Assessing the Extreme Right in the West in 2024
Violence associated with the extreme right varied across the West in 2024. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), extremist mobilisation, including those linked to extreme right-wing ideologies, dropped by 35 percent in the United States (US) in 2024 when compared to the previous year.[1] In particular, groups involved in the January 6, 2021 insurrection, such as the Proud Boys, Three Percenters and Oath Keepers, “lost steam”,[2] with a significant drop in activities. The threat environment, however, remained volatile in the lead-up to November’s highly polarised and contentious US presidential election, with reported increases in disinformation campaigns by white supremacist groups, and attacks and threats on election-related targets.[3] The situation in Europe was similarly volatile, although unlike in the US, a steady patter of extreme-right activity and violence was witnessed akin to previous years.[4] However, the United Kingdom (UK)[5] and a few European Union (EU) countries such as Germany[6] and France,[7] witnessed a rise in extreme-right activities and violence, especially towards the end of the year. Across the West, 2024 also saw a further mainstreaming of the far right, with a few far-right parties that espouse hardline agendas winning or performing well in elections.
Political Inroads of the Far Right in 2024
One of the most notable political developments in large parts of the West in 2024 was the apparent further mainstreaming and normalisation of far-right politics, as some gripes found in the far right’s rhetoric, such as anti-immigration and economic issues, intersected with wider social sentiments. In some countries in Europe, far-right political parties have been the principal beneficiaries of the rising disenchantment and frustration with establishment parties and their perceived and real failures in dealing with bread-and-butter issues. Some far-right ideas have been gaining popularity, especially among youth voters, who see the prevailing political establishment as ineffective and having failed to deliver on social and economic issues.[8] But the growth of far-right parties has also generated a strong pushback from segments of Western societies, with more counter-protests and far-left political mobilisation, which have added to the social schisms and political volatility.
Far-Right Political Surge in Europe
In the European Union (EU)’s parliamentary election in June 2024, the European People’s Party (EPP) emerged as the clear winner and, with the support of other pro-European and centrist parties and groupings, will be able to set the EU’s agenda for the current term.[9] However, the election also showed a significant rise in support for far-right parties and coalitions, which collectively gained a third of the seats in the EU Parliament. The two largest far-right groupings, the Identity and Democracy (ID) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), won 131 seats in the 720-strong chamber, and have risen to be a formidable political force. While the far right may not be able to set the agenda of the bloc, they are in a position to influence some of the decision-making and direction of the bloc, especially on matters like immigration, military aid for Ukraine, governing powers ascribed to the EU vis-à-vis national governments, and the bloc’s relations with the rest of the world.
At the national level, too, far-right parties made notable strides across Europe. Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO) secured the largest percentage of vote shares in national elections in September 2024.[10] The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won in the eastern German state of Thuringia and also performed well in elections in other states in East Germany. The AfD’s outright win in Thuringia was to some extent also driven by pro-Russia sentiments amidst the Russia-Ukraine war, given the former Soviet Union’s historic influence over the region.[11] Far-right politicians and groups in the West have largely sided with Vladimir Putin, seeing him as a “strong and conservative leader”,[12] and have been critical about their governments’ support for Ukraine in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.[13] In France, President Emmanuel Macron called for a snap parliamentary election following the French far right’s surge in the EU parliamentary election, but there, the far right was handed a surprising defeat from a well-mobilised left alliance.[14]
Political Volatility in the US
In the United States (US), the 2024 election year witnessed several unexpected events and developments, with the political schisms between the Democratic and the Republican political parties even more pronounced than in the previous two presidential elections contested by Donald Trump. Current Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee in August, following President Joseph Biden’s late withdrawal amidst widespread concerns over his health and ability to complete another term in office if re-elected.[15] Trump reclaimed the US presidency following a sweeping electoral victory in the November polls.
