Europe under strain: political extremism aspects
With mounting youth unemployment (21%) and the opportunity provided by local elections on Sunday - a protest has started in Madrid, small numbers yes (25k) and spread across the country.
BBC Report:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13481592
Note the decisions by the constitutional court and the police declining to act.
The Daily Telegraph has a series of photos and an introductory text:
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With tents, mattresses, a kitchen, a workshop and even a pharmacy, a protest camp in Madrid has grown into a real 'urban village' for thousands of young people. Under blue plastic tarpaulins, demonstrators have gathered in the landmark Puerta del Sol square in the centre of the Spanish capital,. Many of them have spent several days and nights there, to decry politicians who left Spain with a 21 per cent unemployment rate. Calling for "Real Democracy Now," the protests popularly known as M-15 began on May 15, lamenting Spain's economic crisis, politicians in general, and corruption.
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pict...in-Madrid.html
Popular, public demonstrations and protests have a strong, recent tradition in Spain; for example the massive protests denouncing ETA violence and after the Madrid terrorist attacks.
Will be interesting to watch how this develops.
Beyond Spain: one point of view
The protests continues:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13481592 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13466977
A commentary that IMHO deserves reading, if perplexing:
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It is perhaps surprising that Spain's youth has taken quite so long to come out onto the streets. Unemployment among 16 to 29-year-olds is estimated to be around 45%.
The jobless rate for the whole population is over 20% - the highest in Europe. And not only are they fed up with their economic situation, they are also calling for an end to domination of the political system by the two main parties.
There is something inevitable about economic crisis leading to protest.
The student demonstrations in Britain, the riots in Greece, and the union protests in France, Italy, and Belgium were all born of the same frustration.
Europe's leaders have chosen, to a greater or lesser extent, to ignore the voices on the streets. Believing instead that austerity is the way out of the economic crisis.
And, so far, the protests across Europe have not grown into anything big enough to force them to change tack.
Europe under strain: political extremism aspects
There is a long running thread on the economic aspects of the EU 'EUCOM Economic Analysis - Part I' on:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...archid=3507454
Elsewhere we have debated the possibilities for a revolution in the USA and touched upon extremism too, nowhere is there a thread for the much heralded re-emergence of political extremism - mainly from the right - in Europe. So here is a new thread.
Not to overlook the post-Oslo killings thread:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=13830 and the murders in Germany:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=14532
Europe under strain: Greece’s new fascists?
Hat tip to ICSR's Insight article 'Who are Greece’s new fascists?' after the electoral success by Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn):
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which gained 7% of the popular vote and 21 seats in parliament.
Golden Dawn is a fascist political party and a street movement with an occasionally violent history....Golden Dawn, therefore, is ingraining itself into the social fabric of the country and its success must not be written off as a temporary protest vote. Though its share of the vote remains small, its infrastructure and presence on the street is extensive.
This passage struck me as rather odd, particularly that such information was gained in exit polling:
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Most disturbingly, exit polling shows that more than half of the country’s police officers voted for the party.
Link:http://icsr.info/publications/newsle...ewfascists.pdf
Surprisingly there is no mention of an active extreme left-wing, violent minority, who are not averse to attacking the centre left-led trade unions and of course the police - as seen in newsreel for months. IIRC the Greek Communist Party polled more votes than Golden Dawn.
Failing to take far right violence seriously
A timely review of the situation in Europe, just after the first anniversary of the lone wolf Anders Breivik's murderous attacks in Norway:http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensec...ence-seriously
The opening sub-paragraph:
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The threat of far right terrorism and political violence ought to be taken at least as seriously as the radical Islamic one. Obstacles include the false belief that far right violence is local and not globally connected.
Citing Arun Kundnani’s report 'Blind Spot? Security Narratives and Far-Right Violence in Europe' for the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) in The Hague and looking at the German neo‐Nazi group – the Nationalsozialistischer Untergrund (NSU, National Socialist Underground) – which operated:
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for thirteen years without arrest, during which time eight people of Turkish origin, a Greek man, and a policewoman had been killed, despite federal and regional intelligence services reportedly having infiltrated the group’. .. it remains unclear why the NSU was not intercepted earlier.....appears that part of the problem was that efforts to counter right‐wing violence rested with regional states, which did not consider it a priority, in contrast to initiatives to counter the threat of jihadist violence, which were well‐resourced and centrally co‐ordinated at the federal level.
This passage makes the argument far better:
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since 1990, at least 249 persons have died in incidents of far right violence in Europe, compared to 263 who have been killed by jihadist violence, indicating that both threats are of the same order of magnitude
I have seen Europol reports on acts of terrorism which show nationalist attacks far outnumber Jihadist attacks; nationalist cannot always be equated with far right IMO.
There is more detail on the issue on:http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensec...d-to-far-right
The Roots of Extremism: The EDL and the Counter-Jihad
The full title of this paper is 'The Roots of Extremism: The English Defence League and the Counter-Jihad Challenge', which uses polling data from October 2012 and one point is:
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The data indicate that supporters of such groups are not just young, uneducated, economically insecure or politically apathetic. They are not simply anti-Muslim or overtly racist, but xenophobic and profoundly hostile towards immigration. They expect inter-communal conflict and believe violence is justifiable. And their beliefs about the threatening nature of Islam have wider public support.
