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Identitarian movement

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Not to be confused with Identity politics.

The identitarian movement is a European and North American white nationalist[1][2][3][4][5][6] movement originating in France. The identitarians began as a youth movement deriving from the French Nouvelle Droite (New Right) Génération Identitaire and the anti-Zionist and National Bolshevik Unité Radicale. Although initially the youth wing of the anti-immigration and nativist Bloc Identitaire, it has taken on its own identity and is largely classified as a separate entity altogether.[7]

The movement is a part of the so-called counter-jihad movement,[8] with many in it believing in the white genocide conspiracy theory.[5] It also supports the concept of a "Europe of 100 flags".[9]

It has been considered white supremacist by civil-rights organizations, researchers of extremism, news organizations, and various governments.[10][11][12][13][14] The movement has also been described as being a part of the global alt-right.[15][16][17]

Geography

In Europe

German Identitarian at the Pegida march on 5 January 2015

The main Identitarian youth movement is Génération identitaire in France, a youth wing of the Bloc identitaire party.

In Scandinavia, identitarianism was introduced by the now inactive organisation Nordiska Förbundet (the Nordic Alliance),[citation needed] which initiated the online encyclopedia Metapedia.[18] It then mobilised a number of "independent activist groups" similar to their French counterparts, among them Reaktion Östergötland and Identitet Väst, who performed a number of political actions, marked by a certain degree of civil disobedience. A 24-page first manifesto, aimed at defining the identitarian movement in Northern Europe, was published as Identitet och Metapolitik.[19]

The origin of the Italian chapter "Generazione Identitaria" dates back to 2012.[20]

Markus Willinger (born 1992), who grew up in Schärding, Austria, and is now a student of history and political science at the University of Stuttgart, wrote and published in 2013 a manifesto entitled "Generation Identity: A Declaration of War Against the '68ers", (68ers being people whose political identities are seen as stemming from the social changes of the sixties,[21] what in the US would be called baby boomer liberals or those sympathetic to them) and translated into English from German by Aetius. The book is considered the founding manifesto of the Identitäre Bewegung Österreichs.

The movement also appeared in Germany converging with preexisting circles centering on the magazine Blaue Narzisse and its founder Felix Menzel, a martial artist and former German Karate Team Champion, who according to Gudrun Hentges, who then worked for the official Federal Agency for Civic Education belongs to the "elite of the movement".[22] It has been a "registered association" since 2014.[23] Drawing upon thinkers of the Nouvelle Droite and the Conservative Revolutionary movement such as Oswald Spengler, Carl Schmitt or the contemporary Russian Aleksandr Dugin, it played a role for the rise of the PEGIDA marches in 2014/15.

The Identitarian movement has a close linkage to members of the German New Right,[24] e.g., to its prominent member Götz Kubitschek and his journal Sezession, for which the Identitarian speaker Martin Sellner writes articles.

Richard B. Spencer identifies himself as a leading member of the American identitarian movement.[citation needed]

As their symbol the Identitarian movement uses a yellow lambda sign, a symbol that was painted on the shields of the Spartan army and is supposed to commemorate the Battle of Thermopylae.[25]

In August 2016, members of the Identitarian Movement of Germany scaled the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and hung a banner in protest at immigration and perceived Islamisation.[26]

Members of the Identitarian Movement erected a new summit cross in a "provocative" act (as the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported) on the Schafreuter, after the original one had to be removed because of damage by an unknown person.[27]

In June 2017 the PayPal donations account of the Identitarian Project "Defend Europe" was locked, and then the Identitarian account of the bank "Steiermärkische Sparkasse" was closed.[28] They later completed their fundraising to charter a ship in the Mediterranean, with the intention to ferry any rescued migrants back to Africa, observe any incursions by other NGO ships into Libyan waters and report them to the Libyan coastguard.[29]

In October 2017 key figures of the Identitarian movement met in London as they are targeting the United Kingdom and discussing the founding of a British chapter as a “bridge” to link up with radical movements in the US.[5]

In North America

Identity Evropa is a part of the American identitarian movement

On 20 May 2017 two US Marines were arrested after hanging a banner with an identitarian logo from a building in Graham, North Carolina during a Confederate Memorial Day event. The United States Marine Corps strongly condemned the behavior and investigated the incident.[30][31]

The Traditionalist Youth Network is modeled after the European Identitarian movement according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).[32][33][34] The Identity Evropa movement also labels itself identitarian. The United States has seen a significant increase in people and organizations affiliated with the identitarian movement after the campaign and election of Donald Trump.[35][36] Richard Spencer's National Policy Institute is also a white nationalist movement based off the Identitarian movement.

