Latest news with #rightwingextremism
BBC News
09-07-2025
- BBC News
Alfie Coleman tells Old Bailey terrorism trial he was lonely
A man accused of buying a gun for a terror attack told jurors he was "lonely and isolated" when viewing extreme right-wing material in his Coleman was arrested in an MI5 sting moments after sourcing a Makarov pistol and 188 rounds of ammunition in September was a white supremacist who "idolised Hitler" and dreamed of "sparking a race war", prosecutors at the Old Bailey have 21-year-old, of Tailors Close in Great Notley, Essex, admits possessing a firearm, ammunition and 10 offences of having a document useful to terrorism, but denies preparing an attack. He was aged 19 when counter terrorism police arrested him at a Morrisons car park in Stratford, east Coleman's barrister, Tana Adkin KC, asked him on Wednesday: "Did you ever intend to commit an act of terrorism?"The defendant denied it, insisting he never intended to hurt anyone. Giving evidence, Mr Coleman said he struggled with his mental health as a teenager but refused help because he "didn't feel like anybody would understand".He told the court about feeling "very lonely, isolated" just before the Covid-19 pandemic Coleman said he would spend hours a day in his bedroom viewing content about conspiracy theories on TikTok and playing Call of Duty on told jurors he could not remember searching online for the Ku Klux Klan when he was aged 14, but said it could be linked to a documentary he Coleman was also asked about writing down the Lord Mayor of London's address, believing it was the Mayor of London's, in a note entitled "Important Stuff".It followed the prosecution alleging he identified the "Mayor of London house" as a target in an early abandoned attack Mr Coleman told the court he probably found the address on a TikTok video about Ulez in why he made a note of it, the defendant replied: "I don't know. I don't remember doing it myself. It was so long ago." Mr Coleman explained his school year was cancelled in March 2020, adding: "I didn't really like school at that time. I was not attending often. I was pretty lonely."By early 2021, he admitted spending "a lot of time" on the internet and had discovered initially deleted it because the content about extreme right-wing views and firearms "was a bit strong", he Mr Coleman soon returned to it, explaining: "Mainly I was just looking, I wasn't interacting at that point."He described his mental health at that point as "pretty bad". Mr Coleman told jurors from then on the content he was viewing "snowballed", as he watched material about the Nazis, knives and previously said he became inspired by Thomas Mair, who murdered the MP Jo Cox in defendant does not dispute going on to write a text bearing similarities to other "manifestos" written by convicted extreme right-wing trial continues. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Japan Times
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Germany's far-right AfD harbors growing number of extremists: spy agency
Germany's biggest opposition party the Alternative for Germany is harboring a growing number of right-wing extremists, the domestic spy agency said in its annual report on Tuesday, reporting also a surge in overall crime motivated by right-wing extremism. The number of extremists within the AfD, which came second in a federal election in February, rose by 77% last year to 20,000 in tandem with a growth in party membership and its shift rightward, the agency said. The agency last month classified the party at large as "extremist" on the basis of a 1,100-page experts' report enabling it to step up monitoring of the AfD, although the party has legally challenged this. Party statements frequently included xenophobic and anti-Muslim positions, with migrants from predominantly Islamic countries often accused of cultural incompatibility and a strong inclination toward criminal behavior, the agency said on Tuesday. AfD leaders frequently made statements that could be considered to attack the constitution during state election campaigns in eastern Germany last year — and mostly were not reined in by the party, the agency said. It cited the leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke, who at a campaign event in August said the election could "lead to the implosion of the cartel party system" and "finally bring about something that is a true democracy." Crime motivated by right-wing extremism in Germany jumped 47.4% last year, including 6 attempted murders up from 4 in 2023 and 23 cases of arson up from 16, the agency said.
