The Emergence of Transnational Street Militancy: A Comparative Case Study of the Nordic Resistance Movement and Generation Identity

Authors

  • Jacob Aasland Ravndal University of Oslo, Centre for Research on Extremism

Keywords:

Far-Right Activism, Transnational Street Militancy, the Nordic Resistance Movement, Generation Identity, Preventing Violent Extremism

Abstract

Street-based militant groups on the far right usually emerge within nation-states and only rarely operate transnationally. However, over the past decade, there have been two notable exceptions to this rule in Europe: The Nordic Resistance Movement, originating in Sweden; and Generation Identity, originating in France. Both groups are regularly described as some of the most influential of their kind but have received limited academic attention and are often portrayed rather crudely by the media. Thus, to inform future research, policy-making, and preventive work, this article outlines the ideological foundation of each group, traces their national origins and transnational evolution, compares their ideologies, strategies, organization, and types of action, and discusses how government and local authorities can deal with militant protest groups in a way that discourages violence and extremism, while at the same time safeguarding liberal democratic principles.

References

Al Jazeera. (2018, December 26). Generation Hate Part 1. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/generation-hate-part-1-181226094751438.html

Bale, J. M. (2002). “National revolutionary” groupuscules and the resurgence of “left-wing” fascism: The case of France’s Nouvelle Résistance. Patterns of Prejudice, 36(3), 24–49.

Berntzen, L. E., & Weisskircher, M. (2016). Anti-islamic PEGIDA beyond Germany: Explaining differences in mobilisation. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 37(6), 556–573.

Bjørgo, T., & Ravndal, J. A. (2018, June 7). What is the problem with the Nordic Resistance Movement? Right Now!. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/english/news-and-events/right-now/the-nordic-resistance-movement.html

Bjørgo, T., & Ravndal, J. A. (2020). Why the Nordic Resistance Movement restrains its use of violence. Perspectives on Terrorism, 14(6).

Bouron, S. (2015, August). Studying the social conditions that make possible the militant commitment to the extreme right. Conference paper, ECPR General Conference 2015, Montreal. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/5926282d-aa97-4b5e-832f-971c2b634755.pdf

Caiani, M., & Kröll, P. (2015). The transnationalization of the extreme right and the use of the Internet. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 39(4), 331–351.

Christiano, T. (2006). Democracy. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2018). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2018/entries/democracy/

Collier, P. (2013). Exodus: How migration is changing our world. Oxford University Press.

de Benoist, A., & Champetier, C. (2012). Manifesto for a European Renaissance. Arktos.

Die Tagesstimme. (2018, July 26). The Identitarian Movement on trial: The reasons they were acquitted. Die Tagesstimme. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.tagesstimme.com/2018/07/27/the-identitarian-movement-on-trial-the-reasons-they-were-acquitted/

Faye, G. (2007). La nouvelle question juive. Éditions du Lore.

Foa, R. S., & Mounk, Y. (2017). The Signs of Deconsolidation. Journal of Democracy, 28(1), 5–15.

Garza, V. (2019, October 20). US Democrats want Norwegian neo-Nazis on terror list. Norway Today. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://norwaytoday.info/news/us-democrats-want-norwegian-neo-nazis-on-terror-list/

Generation Identity. (2013). We are Generation Identity. Arktos Media.

George, A. L. (1979). Case Studies and Theory Development: The Method of Structured, Focused Comparison. In Lauren, P. G. (Ed.), Diplomacy: New approaches in history, theory, and policy. New York: Free Press.

George, A. L., & Bennett, A. (2005). Case studies and theory development in the social sciences. MIT Press.

Goodwin, M. J. (2017, February 7). What do Europeans think about Muslim immigration? Chatham House. Retrieved November 28, 2020, https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/what-do-europeans-think-about-muslim-immigration

Griffin, R. (1999). Net gains and GUD reactions: Patterns of prejudice in a neo-fascist groupuscule. Patterns of Prejudice, 33(2), 31–50.

Griffin, R. (2003). From slime mould to rhizome: An introduction to the groupuscular right. Patterns of Prejudice, 37(1), 27–50.

Kaufmann, E. P. (2018). Whiteshift: Populism, immigration and the future of white majorities. Allen Lane.

Les Identitaires. (2016, August 9). Bloc Identitaire becomes Les identitaires. Les identitaires. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.les-identitaires.com/2016/08/bloc-identitaire-becomes-identitaires/

Lund, K. (2004). Några funderingar kring islam, västerlandet och den nationella kampen. Nationellt Motstånd, 2(4).

Lund, K. (2010). Framtidens styre: Motståndsrörelsens vision. Nationellt Motstånd, 18.

Macklin, G. (2013). Transnational Networking on the Far Right: The Case of Britain and Germany. West European Politics, 36(1), 176–198.

Macklin, G. (2019). The Christchurch attacks: Livestream terror in the viral video age. CTC Sentinel, 12(6), 18–29.

Mudde, C. (2007). Populist radical right parties in Europe. Cambridge University Press.

Nordfront. (2017, October 28). Nu er det på høje tid at få startet Den Nordiske Modstandsbevægelse i Danmark! Nordfront.dk. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.nordfront.dk/paa-hoeje-tid-faa-startet-nordisk-modstandsbevaegelses-danmark/

Redox. (2018, September 13). Naziorganisation i knæ—Se billederne fra fiaskofesten. Researchkollektivet Redox. Retrieved 28 November, 2020, from https://redox.dk/nyheder/naziorganisation-i-knae-se-billederne-fra-fiaskofesten/

Richards, I. (2019). A Philosophical and historical analysis of “Generation Identity”: Fascism, online media, and the European New Right. Terrorism and Political Violence, advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2019.1662403

Söderman, M., & Holappa, H. (2011). Unbroken warrior: The Richard Scutari letters. Nationellt Motstånd Förlag.

Stephens, W., Sieckelinck, S., & Boutellier, H. (2019). Preventing violent extremism: A review of the literature. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, advance online publication, 1–16.

The Nordic Resistance Movement. (2018). Motståndsrörelsen: 20 år av revolutionär kamp. Nordfront Förlag.

Willinger, M. (2013). Generation identity. Arktos Media Ltd.

Zúquete, J. P. (2018). The Identitarians: The movement against globalism and Islam in Europe. University of Notre Dame Press.

Downloads

Published

2020-12-25

Issue

Section

Articles