'Why can't the president just say, stop, stop, stop, stop, and we will pursue you if you don't"

Continue reading...

Six people charged in plot to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer

Posted on by

FBI said plot involved contacting members of a militia who ‘talked about murdering tyrants or taking a sitting governor’

Six people have been charged with a plot to kidnap the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, that involves links to a rightwing militia group, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced.

Another seven people were charged with plotting to target law enforcement and attack the state capitol building. The state attorney general, Dana Nessel, announced additional charges under Michigan’s anti-terrorism law. Seven men, all in custody, are linked to the militia group Wolverine Watchmen.

Continue reading...

Golden Dawn: clashes follow landmark court ruling in Athens – video report

Posted on by

Clashes between police and demonstrators continued on the streets of Athens on Tuesday after a Greek court ruled that the far-right Golden Dawn party was operating as a criminal organisation, delivering a landmark guilty verdict in a marathon five-year trial. Police had earlier used water cannon and teargas to disperse an anti-fascist rally attended by more than 15,000 people outside court

Continue reading...

Greek court’s ruling on Golden Dawn party met with jubilation – video

Posted on by

A crowd of thousands cheered the announcement of a Greek court's ruling on Wednesday that the far-right Golden Dawn party was operating as a criminal organisation. The verdict follows a five-year trial and was met with jubilation by people who had gathered around the heavily guarded court complex in Athens, chanting 'Nazis belong to prison'.

Continue reading...