Thursday, December 09, 2010

The Myth of the Extreme Right

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The Dutch domestic intelligence agency (AIVD) recently released a report on the current threat level from “right-wing extremism” in the Netherlands.

Our Flemish correspondent VH has prepared a summary of the AIVD report, which tells us that the threat of violence in the Netherlands is not from the Right, but — surprise! — from the “anti-fascist” Left:

The AIVD recently released a report on right-wing extremism. What is understood as the extreme right wing is not only very marginal and forms no threat to democracy, but above all is a myth that is constructed and maintained by anti-democratic and violent left-wing extremists.

Groups such as the Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) — which seek to exclude everything from the public sphere they regard as right-wing — play an important role in this myth-building and derive their existence from “the threat that [supposedly] can arise from this, and [to that end they] cultivate the image that it is large and growing,” as the AIVD states.

AFA also tries to prevent every right-wing activity by lobbying, for instance, with municipalities. Politicians and administrators therefore run the risk of being guided in their deliberations by an inaccurate sketch of the situation, warns the AIVD. “Due to this, there can be an overreaction”.

Anti-Fascist ActionIn contrast to the extreme right-wing organizations, the extreme left-wing organizations such as the Anti-Fascists (AFA) do in fact constitute a considerable threat to democracy. Anti-Fascists are prepared “to take the law into their own hands” and seek confrontation by means of violence. The AIVD concludes: “With these anti-democratic aspirations, AFA … makes use of undemocratic methods.” [italics by translator]

Back in 2005 the AIVD stated that the vast majority of so-called “Lonsdale youth”, who are generally portrayed as extreme right-wing, do not adhere to a right-wing extremist ideology. In the media, however, the ‘problem’ of the ‘Lonsdale youth’ is being magnified: “The far-right label that is provided by the media and certain administrators is therefore not confirmed by the AIVD.”

But from the recent report also another interesting point comes forth. The extreme right-wing organizations are actually extreme left-wing, and largely consist of “revolutionary socialists” [or “social revolutionaries”]. However, the issues in which they differ from the extreme left-wing are “nationalism” versus “internationalism”, democratic attitude versus an undemocratic and antidemocratic attitude, and responding to violent actions versus instigating violent actions.

In the report, the AIVD is not yet ready to argue for outlawing extreme left-wing organizations such as Anti-Fascist Action, but does so in between the lines, and dedicates its harshest considerations and warnings — in the report on right-wing extremism — to the extreme left-wing “Anti-Fascist” groups.

The AIVD report can be downloaded here (pdf).

8 comments:

1389 said...

It's about time that somebody has finally told the truth about what the so-called "Anti-Fascist Action" thugs are really all about.

Thanks for all your work in helping to get the truth out!

The Observer said...

I don’t know about other parts of Europe, but the neo-Nazis in Norway were a serious threat in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

They threw a bomb into a Labour Day procession in 79 injuring several people. They blew up a communist bookstore in Tromso (city in the north of Norway) in 1978. They also assassinated a couple of people in the early 80’s (Hadelands drapene).

They firebombed a Mosque in Norway in 85 and violently attacked non-western immigrants’ dozens of times. There were also dozens of violent clashes between blitz (anarchists) and the skinheads especially in the 80’s and 90’s where baseball bats, chains and knives were used.

The neo-Nazis also knifed a half cast 15 year old to death in early 2000. But since then it’s been pretty quiet from that front. These days it’s almost entirely left wing thugs and criminal immigrants that cause problems in Norway.

Non-western immigrants have killed more than 50 Norwegians since the early 80’s. There was a list containing all the victims’ names in Norwegian. I don’t know if it still exists.

gsw said...

and everyone knows that the original nazis were extreme socialist left wing - don't they?

Neo nazis may be fascist - but then fascism is socialist.

Henrik R Clausen said...

Kritisk Borger, I'm sad to hear that national socialists committed various crimes in Norway 30 years ago.

Does that say anything relevant for today?

Have socialists of today explained their fundamental difference with those socialists of 30 years ago?

And does this have anything to do with the political right?

Anonymous said...

@gsw,

Amen to that!
Anyone who still peddles the "right-wing" label for (neo)nazis is hopelessly lost. With that sense of direction I hope they never use personal transport.. ;)

Both nazis and "neo"-nazis (if the latter have any political agenda at all) are of course offshoots of the socialist variety.

Kind regs from Amsterdam,
Sag.

Elan-tima said...

The underlying moral to this story is that the oligarchs and their governmental stooges are keeping close eye on any group or ideoligical organization that may not want to play nice and follow the rules while they conveniently hold the rule book. This report could easily have come from China, North Korea, or any other paranoid system. These governments set up a social system where any "right winger" is demonized, harassed through lawfare and if neccesary given prison time, why would you be surprised that "right wingers" decide to play the governments democratic games rather than face their ngo storm troopers in the street. The governments real fear is they create a "Hitlerian Frankenstein's Monster" that comes over a bites them where it hurts most. The ghost of "far right" street action is now branded "populist" meaning those outside the dictatorship of the prolitariate. We could only hope that groups like the EDL expand their mandate so the "far right" street politics can ferment real change from the bottom up.

Richard said...

Things are starting to look up, what I am afraid of is that the worlds economy is going to collapse again. (The housing bubble is being re-inflated) If this happens we are going to see many more demonstrations and I don't know how the political scene is going to play out.

Anonymous said...

Respect for the anti-fascists. Too bad their views are completely idiotic though. This is the type of commitment that people should have to their own, instead of stupid ideas.

kritisk, thanks for telling me that Norwegian men are able to do something besides bending over to grab their ankles.