Earlier in the year, President-elect Trump had been hit with a litany of criminal charges, a first for a presidential candidate of a major party, which he and his followers were quick to characterise as a political witch hunt and election interference. Amidst the highly polarised and divisive political climate in 2024, Trump was also targeted in two separate assassination attempts. In the first incident in July, which happened at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear by a lone gunman, who fired eight bullets using an AR-15-style rifle from the roof of a nearby building.[16] Trump escaped with a bullet scraping the side of his ear, leaving his face bloodied but without any life-threatening injuries. The shooting was among the most serious acts of political violence in the country since 9/11 and the most noteworthy assassination attempt since the 1981 shooting of then President Ronald Reagan.[17] No clear ideological motives were established in the first attempt as the shooter “did not display a consistent political focus” and may not have had a political motive.[18] The assassin, however, killed one of the rally attendees.
Trump survived another assassination attempt on September 15 while golfing in Florida. A 58-year-old suspect was spotted in a nearby bush, aiming a rifle at a member of Trump’s security detail. He was pre-emptively arrested by the authorities. In this instance also, the precise motive of the would-be gunman was unclear, although reports suggest that he might have become disenchanted with Trump.[19] The suspect’s strong aversion to Russia and support for Ukraine in the ongoing war might also have been a factor. Trump has repeatedly blamed the Democratic Party leaders’ rhetoric for the assassination attempts.[20]
The two assassination attempts were not the only instances of political violence during the 2024 US election cycle. In May, for example, law enforcement arrested a white supremacist travelling to Georgia to commit a mass shooting against minority communities.[21] Moreover, while white supremacists and other elements of the extreme right have been the likeliest attack perpetrators in recent years, violence from far-left networks cannot be discounted as an added threat vector. For example, the harassment and violence against American Jews on US college campuses over the past year have brought into focus a “more militant political left that has historically been quite open to violent action”.[22] According to scholars such as Bruce Hoffmann, the current divisive and hostile political climate in the US has raised the spectre of further violence, wherein a “range of sufficiently alarming violent scenarios” cannot be discounted.[23]
Extreme-Right Violence in 2024
As of the time of writing, 2024 did not witness any major extreme-right terrorist incidents on the scale of the 2019 Christchurch or the 2011 Norway attacks, which had among the largest numbers of casualties. However, in a continuation of a trend observed in recent years, there were multiple extreme-right terrorist attacks and rioting incidents in 2024, which showed that the violent orientation of the extreme-right movement is still active and will continue to pose security concerns.
Terrorist Violence by the Extreme Right
In 2024, there was a continuous stream of sporadic, small-scale violent attacks across the West, aimed at targets and the advancement of ideologies and goals[24] that were largely similar to previous years. While ACLED data showed a precipitous drop in extremist mobilisation in 2024 in the US and a largely similar level of mobilisation in Europe when compared to the previous year, groups like the Proud Boys, The Base, the Atomwaffen Division,[25] the Nordic Resistance Movement[26] and Generation Identity[27] have continued to incite and engage in violence. The monthly reports by the International Observatory of Studies on Terrorism, which documents incidents of extreme-right terrorism and violence (and violence of other ideological types), showed that neo-Nazi groups and other white supremacists engaged in a stream of violence and altercations, primarily in Europe and the US.[28] A significant proportion of these attacks were targeted at Jewish communities (such as at synagogues), Muslims, non-whites and migrant communities. Accelerationism, the Great Replacement, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-LGBTQ+ were some dominant themes, while eco-fascism and Christian nationalism were other sentiments that underpinned parts of some extreme-right groups’ ideologies.
