far-right

A discussion on the rise of fascism and the far-right in Italy and Spain, resulting in the brutal regimes of Franco and Mussolini.

 This episode explores the conditions that led to their rise and the left struggles in both country during and after the establishment of both fascist regimes - John McDonnell speaks to three expert historians: Jessica Thorne; David Broder and Professor Paul Preston. 

• Jessica Thorne is a Doctoral candidate in History at Royal Holloway, London, researching transnational resistance to Franco's Spain (1950-1975); she is also currently working with Autonomy, an independent, progressive research organisation that focuses on the future of work and economic planning. 
• David Broder is a historian who writes about Italian politics for a number of publications. He is Europe editor at Jacobin magazine and author of Mussolini's Grandchildren: Fascism In Contemporary Italy.
• Paul Preston is the School Professor for the Department of International History in the London School of Economics. Teaching in British and Spanish Universities, Paul has also published books including: The Spanish Civil War, Reaction, Revolution and Revenge; Franco: A Biography; The Spanish Holocaust. Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth Century Spain; A People Betrayed. A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence and Social Division in Modern Spain 1874–2018

As President Jair Bolsonaro's anti-democratic antics grow in volume, banks and tycoons become vocal in their defense of democracy. A coup, after all, is bad for business. Read show notes. — 

Meta saw more users join its services, giving investors more confidence in the company. Amazon is in a tussle with the Australian government. And the UK plans to fine streaming services that display "harmful content." 

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When the holder of the highest office in the land openly challenges judicial decisions, it spells a bad omen for the endurance of democratic institutions. Read show notes. — 

This week we’re bringing you a special episode investigating the conflict in Ukraine. We unpack the truth around violent extremist elements operating in Ukraine amid the online information war that’s been unfolding. We speak to experts who expose the Russian claims of denazification as state-sponsored disinformation, and interrogate the reality of the violent far-right presence and influence of foreign fighters in Ukraine. 

Join Anne Craanen as she speaks to Ukraine-based Olga Yurkova who is the Co-founder of StopFake.org, an educational platform which aims to teach people about the dangers of spreading false information. We also hear from Kacper Rekawek, a PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo. And finally, from Jason Blazakis who is a Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and former Director of the Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office, Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State. 

We also get valuable insight from Arthur Bradley, a Senior OSINT analyst at Tech Against Terrorism, who explains the divergent reaction of the international far-right to the invasion online. Our experts reveal troubling links between the Russian state and far-right fighters in Ukraine exposing Kremlin narratives as not only false but contradictory.  

How do you tell if a photo or video posted online is real or fake? Here's a simple video by the BBC's Disinformation team on how to check and verify content shared online about the war in Ukraine. Or you can find this article on Olga’s website StopFake.org on “How to recognise a fake.”

To find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on Twitter @techvsterrorism, where you can find resources on this topic. 

In this week’s episode, we’re exploring the violent far-right’s use of the internet. We learn what is meant by the ‘far-right’, how different platforms are exploited by violent far-right actors, and the constant evolution of violent far-right content and its online dissemination. We also address some of the challenges moderators and tech platforms face when it comes to monitoring and taking down violent far-right content online. During the episode, we delve into conspiratorial narratives, unpack their centrality in far-right online culture, and explore why they become so deeply rooted. 

Join Anne Craanen as she speaks to Blyth Crawford who’s a Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation where she specialises in far-right online social movements. Blyth is also a PhD candidate at King’s College London where she studies far-right radicalisation within online forums. 

Beatriz Buarque is also on the panel - she’s a PhD candidate at the University of Manchester, investigating the legitimisation of alt-right conspiracy theories. Beatriz is also the founder of the award-winning NGO ‘Words Heal the World’. 

We also hear from Arthur Bradley who’s a Senior Open-source Intelligence Analyst at Tech Against Terrorism and head of content collection for the Terrorist Content Analytics Platform (TCAP), where he works with tech companies and governments across the world in countering terrorist use of the internet using open-source intelligence.

To find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on Twitter @techvsterrorism, where you can find resources on this topic. 

You can learn more about the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) here.

You can find out more about ‘Words Heal the World’ here. 