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Germany's main opposition party harbouring 20,000 extremists, says spy agency
Germany 's main opposition party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), is facing scrutiny as the nation's domestic spy agency reveals a concerning rise in right-wing extremism within its ranks. According to the agency's annual report, the number of identified extremists within the AfD surged by 77 per cent in 2024, reaching approximately 20,000 people. This increase coincides with the party's overall growth in membership and a noted shift towards more radical positions. The agency has also reported a parallel increase in overall crime motivated by right-wing extremism. In May, the agency classified the AfD as "extremist", based on a 1,100-page report. This classification allows for increased monitoring of the party, although the AfD has launched a legal challenge against the decision. Party statements frequently included xenophobic and anti-Muslim positions, with migrants from predominantly Islamic countries often accused of cultural incompatibility and a strong inclination toward criminal behaviour, the agency said. AfD leaders frequently made statements that could be considered to attack the constitution during state election campaigns in eastern Germany in 2024 - and mostly were not reined in by the party, the agency said. It cited the leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke, who at a campaign event in August said the election could "lead to the implosion of the cartel party system" and "finally bring about something that is a true democracy". Crime motivated by right-wing extremism in Germany jumped 47.4 per cent in 2024, including six attempted murders, up from four in 2023. There were also 23 cases of arson, up from 16, the agency said. AfD surged to an historic second place in the national elections in February, securing an unprecedented influence in the country's post-war political landscape. The party doubled their share from 2021 to win 20.8 per cent of the vote in the election, in a surge described by victor Friedrich Merz – whose conservative bloc won with just 28.5 per cent – as a 'final warning' to democratic parties. AfD leaders have been fined for using banned Nazi slogans and members expelled for suspected paramilitary involvement. Its electoral success came in a campaign dominated by concerns over immigration and marred by three suspected terror attacks, bolstering support for the hardline anti-migrant party.
Reuters
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Germany's far-right AfD harbours growing number of extremists
BERLIN, June 10 (Reuters) - Germany's biggest opposition party the Alternative for Germany is harbouring a growing number of right-wing extremists, the domestic spy agency said in its annual report on Tuesday, reporting also a surge in overall crime motivated by right-wing extremism. The number of extremists within the AfD, which came second in a federal election in February, rose by 77% last year to 20,000 in tandem with a growth in party membership and its shift rightwards, the agency said. The agency last month classified the party at large as "extremist" on the basis of a 1,100-page experts' report enabling it to step up monitoring of the AfD, although the party has legally challenged this. Party statements frequently included xenophobic and anti-Muslim positions, with migrants from predominantly Islamic countries often accused of cultural incompatibility and a strong inclination toward criminal behavior, the agency said on Tuesday. AfD leaders frequently made statements that could be considered to attack the constitution during state election campaigns in eastern Germany last year - and mostly were not reined in by the party, the agency said. It cited the leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke, who at a campaign event in August said the election could "lead to the implosion of the cartel party system" and "finally bring about something that is a true democracy". Crime motivated by right-wing extremism in Germany jumped 47.4% last year, including 6 attempted murders up from 4 in 2023 and 23 cases of arson up from 16, the agency said.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German police chief warns of rising right-wing youth radicalization
The head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Münch, has issued a warning about the increasing radicalization of young people within right-wing extremist circles. "For about a year, we've increasingly seen very young people with right-wing views becoming more radicalized and forming, at times, well-organized groups to carry out serious crimes," Münch told the Funke media group of newspapers in remarks published on Saturday. He highlighted the growing role of the internet as a networking space for the far-right scene. "Radicalization, recruitment and mobilization increasingly happen via social networks and right-wing forums," Münch said. The high number and severity of far-right motivated crimes pose a "major challenge" to security agencies, which are responding with increased surveillance, according to Münch. Münch emphasized that tackling the issue is not solely the responsibility of the police, but a challenge that requires joint effort across all parts of society to prevent serious acts of violence. Earlier this week, German federal prosecutors launched a crackdown on a far-right extremist cell accused of plotting violent attacks targeting migrants. Five male suspects aged 14 to 18 were arrested in coordinated raids. The teens are accused of being part of - or in one case supporting - a group that calls itself the Last Wave of Defence. According to prosecutors, the group aimed to destabilize Germany's democratic system through acts of violence, primarily targeting migrants and political opponents.