Additionally, a few new movements emerged in the past year or so as some extreme-right groups came under increased law enforcement scrutiny. In the case of the Proud Boys, for instance, following the incarceration of key leaders of the group for their participation in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol, a number of its members left the organisation to join more obscure and “hardcore” groups like Blood Tribe.[29] In the United Kingdom (UK), the Active Club (AC), a neo-Nazi and white supremacist militia-like group that operates under the guise of a sports club, has grown rapidly over the past year or so.[30] The AC, which is linked to other extreme-right groups like the Rise Above Movement (RAM), is attempting to revive England’s “warrior culture” and could be preparing for organised violence.[31] The growth of such far-right-linked fitness clubs has prompted calls for counter-messaging targeted at young men.[32]
Following the US Supreme Court ruling that ended the constitutional right to abortion in 2022 and the extensive political debates around abortion rights in the US, a few new anti-abortion extremist groups have also emerged in the US. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) identified groups such as the Abolitionists Rising, End Abortion Now, Foundation to Abolish Abortion and Operation Save America[33] as part of a growing anti-abortionist extremist movement linked to the broader extreme right movement. These anti-abortionist groups take an extreme hardline position on abortion, calling for women to be charged with murder and even the death penalty for undergoing abortion.[34] Anti-abortion extremism has renewed concerns that misogyny and violence against women could worsen.[35]
Riots and Social Tensions
The far right’s ability to contribute to social upheavals and large-scale unrest played out on an alarming scale in the riots witnessed in the UK in August 2024. Widespread protests erupted in over 20 cities across the country following a mass stabbing attack in the town of Southport, in which three young girls were killed.[36] Disinformation about the attacker’s identity, including erroneous claims that he was an asylum seeker, had proliferated online and fuelled public outrage. These sentiments were adeptly exploited by some far-right actors to mobilise their followers to take to the streets. Altogether, several hundred rioters were arrested in over a dozen cities, including London, Manchester and Belfast.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer referred to the riots as “far-right thuggery” and not as protests.[37] The riots also sparked anti-racist counter-protests from groups opposed to the far right, as well as public debate on the importance of managing misinformation in social media spaces and the need for legislative changes to better deal with it. At the same time, there was some opposition to the possibility of restrictions on free speech.[38] The role of some right-wing figures and politicians who indirectly lent credence to the narratives that fuelled the riots also came under some scrutiny. These elements had tapped into strong public opposition and anger against prevailing social policies, particularly on immigration, as well as frustrations over the soaring cost of living and economic malaise.
Australia saw less extreme-right related violence when compared to other Western countries, but a few incidents provided cause for concern. Early in 2024, Australia was rocked by two back-to-back stabbing incidents.[39] The first incident on April 13 resulted in six people being killed and 12 others wounded, mostly women, “revealing a gender-based dimension to the violence”.[40] While Australian authorities classified the stabbing attack as non-terrorist in nature, others pointed out possible similarities in the attacker’s motivation with violent misogyny or incel movements in the country and elsewhere, which in some instances have violently targeted women.[41] Soon after the first attack at a Sydney mall, Australia also witnessed another stabbing incident at an Assyrian church, where an alleged anti-Muslim firebrand pastor was stabbed by a Muslim teenager during a livestreamed sermon. The stabbing of the pastor ignited tensions between the local Muslim community and far-right elements, with some in the latter calling for the bombing of mosques.[42]
Responses
Extreme-right violence presents unique challenges; notable among them are the mainstreaming and normalisation of far-right sentiments, the widening left-right political rift, and a weak political centre in the US and across Europe. The threat from some extreme-right groups in 2024 was assessed to be severe enough for their banning across various jurisdictions.
