Europol sees right-wing violent extremism as one of the main risks to European security and emphasizes that these movements are fraught with racist elements.
The Utoya massacre in Norway by neo-Nazi Anders Breivik. The murder of British MP Jo Cox. That of gay rights activist Zak Kostopoulos in central Athens. The annual meeting is held every March 16 in Riga to honor Latvians who served in the Waffen-SS on Latvian Legion Day.
The death threats against MEP Guy Verhofstadt by the neo-Nazi group Feuerkrieg Division or the attack on MEP Eleonora Forenza because of her participation in an anti-fascist demonstration in Bari, Italy. Or the attacks by French hooligans on Moroccan fans in the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Europe has been concerned for years about the increase in violence and hatred against right-wing extremist and neo-fascist groups. The then Security Commissioner Julian King warned about this as early as 2017 stressed the growing threat of right-wing violent extremism and said he knew of no Member State that was more or less free from this scourge.
In the same year, the European Union Agency for Police Cooperation (Europol) noted this The number of people arrested in connection with crimes of this caliber has doubled in Europe. And since then, the trend has not only not declined, but has strengthened.
Last year, The authority described right-wing violent extremism as one of the main risks to European security and stressed that these movements are full of racist elements or hatred against minorities. “Far-right terrorism is a growing threat in Europe,” Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson recently admitted.
The protests that set Madrid’s streets ablaze this week against the PSOE-junts amnesty pact have notable radical elements and slogans. “I am a fascist”, Nazi greetings and Face to the Sun could be seen in Ferraz, the headquarters of the socialist group. In addition, according to Público, among the demonstrators were right-wing extremists linked to fans of football teams such as Ultrasur.
Violence in football
An AEK Athens fan was stabbed by a Croatian hooligan before a UEFA match in August. In 2017, thousands of ultra fans of German club Dinamo showed up at the stadium in military uniform and regularly gave the Nazi salute. Two years later, a flag appeared at another Bundesliga game as a tribute to the neo-Nazi Thomas Haller.
Far-right ideology is often associated with the most radical areas of the world of sports., and especially football. Among Dinamo fans there are a significant number of people who declare themselves neo-Nazis and sympathize with the extreme right of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the even more extreme Pegida.
“If we were interested in football, we would be footballers,” says a Polish hooligan with a banner with right-wing extremist symbols.
“Although the majority of radical fans do not support extremist ideologies and the situation varies across EU countries, right-wing extremism is a prominent and growing phenomenon in ultra- and hooligan groups,” said a report distributed by the European Commission. which recognizes the frequent links between these people and unrest related to hate speech, intolerance or extremist chants.
In 2018, a European Parliament resolution called on Member States and national sports associations, particularly football clubs, to do so “Countering the scourge of racism, fascism and xenophobia in stadiums and sports culture”.
At that time, the European Parliament expressed “its deep concern at the increasing normalization of fascism, racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance in the Union” and “its concern at reports in some Member States of cases of collusion between political leaders and political parties and Security forces with neo-fascists and neo-Nazis.”
Since its inception in the Middle Ages, the first football games have seen high levels of violence. In the 13th century, hundreds of men fought in the fields with their rivals, a practice often used to settle scores or resolve disputes with rivals.
According to a study by the Social Issues Research Center, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are the European Union countries that have recorded the most violent episodes on the pitch.
This is followed on a smaller scale by Austria, Sweden, Spain and Denmark. In the latter, a movement called Roligans began to gain strength in the 1980s, which wanted to promote a football culture in stadiums far away from traditional hooliganism.
“In France and Switzerland, the theatrical and flamboyant Italian style of support, but largely devoid of passionate hostilities, has replaced the more violent English style,” the document said.
Ultras in music
Another sector where these small groups have stood out in recent years is the music industry. Bands that announce xenophobic content at festivals and through their songs and incite hatred and violence. Last year, the Belgian city of Ypres banned a nationalist and identity festival because the neo-Nazi hotbed that accompanied it alarmed security forces.
Germany has banned the group Hammerskins, which regularly appears at right-wing extremist events and spreads racist and anti-Semitic texts.
“We are striking a blow against right-wing extremism and ending the inhumane actions of an internationally active neo-Nazi association,” said the authorities. In the wake of this veto, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser asserted that right-wing extremism is “the greatest extremist threat to democracy.”
The German country, where this is a very sensitive issue, has banned 20 right-wing extremist organizations. These included Combat 18, which organized concerts and distributed music with extremist content. Last month, Spanish police raided the branch of this group in our country and arrested about twenty people.
The number of bands or singers who sympathize with neo-fascist ideas extends across many European countries. Bronson was founded by members of Casa Pound, who describe themselves as “the fascists of the third millennium” and defend the dictator Benito Mussolini in their compositions. Germany and Austria have also banned the performance of the group Pantera, whose singer is Phil Anselmo, known for his Nazi salutes and appearing as a white supremacist speaker in his concerts.
(With information from the public)