Link:http://www.chathamhouse.org/publicat...rs/view/189767
There is data on whether institutions are trusted which indicate politicians and parliament have shrinking credibility.
Europe straining under the pressure
Not the current Crimean crisis, but the far wider issues of political disengagement, primarily by the young, although also seen with nationalism / regionalism and the socio-economic factors.
There is an older thread 'Europe under strain: political extremism aspects' into which this could fit, but these factors are not unique to Europe and SWC has touched upon the domestic US application too - now awhile ago.
This thread is prompted by two new articles, one on Europe and another on the UK (after all I am British). Plus thanks to a "lurker" a series of displays of socio-economic factors.
Disengagement and this is the headline:
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Why aren't Europe's young people rioting any more? Denied their dreams of education and jobs, young people have been sapped of rebellious energy. But their anger is growing
Link:http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...MCNEWEML6619I2
The displays /maps come under a headline:
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Interactive map: Europe’s social polarisation and the generational struggle - what do indicators measuring poverty and inequality actually show?
It ends with:
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Social pain has already undermined the citizens’ trust in the EU and their own governments. This could devitalize the acceptability of painful structural reforms and fiscal consolidation measures and, in turn, diminish the reform momentum or even lead to political instability.
Link:http://www.bruegel.org/nc/blog/detai...onal-struggle/
The British economic and fiscal problem, one that has suddenly caught attention:
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Selling UK Plc is the only way we can avoid a full-blown crisis. Overseas buyers should be thanked: they are bailing us out and financing our lifestyle
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/e...wn-crisis.html
Anti-immigration protests coming in 2016
Although the furore over the massive flow of refugees from Syria and migrants from elsewhere has been reported upon, it is rare to see MSM report on the extreme right (XRW) and their hopes for 2016:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...o-Britain.html
I don't follow Czech politics, but when their President speaks at a XRW rally in Prague last month one must wonder what is happening:
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The country’s President Milos Zeman, who is an outspoken critic of Islam, immigration and the EU. Six thousand people turned out in Prague to listen.
Has Iran covertly funded Podemos in Sain?
This seems like the best place to add this allegation. The report starts with:
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Podemos, the leftist party that emerged as the major success story in last month’s indecisive Spanish general election, has been accused of receiving illicit funding from the Iranian government. The party, which campaigned on a platform of combatting corruption and slowing the pace of crippling austerity, is reported to be under investigation by a division of the Spanish police that has previously looked into graft allegations against other political parties.
Link:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a6813006.html
Or if you read Spanish, the original allegation:http://www.elconfidencial.com/espana...ienda_1136490/
Why is support for Europe's mainstream political parties on the wane?
An explanation that crosses the continent to find answers and here is an example, one that had slipped past my sight:
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Spain, meanwhile, whose voting system was designed after its return to democracy in the 1970s to deliver strong majorities and a stable two-party system, remains without a government nearly three months after
it went to the polls on 20 December.
Link:http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...es-parliaments
Ignored by the authorities, emboldened by Brexit, Europe’s far right is surging
A "broad brush" commentary by RUSI's Raffaello Pantucci; sub-titled 'Rightwing extremists are a grave danger in themselves, let alone when you factor in their influence on mainstream politics, and on terrorism':https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/28/brexit-europe-far-right-rightwing-extremists-politics-terrorism?
Those who have watched this will not be surprised by:
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In the RUSI-led research, a particularly striking finding was that in about 40% of cases of far-right extremists, they were uncovered by chance – the individual managed to blow himself up or was discovered while authorities conducted another investigation. By contrast, around 80% of violent Islamist lone actors were discovered in intelligence-led operations – in other words, the authorities were looking for them.
In the UK the far right find a ready audience IMHO amongst, as the Home Secretary stated today:
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There is still one in ten 18-24 year olds in the UK who are unemployed.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37561035
Why is anti-Muslim protest not more common?
A different way to explain this issue and taking the UK's once very active "far right" group, the English Defence League (EDL) and the author's first-hand research watching them:
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...reveals that the participation of grassroots members was driven by the club goods of access to violent conflict, increased self-worth and group solidarity.
(Ends with) To understand the appeal of EDL activism, it is not enough to examine the group’s ideological appeal; the costs and benefits of activism must also be identified.
Link: http://www.radicalisationresearch.or...footsoldiers/?
Understand why: an English commentary
A commentary on how in the UK, under a Labour government in 2009-2010, there was a programme to counter the extreme right, by the minister involved. A few passages set the scene:
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I learned a lot from Connecting Communities about engaging in the predominantly white, working class communities that are also typical of the ‘post industrial’ economy. I also understood more about why electoral support for Labour had tumbled since 1997 (even if those areas still elected Labour MPs and councilors).A gulf has opened between many people in post-industrial communities and many who genuinely want to stand in solidarity with them. We need to acknowledge this and understand why.
The starting point must be the recognition of the deep thread of powerlessness, of lacking a voice, of being ignored; and, equally important, the belief that others are always being heard first.
Link:http://www.theoptimisticpatriot.co.u...ing-to-england