More Banning of Extreme Right Individuals and Entities in 2024
With increasing scrutiny from governments, more extreme-right groups in recent years have been entirely or partially proscribed. In 2024, additional extreme-right groups and individuals faced new bans. A particularly significant one was the EU’s banning of The Base, a neo-Nazi group founded in America with an active presence in several other countries. The Base, which has a stated goal of overthrowing the US government and establishing a white ethno-state, was already banned in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand prior to 2024, but the ban by the EU in 2024 is the largest in terms of geographical coverage.[43] The Base is also the first far-right entity to be banned by the EU, which is a recognition of the threat posed by such groups to the region and a possible shift in the EU’s counter terrorism priorities.[44]
In Germany, a campaign initiated by lawmakers to ban the partially right-wing extremist AfD also gained momentum in 2024.[45] This followed the political inroads made by the far-right party in the 2024 German and EU elections, which the political left and others opposed to the group see as a grave threat to Germany’s democracy. Additionally, in a rare move, the Biden administration designated the transnational neo-Nazi organisation, the Nordic Resistance Movement, as a terrorist organisation for threatening the security of the US.[46] A few extreme-right activists also faced sanctions. Martin Sellner, an Austrian far-right activist and leader of the Identitarian Movement, was banned from Germany for addressing a neo-Nazi event in the country that called for mass deportations of immigrants and incited mass protests across Germany.[47]
Softer Approaches Necessary but Harder to Implement
While hard responses are used to control the threat, underlying grievances related to lack of employment, rising cost of living, demographic changes owing to rapid immigration that make it harder for immigrant populations to integrate, and evolving value systems that traditional and conservative groups find hard to accept, need greater recognition. But given the political divide in some Western countries, finding political common ground to recognise and address such concerns is proving to be increasingly hard. Political compromises are also likely to be criticised as acceding to the demands of the far right. It is also unlikely that some in the far right will be placated by compromises and may thus try to seek more. The conspiratorial orientation of a few extreme-right movements and the lack of consideration given to facts, amidst an array of misinformation, can also fuel extremism. However, soft approaches, such as creating awareness, appropriate counternarratives and rehabilitation efforts[48] can have an impact in managing the threat.
Outlook
There is considerable uncertainty on what the extreme-right landscape will look like moving forward. Incidents of violence from the extreme right have not notably increased, although violence persists and continues to pose security concerns across the West with possible influences and spillovers outside of the West as well.[49] The mainstreaming of some far-right ideas and political movements and the attendant societal impacts perhaps pose a longer-term concern, as they could undo or worsen relations and trust between communities and accentuate enmity between groups. There is also a rising perception that mainstream political parties – whether centre, left or right – may be becoming somewhat receptive and accommodative to some far-right political demands, seeing them as necessary compromises to attain and maintain power. In other cases, the possibility of political deadlocks which may end up affecting governance is also observable, as centrist parties try to erect firewalls for fear of legitimising the far right. It is also unclear as to how the far right, buoyed by its current achievements in mainstream politics, will impact terrorist violence from the extreme right. While the far right, for the large part, works within the established political processes of their countries, extreme-right groups operate outside of the political process and are ideologically against established democratic processes.
Separately, the social media space continues to be another battlefield for the extreme right and the extreme left as well as other violent movements such as militant Islamist groups. Social media is globally accepted by right-wing and left-wing groups as their news source,[50] making it potentially a conduit for activists who sympathise with extremist ideas to spread their goals and strategies and to recruit from a wider population.[51] In particular, the return of right-wing activists and leaders to X, a platform that has decisively shifted to the political right in the type of messaging it promotes since its acquisition by Elon Musk,[52] did raise concerns in the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election.[53] However, right-wing figures have pointed to mainstream media’s bias, alleging that they also engage in inflammatory rhetoric of their own.[54]
Targeted counter-responses will be required to address the complex and evolving extremist milieu developing online, particularly given the instrumental role social media has played in the spread of direct violence in 2024. This was seen in the far-right riots in the UK and with the innovative use of decentralised Telegram channels and groups (or Terrorgram) to spread radical information and inspire attacks.[55] Moreover, the use of more advanced emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) tools, remains an area of concern, although the extent to which they would be employed remains to be seen. At present, generative AI is already being used by some groups for purposes like propaganda and image creation as well as to formulate recruitment methods.[56]
About the Author
Kalicharan Veera Singam is a Senior Analyst with the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. He can be reached at [email protected].
Citations
[1] Kieran Doyle, “When Is Quiet Too Quiet? Understanding Shifts in Extremist Mobilization in 2024,” ACLED, September 18, 2024, https://acleddata.com/2024/09/18/when-is-quiet-too-quiet-understanding-shifts-in-extremist-mobilization-in-2024/.
[2] Ibid.
[3] “The State of Domestic Terrorism as the U.S. Presidential Election Approaches,” The Soufan Center, October 23, 2024, https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2024-october-23/.
[4] ACLED data shows that in the EU, violence linked to the extreme right remained somewhat similar to the past few years. See Nichita Gurcov et al., “Is Radical Group Violence on the Rise in the EU? | ACLED Insight,” ACLED, May 31, 2024, https://acleddata.com/2024/05/31/is-radical-group-violence-on-the-rise-in-the-eu-acled-brief/.
