The Amadeu Antonio Foundation and the Else Frenkel Brunswik Institute at the University of Leipzig have started a systematic online monitoring of extreme right-wing and anti-democratic activities.
The first regular EFBI Digital Report reports results from the cooperation project online monitoring of the EFBI and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation and examines how right-wing and conspiracy ideological groups use the Russian war of aggression on the Ukraine for mobilization. The report shows how the thematic focus in extreme right-wing and conspiracy-ideological milieus has shifted almost seamlessly to the war since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has replaced state corona measures as the number one mobilization topic. On the one hand, this posed a challenge for the actors in this spectrum, since different perspectives on the war exist within these groups. On the other hand, the crisis also gives rise to new mobilization potential. An overarching element that connects various positions on the war is the belief in a conspiracy by the Western elites against the population.
The Ukraine War and Right-Wing Meme Culture
Another contribution is dedicated to the reactions to the war within the so-called meme culture. Hateful content can be spread in seemingly harmless packaging with the help of quickly sent pictures, but normalization effects are to be feared. Some memes from this cosmos have also made it into the Saxon Telegram groups and channels. However, the regional scene we observed is characterized by very little creativity, blunt to dominate inhuman sayings, and the creative ambiguity that is otherwise characteristic of meme culture is usually missing.
In addition to the current focus on Saxon Telegram channels and groups, alternative platforms are becoming increasingly relevant for extreme right-wing agitation. Finally, the report presents some of these alternative online platforms.
About the EFBI
The Else Frenkel Brunswik Institute (EFBI), based at the University of Leipzig, forms a research infrastructure in Saxony that researches and documents anti-democratic attitudes, structures and efforts . The focus is on various forms of discrimination, the strategies and dynamics of right-wing authoritarian alliances and the strengthening of democratic politics.
