The paper presents a thorough examination of the digital proliferation of far-right extremism, a phenomenon that gained global attention following the tragic Christchurch attack in March 2019. The attack underscored the role of social media in broadcasting violent extremist content, prompting international responses such as the Christchurch Call to eliminate…
Building on calls for more analyses of constructions of gender within extremist groups, this study examines Australian neo-Nazis’ construction of hegemonic masculinity on the digital media platform, Telegram. Undertaking a keyword co-occurrence analysis of 3,279 posts and a qualitative analysis of 624 posts from 6 Australian neo-Nazi Telegram Channels, we…
The growing evidence base of risk factors for violent extremism demonstrates overlaps with different types of gender-based violent behaviours, such as intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. Each of these manifestations of violence are, to a varying extent, underpinned by misogynistic and hypermasculine attitudes and behaviours. The present analysis aims…
A growing body of research suggests that an individual’s willingness to fight and die for groups is rooted in the fusion of personal and group identities, especially when the group is threatened, violence is condoned, and the group’s enemies are dehumanised or demonised. Here we consider whether the language used…
Daniel discusses his career, the United States’ shift away from international counter-terrorism in favour of domestic counter-terrorism, the rise of white nationalist terrorism in the US, how institutional failures can lead to radicalisation, if these issues are being addressed effectively, the role of China and Russia, what needs to be…
Far-right extremism is not only on the rise in both the UK and Australia; it is rapidly becoming a primary security threat for both countries. Studies suggest that gender identity and gender ideology are connected to extremism and terrorism – including far-right extremism – and that prevention strategies should consider…
Hate speech, harassment, and an increasing prevalence of right-wing extremism in online game spaces are of growing concern in the United States. Understanding trends in how and to what extent extremist groups utilize online gaming spaces is vital in taking action to protect players. To synthesize the current state of…
Despite being recognised as the foundational process of an extremist group exit [Morrison, J. F., Silke, A., Maiberg, H., Slay, C., & Stewart, R. (2021). A systematic review of post-2017 research on disengagement and deradicalisation. Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats. https://crestresearch.ac.uk/download/3797/21-033-02.pdf], identity transformation is surprisingly under-investigated. This paper therefore explores…
This study is a critical discourse analysis of the misogynistic narratives shared by three incel violent extremists: Elliot Rodger, Alek Minassian, and Scott Beierle. Utilizing Kate Manne’s give/take model, which suggests a wider cultural pattern of misogyny serving to uphold patriarchy, this study finds that incel men expect women to provide…
The far-right anti-government extremist movement poses a significant threat in the United States. The January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol illustrates the capacity of this movement to plan and mount violent attacks against government targets and democratic institutions. In this article, we explore how the organisational and tactical…
This is a translation of a report first published in German on 1 February 2023 under the title “Im digitalen Labyrinth: Rechtsextreme Strategien der Dezentralisierung im Netz und mögliche Gegenmaßnahmen”. In response to the increased deletion of hate content and conspiracy theorist accounts on YouTube and other mainstream sites, right-wing…
The vast majority of those engaging with radical ideas do not pursue radicalization trajectories to an endpoint of violent extremism. However, empirical research charting journeys of “non-radicalization” remains scarce. This article draws on ethnographic research tracing pathways through an “extreme right” milieu. It identifies a range of journeys – of…