[5] Elizabeth Pearson, “British Disorder: Why We Need to Take Far Right Violence More Seriously,” International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), August 7, 2024, https://www.icct.nl/publication/british-disorder-why-we-need-take-far-right-violence-more-seriously.
[6] Ayhan Şimşek, “Germany Reports Rise in Number of Far-Right Extremists,” Anadolu Agency, June 18, 2024, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-reports-rise-in-number-of-far-right-extremists/3252545.
[7] Anders Ravik Jupskas, “’Extreme Right Violence in France Is on the Rise,” Le Monde, April 22, 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2024/04/22/extreme-right-violence-in-france-is-on-the-rise_6669155_23.html#.
[8] Pilar Montero Lopez, “Why is the Far Right Gaining Popularity Among Young People?” Euro News, June 21, 2024, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/06/21/why-is-the-far-right-gaining-popularity-among-young-people.
[9] “EPP Wins European Parliament Elections, Strengthening Pro-European Majority,” EFE, June 10, 2024, https://efe.com/en/latest-news/2024-06-10/epp-wins-european-parliament-elections-strengthening-pro-european-majority/.
[10] Liana Fix and Sophia Winograd, “How Far-Right Election Gains Are Changing Europe,” Council on Foreign Relations, October 15, 2024, https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/how-far-right-election-gains-are-changing-europe.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Natasha Lindstaedt, “European Populists Back Putin as They Roll out Their Anti-Ukraine Positions,” The Conversation, June 14, 2024, https://theconversation.com/european-populists-back-putin-as-they-roll-out-their-anti-ukraine-positions-232301.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Sophie Binet, “The French Far Left Has Lessons for How to Defeat the Far Right,” The Guardian, September 13, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/13/france-far-right-left-election.
[15] Jeremy Herb et al., “Inside Biden’s Unprecedented Exit from the Presidential Race,” CNN, July 21, 2024, https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/21/politics/inside-bidens-exit-from-2024-race/index.html.
[16] “Shooting at Donald Trump Rally in Pennsylvania Was ‘Assassination Attempt’: FBI,” Channel News Asia, July 14, 2024, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/donald-trump-rally-shooting-assassination-attempt-fbi-secret-service-pennsylvania-4478591.
[17] Jacob Ware, “The Trump Assassination Attempt Represents a Dark New Chapter in American Politics,” TIME, July 15, 2024, https://time.com/6998930/the-trump-assassination-attempt-represents-a-dark-new-chapter-in-american-politics/.
[18] Perry Stein and Devlin Barrett, “FBI Identifies No Motive or Foreign Links in Trump Assassination Attempt,” The Washington Post, August 28, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/08/28/trump-rally-shooting-motive-unknown-thomas-matthew-crooks/.
[19] Marin Cogan, “Who Is Ryan Wesley Routh? The Suspect in the Trump Florida Assassination Attempt, Explained,” Vox, September 17, 2024, https://www.vox.com/politics/371981/trump-shooting-ryan-wesley-routh-golf-club.
[20] Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Soo Rin Kim, “Trump Says Biden-Harris ‘Rhetoric’ to Blame for Florida Assassination Attempt,” ABC News, September 17, 2024, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-biden-harris-rhetoric-blame-florida-assassination-attempt/story?id=113727515.
[21] Jacob Ware, “Trump Assassination Attempt Poses New Test for U.S. Democracy,” Council on Foreign Relations, July 14, 2024, https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/trump-assassination-attempt-poses-new-test-us-democracy.
[22] Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware, “How Bad Will Political Violence in the U.S. Get?” Foreign Policy, June 28, 2024, https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/06/28/civil-war-political-violence-u-s-2024-election/.
[23] Ibid.
