Far-right groups across Europe 'using Islamist techniques' to recruit followers, report says

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. David Ibsen, executive director of the Counter Extremism Project, said: “Portraying themselves in this way is definitely a tactic to increase the reach of their message and, as such, increase the potential of radicalisation.” He said anti-Islam figures and white nationalists were using online channels to “build communities” around specific issues, in a way that has previously been seen with jihadis who capitalise on topics like the Iraq War and airstrikes. “Though not all of these groups directly link their ideologies to Nazism, their propaganda portrays immigrants and ethnic minorities in a similar manner to how Nazi propaganda portrayed Jews, blaming them for national economic troubles and depicting them as a serious threat to the broader national identity.” Researchers noted the success of parties like Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland and Italy’s Lega Nord, who have “been able to generate substantial popular support by promising to defend their respective countries against the cultural attacks of immigrants and foreign influence”. The Counter Extremism Project said Generation Identity has “renounced violence in favour of utilising social media and public demonstrations to portray themselves as a legitimate, mainstream movement protecting European culture.” Researchers warned that similar groups have been able to gain support by attacking minorities, rather than openly promoting white supremacy. “Not only do these violent white supremacist groups employ similar strategies to some of the most prominent Islamist terror groups, but they are also motivated to pursue the radical end goal of an ethnically or culturally homogenous state due to similar concerns that their identity and way of life are under threat,” the Counter Extremism Project said.