Latest news with #far-right
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Online hate group listed as a terrorist organisation
The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing up to 25 years in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct a terrorist attack and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the US, Europe and Asia. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other, they won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message that serious criminal penalties would be faced by anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Is the Anti-Immigrant Reform UK Ready to Take Charge?
Subscribe to In the City on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to In the City on Spotify Just a year ago, Reform UK had no MPs, a handful of councillors and single-digit polling figures. Today, the political landscape has shifted dramatically. According to new polling from Ipsos, the far-right, anti-immigrant party led by Nigel Farage now stands at 34% support, nine points ahead of Labour and well ahead of the Conservatives, who trail in a distant third. If these figures were reflected at the ballot box, Reform UK could secure a parliamentary majority, an outcome few would have predicted even months ago.
LBCI
3 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Dutch far-right leader Wilders says held 'excellent' Trump meeting
Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders revealed Wednesday he had held an "excellent" meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit. "Thank you so much Mr. President... for the excellent meeting we just had and our discussion about the need for tougher immigration laws," said Wilders on X. AFP
Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Ban lifted on magazine said to be a ‘mouthpiece for right-wing extremists'
The German government's ban on a far-right magazine described as the 'central mouthpiece' of extremists has been overturned. Founded in 2010 and edited by Jürgen Elsässer, Compact magazine had considerable reach beyond the hard-right bubble. It claimed a print circulation of 40,000 a month and millions of views online. The magazine was officially classified as an 'extremist organisation' by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, in 2021. Among the conspiracy theories that it promotes is the concept of 're-migration', a dog whistle for deporting ethnic-minority Germans. Nancy Faeser took the step to ban the magazine last year when she was interior minister . She labelled Compact a 'central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene' — citing its antisemitic, racist and anti-democratic content. A federal administrative court in Leipzig then suspended Faeser's ban, pending a final ruling on Compact's appeal, which was issued on Tuesday, declaring that even inflammatory speech remains protected under the country's laws. The presiding judge, Ingo Kraft, concluded that Compact's output, while polemic and sharply worded, did not cross the threshold into active hostility against the democratic order. 'The basic law guarantees freedom of opinion and the press even for enemies of freedom,' Kraft said. Germany's basic law provides MPs with the means to crack down on parties and speech like Holocaust denial that are deemed unconstitutional — a learning from its fascist past. However, there are no provisions allowing the ban of publications. The interior ministry had resorted to banning the organisation that publishes Compact. The court said, however, that this violated the proportionality requirements as subversive activities were not central to its mission. Even sharp critiques of migration policy and revisionist takes on history must be tolerated in a pluralistic democracy, the court argued. The ruling comes as a blow to proponents of a crackdown on extremism, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to become Germany's second-largest party. In 2021, Germany's government had tightened laws punishing abuse against politicians. In one such case a journalist at a far-right magazine was convicted for sharing a manipulated image of Faeser showing her holding a fake sign with the words 'I hate freedom of opinion'. • What is AfD? The reasons behind rise of the hard right in Germany Elsässer celebrated the Compact ruling, and predicted that, if Compact could not be banned, then it would be impossible to ban the AfD. The Social Democrats, the junior partner in Germany's coalition government, announced on Monday that they would push to start proceedings on banning the AfD, which was also recently labelled 'extremist' by the Verfassungsschutz. Alexander Dobrindt, the current interior minister, said the government would respect and review the ruling, but added that 'banning organisations remains an applicable and possible tool against extremist endeavours'.
Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Times
German court lifts ban on ‘mouthpiece for right-wing extremists'
The German government's ban on a far-right magazine described as the 'central mouthpiece' of extremists has been overturned. Founded in 2010 and edited by Jürgen Elsässer, Compact magazine had considerable reach beyond the hard-right bubble. It claimed a print circulation of 40,000 a month and millions of views online. The magazine was officially classified as an 'extremist organisation' by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, in 2021. Among the conspiracy theories that it promotes is the concept of 're-migration', a dog whistle for deporting ethnic-minority Germans. The magazine promotes conspiracy theories SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES Nancy Faeser took the step to ban the magazine last year when she was interior minister . She labelled Compact a 'central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene' — citing its antisemitic, racist and anti-democratic content. A federal administrative court in Leipzig then suspended Faeser's ban, pending a final ruling on Compact's appeal, which was issued on Tuesday, declaring that even inflammatory speech remains protected under the country's laws. The presiding judge, Ingo Kraft, concluded that Compact's output, while polemic and sharply worded, did not cross the threshold into active hostility against the democratic order. 'The basic law guarantees freedom of opinion and the press even for enemies of freedom,' Kraft said. Nancy Faeser ordered a ban on the magazine's publisher last year MAXIMILIAN SCHWARZ/REUTERS Germany's basic law provides MPs with the means to crack down on parties and speech like Holocaust denial that are deemed unconstitutional — a learning from its fascist past. However, there are no provisions allowing the ban of publications. The interior ministry had resorted to banning the organisation that publishes Compact. The court said, however, that this violated the proportionality requirements as subversive activities were not central to its mission. Even sharp critiques of migration policy and revisionist takes on history must be tolerated in a pluralistic democracy, the court argued. The ruling comes as a blow to proponents of a crackdown on extremism, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to become Germany's second-largest party. In 2021, Germany's government had tightened laws punishing abuse against politicians. In one such case a journalist at a far-right magazine was convicted for sharing a manipulated image of Faeser showing her holding a fake sign with the words 'I hate freedom of opinion'. • What is AfD? The reasons behind rise of the hard right in Germany Elsässer celebrated the Compact ruling, and predicted that, if Compact could not be banned, then it would be impossible to ban the AfD. The Social Democrats, the junior partner in Germany's coalition government, announced on Monday that they would push to start proceedings on banning the AfD, which was also recently labelled 'extremist' by the Verfassungsschutz. Alexander Dobrindt, the current interior minister, said the government would respect and review the ruling, but added that 'banning organisations remains an applicable and possible tool against extremist endeavours'.