[24] The extreme right’s broad goals are to pose a violent challenge to undermine the democratic order in Western liberal democracies and replace them with autocratic and fascist political systems that embrace “racism, xenophobia, exclusionary nationalism, conspiracy theories, and authoritarianism”. See Anders Ravik Jupskås and Iris Beau Segers, “What is Right Wing Extremism?” C-REX – Center for Research on Extremism University of Oslo, https://www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/english/groups/compendium/what-is-right-wing-extremism.html.
[25] “Atomwaffen Division,” SPLC, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/atomwaffen-division
[26] Kacper Rekawek and Morgan Finnsiö, “An Interview with Morgan Finnsiö on the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM),” International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), July 19, 2024, https://www.icct.nl/publication/interview-morgan-finnsio-nordic-resistance-movement-nrm.
[27] Heidi Beirich and Wendy Via, Generation Identity (Montgomery, Alabama: Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, 2020), https://globalextremism.org/reports/generation-identity/.
[28] Maria Canto Martinez, Monthly Report: Analysis of Far-Right Violence and Terrorism June 2024 (Madrid: Observatorio Internacional De Estudios Sobre Terrorismo, 2024), https://observatorioterrorismo.com/analisis/far-right-violence-and-terrorism-june-2024/.
[29] “Blood Tribe,” Anti-Defamation League, August 28, 2023, https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/blood-tribe.
[30] Daniel O’Donoghue, “Far-Right Group Using Sports to ‘Build Militia’,” BBC News, October 1, 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ydnqdq38wo.
[31] Ibid.
[32] Ben Quinn, “Growth of Far-Right ‘Active Clubs’ in UK Prompts Call to Tackle Misogyny,” The Guardian, October 5, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/05/growth-of-far-right-active-clubs-uk-misogyny.
[33] “SPLC Releases New Report Exposing Anti-Abortion Extremist Movement,” SPLC, June 13, 2024, https://www.splcenter.org/presscenter/splc-releases-new-report-exposing-anti-abortion-extremist-movement.
[34] Ibid.
[35] Rachael Fugardi, “Anti-Abortion Rhetoric on 4Chan Stretches Beyond Single-Issue Extremism,” SPLC, September 5, 2024, https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2024/09/05/anti-abortion-rhetoric-4chan-stretches-beyond-single-issue-extremism.
[36] Following the Southport attack, riots erupted in various parts of the country, with mobs smashing car windshields and house windows, targeting mosques and setting fire to two hotels that housed asylum seekers. See “Far-Right Riots Fueled by Disinformation Proliferate in the UK After Stabbing Attack,” The Soufan Center, August 7, 2024, https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2024-august-7/.
[37] Alistair Smout, “Keir Starmer Condemns ‘Far Right Thuggery’ as Unrest Flares Across Britain,” Reuters, August 5, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/dozens-arrested-after-uk-protests-turn-violent-wake-child-murders-2024-08-04/.
[38] Ryan Sabey, “SPEECH ‘PERIL’: Britain Faces Freedom of Speech Crisis, Says Suella Braverman as Pulls Out of Addressing Students,” The Sun, October 5, 2024, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/31055510/suella-braverman-free-speech-crisis-cambridge/.
[39] Kalicharan Veera Singam, “Stabbing Incidents in Australia Reignite Low-Tech Terrorism Concerns,” RSIS Commentary, No. 53, April 22, 2024, https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CO24053.pdf.
[40] Kristy Campion, “Right-Wing Extremism in Australia: Current Threats and Trends in a Diverse and Diffuse Threatscape,” Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, Vol. 16, No. 3 (2024), https://www.rsis.edu.sg/ctta-newsarticle/right-wing-extremism-in-australia-current-threats-and-trends-in-a-diverse-and-diffuse-threatscape/.
[41] Hilary Whiteman, “Australia’s Problem with Male Violence Is Getting Worse. So, What’s the Solution?” CNN, April 29, 2024, https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/29/australia/australia-women-gendered-violence-intl-hnk/index.html.
[42] Mark Baker and Rod McGuirk, “Sydney Teen Accused of Stabbing 2 Clerics Showed No Signs of Radicalization, Muslim Leader Says,” The Associated Press, April 18, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/church-stabbing-sydney-australian-assyrian-orthodox-dab2ae61707fd9f1f196226e897c3833.