After much comings and goings, Bolsonaro has found a new party, in an arrangement that will help shape Brazil's political landscape for 2022 and beyond. Read show notes. — 

Javier Milei is a vaccine skeptic, climate change denier, libertarian economist … and now, one of the biggest political stars in Argentinian politics. Read show notes. — 

Seen as Chile's answer to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, José Antonio Kast has been consistently rising in polls since early in September. Could he win on November 21?

Read show notes. — https://brazilian.report/podcast/2021/11/04/chile-kast-election/

Qanon is a far-right extremist group that has moved out from the fringes to the forefront, gaining more faithful followers as people were isolated and online during the pandemic. The group’s presence was clear and prominent in the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

While Qanon has been tearing at the fabric of our nation, it has also been tearing individual families apart. Many sons and daughters of Qanon faithful, for instance, say they feel they have "lost" their parents into the rabbit hole of the beliefs.

Daniel Green wrote and produced this episode as part of our series "Divided States: Efforts to Pull Together When things Fall Apart." In this episode, we meet one man who says it feels like he’s grieving because he lost his parents to Qanon. He is still striving to bring them back to reality.

Last week's midterm primaries in Argentina delivered what was arguably the worst electoral defeat Peronism has ever suffered. But the problem goes beyond short-term woes. Read show notes. — 

In six days, pro-Bolsonaro supporters will stage demonstrations in multiple cities. The unfolding of Brazil's political crisis depends on how big the turnout will be. Read show notes. — 

Dr James Fallon is a neuroscientist and psychopathy researcher. In this episode, he delves into politics and how psychopathy can dominate this particular sphere ... if pushed far enough.

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Brazil saw anti-Bolsonaro protests this weekend. Does it mean that opposition to the far-right leader has finally come out of hibernation? Read show notes. — 

23.1.20
What Happens Next?
Far Right, All Wrong: Is Right-Wing Extremism on the Rise? | 7

The internet’s a great place to meet like-minded people… even for far-right extremists.

Today’s political climate has emboldened this growing group in Australia and beyond. How will society look if this growing threat goes unchecked?

In a new series, Dr Susan Carland and her expert guests consider the complex issue of far-right extremism, shedding light on its impact, the actions taken to address it and what we can do to confront extremist ideologies.

Emeritus Professor Andrew Markus, from Monash University’s School of International, Historical and Philosophical Studies, says that the Christchurch, New Zealand massacre and the infiltration of far-right groups into Australian politics serve as stark reminders of the urgency of addressing this issue.

The internet has played a strong role in amplifying extremist ideologies, making recruitment and organisation easier, while governments and private companies have been hesitant to regulate speech. Can we shift societal perception to recognise hate speech as a clear cause of social harm?

Legal expert Patrick Emerton champions the preservation of legislation that can play a crucial role in safeguarding against hate speech without compromising foundational liberties.

A full transcript of this episode is available on Monash Lens.

In this series:

• Far Right, All Wrong – Is Right-Wing Extremism on the Rise?
• What's Rightfully Ours – What Happens If We Ignore Right-Wing Extremism? 
• Right Here, Right Now – Can We Disarm Extremism?

Learn more about right-wing extremism:

• Conspiracy theories and the Australian far-right
• Christchurch Shooting: What's turning young men into killing machines?
• The future of terrorism

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, or rate or review “What Happens Next?” to help listeners like yourself discover it.

Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.

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Although terrorist and extremist groups largely use traditional methods to fund their activities, the anonymity cryptocurrency affords is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative. Join Adam Hadley and Lorand Bodo as they speak to Nick Furneaux, author of ‘Investigating Cryptocurrencies’, Florence Keen, research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King’s College London, and retired police officer Andrew McDonald, who served as head of specialist investigations of the UK National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit at New Scotland Yard. This episode explores the myriad of means used by terrorists to sustain their lifestyle, fund operations, recruit individuals, and build capacity. It highlights the need for increased knowledge sharing between law enforcement officials, researchers, and the fintech community, to combat the issue. Although we're not yet in the danger zone with terrorist use of digital money, it's coming. Terrorists are like any other criminals, and they will exploit any avenue necessary to achieve their goals.