Links to violence and neo-Nazism

According to some researchers, the movement has allied itself with various neo-Nazi, white supremacist, white nationalist, and ethnic nationalist organizations in Western Europe and the United States.[37] Various members of the movement have encouraged protests against Jews, Muslims, communists, and non-white Europeans; sometimes leading to violence.[37]

According to Christoph Gurk one of the goals of the Identitarians is to make racism modern and fashionable[38] and they have close connections to Hungarian and Polish Neo-Nazis, according to Anna Thalhammer.[39] There has also been Identitarian collaboration with the white nationalist activist Tomislav Sunić.[40] The investigation by political scientist Gudrun Hentges came to the conclusion, that the Identitarian Movement is ideologically situated between the Front National, the Nouvelle Droite and Neo-Nazism.[41]

References

  1. ^ "American Racists Work to Spread 'Identitarian' Ideology". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2017-10-17. 
  2. ^ (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "German right-wing Identitarians 'becoming radicalized' | Germany | DW | 20.03.2017". DW.COM. Retrieved 2017-10-17. 
  3. ^ "Your Handy Field Guide to the Many Factions of the Far Right, From the Proud Boys to Identity Evropa". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-10-17. 
  4. ^ "Antifa, alt-right, white supremacy: A glossary of terms to know". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2017-10-20. 
  5. ^ a b c Dearden, Lizzie (22 October 2017). "Far-right extremists targeting UK as they 'weaponise internet culture'". The Independent. Retrieved 16 November 2017. 
  6. ^ Ebner, Julia (October 24, 2017). "The Fringe Insurgency" (PDF). Institute for Strategic Dialogue. 
  7. ^ "Key bridge-building conference for U.S. and European Racists Slated for Hungary Oct. 3-5". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2017-10-23. 
  8. ^ "Why we fight: Understanding the counter-jihad movement". Religion Compass. Wiley. 10 (10): 257–265. 21 October 2016. doi:10.1111/rec3.12208/full (inactive 2017-10-24). 
  9. ^ "Occupy le mosque: France's new far-right nativism". News. Retrieved 2017-10-23. 
  10. ^ "Nearly 400 suspected cases of right-wing extremism under investigation in German armed forces - Xinhua | English.news.cn". news.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2017-10-22. 
  11. ^ "Neo-Nazi terrorist groups still recruiting despite being banned as aliases of National Action". The Independent. 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2017-10-22. 
  12. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (2016-12-07). "In diverse California, a young white supremacist seeks to convert fellow college students". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-10-22. 
  13. ^ "Identity Evropa and the Fraternity of White Supremacy". Political Research Associates. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2017-10-22. 
  14. ^ Norton, Ben (2017-02-01). "Friendly Canada Has a Vicious Islamophobia Problem, and It's Only Getting Worse". AlterNet. Retrieved 2017-10-22. 
  15. ^ "A European alt-right group wants to take to the sea to stop rescuers from saving migrants". Vox. Retrieved 2017-10-22. 
  16. ^ Huetlin, Josephine (2017-10-15). "Europe's 'Alt-Right' Back From the Dead With Fresh Young Face". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2017-10-17. 
  17. ^ Crowcroft, Orlando (2017-03-03). "Generation Identity: How the European alt-right is planning a British invasion". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 2017-10-22. 
  18. ^ ”Den nya nationalhögern”, Christoph Andersson. 10/03/2006, Dagens Nyheter.