[43] Sanctions include a travel ban, asset freezing in Europe, and banning EU citizens or companies from funding the group. See “EU Adds Neo-Nazi Group ‘The Base’ to Terrorism List,” The Times of Israel, July 27, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/eu-adds-neo-nazi-group-the-base-to-terrorism-list/.
[44] Thomas Renard and Kacper Rekawek, “The Base, and the Basis for Listing Far-Right Terror Groups,” International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), July 26, 2024, https://www.icct.nl/publication/base-and-basis-listing-far-right-terror-groups.
[45] Thomas Wieder, “Campaign to Ban AfD, Germany’s Far-Right Party, Gains Momentum,” Le Monde, June 23, 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/06/23/the-campaign-to-ban-the-afd-germany-s-far-right-party-has-been-gaining-momentum-since-the-eu-elections_6675484_4.html#.
[46] Jennifer Hansler, “US Designates Nordic Neo-Nazi Group as Terrorists,” CNN, June 14, 2024, https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/14/politics/us-designates-nordic-neo-nazi-group-terrorists/index.html.
[47] Jon Henley, “Far-Right Austrian Nationalist Banned from Germany After Neo-Nazi Meeting,” The Guardian, March 19, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/19/far-right-austrian-nationalist-banned-from-germany-after-addressing-neo-nazi-meeting.
[48] Nadya Radkovska et al., Spotlight: Rehabilitation and Reintegration (Brussels: Migration and Home Affairs – European Commission, 2024), https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/8379618f-31f2-48dc-a8d6-83d6a541643d_en?filename=spotlight_on_rehabilitation_and_reintegration_042024_en_0.pdf.
[49] The spillover of extreme-right violence to other parts of the world from the West and its appeal to non-white communities is a growing area of concern. See Kalicharan Veera Singam, “Why Would a Singaporean Youth Identify as a White Supremacist?” Channel News Asia, January 26, 2024, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/singapore-youth-far-right-radicalise-white-supremacy-isd-4073716.
[50] Judy Woodruff and Connor Seitchik, “Social Media’s Role in Fueling Extremism and Misinformation in a Divided Political Climate,” PBS News, September 11, 2024, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/social-medias-role-in-fueling-extremism-and-misinformation-in-a-divided-political-climate.
[51] Robert Muggah, “Guns, Militia and Social Media Amplify the Risks of Political Violence During the US Election,” The Conversation, November 1, 2024, https://theconversation.com/guns-militia-and-social-media-amplify-the-risks-of-political-violence-during-the-us-election-242722.
[52] Arnaud Leparmentier, “How Elon Musk Uses X to Support the Far Right and Its Financial Interests,” Le Monde, August 13, 2024,https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/08/13/how-elon-musk-uses-x-to-support-the-far-right-and-its-financial-interests_6714673_4.html.
[53] Barbara Ortutay, “How Elon Musk Uses His X Social Media Platform to Amplify Right-Wing Views,” PBS News, August 13, 2024, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-elon-musk-uses-his-x-social-media-platform-to-amplify-right-wing-views.
[54] Kristine Parks and Hanna Panreck, “WATCH: 5 of the Most Inflammatory Moments from MSNBC Hosts During the RNC,” Fox News, July 20, 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/media/watch-5-most-unhinged-moments-from-msnbc-hosts-during-rnc.
[55] Ali Winston, “‘Terrorgram’ Charges Show US Has Had Tools to Crack Down on Far-Right Terrorism All Along,” Wired, September 13, 2024, https://www.wired.com/story/terrorgram-collective-indictments/.
[56] William Allchorn, “Global Far-Right Extremist Exploitation of Artificial Intelligence and Alt-Tech: The Cases of the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand,” Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, Vol. 16, No. 3 (2024), https://www.rsis.edu.sg/ctta-newsarticle/global-far-right-extremist-exploitation-of-artificial-intelligence-and-alt-tech-the-cases-of-the-uk-us-australia-and-new-zealand/.
