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POLITICS

EXPLAINED: How dangerous is Austria’s growing right-wing extremist movement?

Austrian police have warned right-wing extremist groups are becoming more active and that younger people are becoming more radicalised.

Published: 3 July 2024 17:35 CEST
EXPLAINED: How dangerous is Austria's growing right-wing extremist movement?
Participants hold placards with letters reading 'Defend Democracy' as they attend a 'Sea of Lights' protest against racism and far-right politics in front of the Austrian parliament in Vienna, Austria on February 25, 2024. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)

In June, an Austria-wide police operation against right-wing extremists found numerous Nazi objects, such as clothing with specific symbols and a considerable amount of data storage media were seized.

A total of 15 people between the ages of 16 and 57 were charged, most of them under the Prohibition Act, which criminalises National Socialist “reactivation”. Those charged were predominantly, but not exclusively, men.

The Ministry of the Interior announced that the operation against right-wing extremists was carried out as part of a “Joint Action Day” coordinated by the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence Service (DSN).

READ ALSO: What does Austria’s far-right win in the EU elections mean for foreigners?

The focus was on targeting extremist-motivated and violent individuals as well as people who spread right-wing extremist hate propaganda. Several buildings were raided at the same time as part of the operation. The evidence is currently being viewed and forensically evaluated.

According to authorities, right-wing extremist groups were generally becoming more active, and the risk of right-wing extremist-motivated acts was constantly on the rise.

Right wing groups are not united

The Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN) expressly warns of increased right-wing extremist tendencies, with the number of reports of right-wing extremist crimes rising from 928 in 2022 to 1208 in the previous year.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the activities of far-right groups were massively restricted, and some long-established far-right events disappeared and have not been held since. However, new extremist networks also formed online during the lockdown and are now becoming increasingly active.

However, there is no unified right-wing extremist scene in Austria, according to a report in the Der Standard newspaper. 

On the contrary, some groups are divided – for example, on which side to take in the Russian war against Ukraine. Some support Vladimir Putin, and others want to go to war as mercenaries for Ukraine, the report added.

After 13 house searches, the authorities seized dozens of rifles, submachine guns and pistols, as well as several Nazi memorabilia and drugs in Austria. (Copyright: BMI/Gerd PACHAUER)

How bad is the situation?

Extreme right-wing groups in Austria are often led by political beliefs that include ethnic nationalism, islamophobia, xenophobia, anti-semitism, racism, rejection of democratic and plural societies and more. They also usually have great affinity for firearms – which means they could pose a terror threat.

Since 2019, 41 deposits with large weapons and explosives have been found during raids against right-wing extremist suspects in Austria. Most of them were found in Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Salzburg – and in the vast majority of cases, the investigators also found “Nazi devotional objects”. 

Earlier in 2024, Austria’s Interior Ministry warned of a “noticeable influx” in the country’s extreme right scene.

“The so-called ‘New Right’ currently represents the greatest challenge in the area of right-wing extremism,” Austria’s interior ministry said in a statement at the time, naming the Identitarian Movement, a nationalistic and anti-immigration movement,  as part of this grouping.

READ ALSO: How much of a threat is Austria’s far-right Identitarian Movement?

There is currently a noticeable influx into the scene, although exact numbers are difficult to determine, it added.

The Austrian government has already stated it expects a rapid expansion of right-wing extremist trends. 

In particular, “the expansion of martial arts networks with a friendlier and less militant appearance is expected to attract the interest of young people across Europe”, the government wrote in its Constitutional Protection Report 2023. 

The authorities fear that this recruitment will lead to more violence, for example, against Jews, people from other ethnic backgrounds, Muslims and the LGBTIQ community.

READ ALSO: The imam and rabbi’s friendship that defies stereotypes in Austria

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POLITICS

‘It’s time to reset Britain’s relations with Europe’

As he begins his first overseas trip, the UK's new Foreign Secretary David Lammy tells The Local how Britain plans to rebuild ties with Europe and become a better neighbour.

Published: 7 July 2024 08:54 CEST
'It’s time to reset Britain's relations with Europe'

I am a man of multiple identities. Londoner. English. Patriotic Brit. Proud of my Caribbean heritage. A transatlanticist. And, throughout my political career, absolutely committed to a close partnership with our European neighbours. 

As the new British Foreign Secretary, with our Prime Minister Keir Starmer, this government will reset relations with Europe as a reliable partner, a dependable ally and a good neighbour. 

That is why I am travelling immediately to some of our key European partners. Sitting down with Germany’s Annalena Baerbock, Poland’s Radek Sikorski and Sweden’s Tobias Billström, my message will be simple: let us seize the opportunity for a reset, working even more closely together to tackle shared challenges. 

The most immediate of these challenges, of course, is Ukraine. We will stand by the brave people of Ukraine, as they defend their freedom against Vladimir Putin’s new form of fascism.

British military, economic, political and diplomatic support for Ukraine will remain ironclad. But we are always stronger when we work with others. Germany, Poland and Sweden are all also staunch supporters of Ukraine. European security will be this government’s foreign and defence priority.

Russia’s barbaric invasion has made clear the need for us to do more to strengthen our own defences.

Next week, the Prime Minister, the Defence Secretary and I will all travel to Washington for the NATO Summit. 75 years ago, my political hero and former Labour Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, was pivotal to forming the Alliance. He would have been delighted to see NATO grow larger over the years, with Germany, Poland and now Sweden all joining the most successful defensive alliance in history. 

This Government’s commitment to the Alliance is unshakeable, just as it was in Bevin’s time. I will be discussing this weekend how NATO allies can go further in investing in our tightly connected defence industries and providing Ukraine with its own clear path to joining our alliance. 

Alongside security, we want to do more together to bring prosperity to our continent. None of us can address the urgency of the climate emergency alone – we need coordinated global action. This is particularly important in Europe, whose energy networks are so closely connected – together, we must invest in the industries of the future and deliver sustained economic growth for all.

And finally, we must do more to champion the ties between our people and our culture. Holidays, family ties, school and student exchanges, the arts, and sport (I was of course cheering on England in the Euros…). Thanks to this, our citizens benefit from the rich diversity of our continent. 

We can deliver more cooperation in many areas bilaterally, via NATO and in groupings like the G7, the Joint Expeditionary Force or the European Political Community which will gather at Blenheim Palace on July 18th. 

But if we are to fulfil our ambitions for a reset, we must also improve Britain’s relationship with the European Union.

I will be explaining to my new fellow Foreign Ministers how our new Government’s proposal for an ambitious and broad-ranging UK-EU Security Pact would underpin closer cooperation between us, enshrining a new geopolitical partnership. I also look forward to hearing their ideas for how we can rebuild trust and reset the relationship between the UK and the EU. 

Over centuries, our individual and national stories have come together to tell a wider story of shared progress. Today, we all share a commitment to democracy, human rights and international law. Tragic experiences in our continent’s shared past have helped us to understand how our shared security and prosperity depend on these shared values.

And I believe these values also offer a foundation for closer partnership in the future. My visit this weekend is just the beginning. I look forward to seeing Britain reconnect with our European neighbours in the years ahead.

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