  19. ^ Identitet och Metapolitik (in Swedish). Göteborg: Nordiska Förlaget. 2008. ISBN 978-91-85043-17-0. 
  20. ^ L’estrema destra europea vuole bloccare le navi delle Ong con un crowdfunding (in Italian), Di Leonardo Bianchi, 18 May 2017, Vice News.
  21. ^ [1] Southern Poverty Law Center "American Racists Work to Spread 'Identitarian' Ideology", Hatewatch Staff. 10/12/15
  22. ^ Hentges, Gudrun; Kökgiran, Gürcan; Nottbohm, Kristina (2014). "Die Identitäre Bewegung Deutschland (IBD) – Bewegung oder virtuelles Phänomen?" (PDF). Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen (in German). Lucius & Lucius. 27 (supplement to issue 4). Retrieved 8 July 2017. 
  23. ^ Reg-No.: VR 3135, District Court Paderborn, cf: Impressum on the website.
  24. ^ Bruns, Julian; Glösel, Kathrin; Strobl, Natascha (2014). Die Identitären: Handbuch zur Jugendbewegung der Neuen Rechten in Europa (in German). Münster, Germany: Unrast. ISBN 978-3-89771-549-3. 
  25. ^ Nicht links, nicht rechts – nur national, Volker Weiß, Die Zeit, 21 March 2013.
  26. ^ "German rightists scale Brandenburg Gate to protest immigration". 27 August 2016 – via Reuters. 
  27. ^ Sebald, Christian (15 September 2016). "Rechtsextreme errichten neues Gipfelkreuz am Schafreuter" [Right-wing extremists erect new summit cross on the Schafreuter]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 17 August 2017. 
  28. ^ Bonvalot, Michael (22 June 2017) Weitere Bank kündigt Spendenkonto der Identitären (in German), Die Zeit.
  29. ^ "Far-right group are sending a boat full of activists to Mediterranean to send refugees 'back to Africa'". The Independent. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2017-07-15. 
  30. ^ Janicello, Natalie (27 May 2017). "Corps condemns Marines' behavior". The Times-News. 
  31. ^ Weill, Kelly (30 January 2017). "Two Marines Arrested at a Confederate Rally Are Back on Duty". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 3 July 2017. 
  32. ^ "Meet the New Wave of Extremists Gearing Up for the 2016 Elections". SPLCenter.org. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2017. 
  33. ^ "Traditionalist Youth Network". Anti-Defamation League. 
  34. ^ Gelin, Martin (14 November 2013). "White flight". Slate. Retrieved 11 May 2015. 
  35. ^ "The Rise of White Identity Politics". NewRepublic.com. Retrieved 31 August 2017. 
  36. ^ "How political science helps explain the rise of Trump: the role of white identity and grievances". Washington Post. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2017. 
  37. ^ a b "Bloc Identitaire (Ultranationalist movement, France)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2017-10-20. 
  38. ^ Christoph Gurk: „Diese Gruppen machen den Rassismus hip“ (Interview with Alexander Häusler). Bayern plus of the Bayerischer Rundfunk, 17 May 2013.
  39. ^ Das Netzwerk der Identitären mit der FPÖ, Anna Thalhammer, Die Presse, 10 June 2016.
  40. ^ Tomislav Sunić zu Gast bei "Identitären", DÖW, February 2016.
  41. ^ Gudrun Hentges, Gürcan Kökgiran, Kristina Nottbohm: Die Identitäre Bewegung Deutschland (IBD) – Bewegung oder virtuelles Phänomen? In: Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen 3/2014, p. 19.

Further reading

  • Teitelbaum, Benjamin R. (2017). Lions of the North: Sounds of the New Nordic Radical Nationalism. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-021259-9. 
  • Virchow, Fabian (2015). "The 'Identitarian Movement': What Kind of Identity? Is it Really a Movement?". In Simpson, Patricia Anne; Druxes, Helga. Digital Media Strategies of the Far Right in Europe and the United States. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. pp. 177–190. ISBN 978-0-7391-9881-0. 
  • Vejvodová, Petra (September 2014). The Identitarian Movement – renewed idea of alternative Europe (PDF). ECPR General Conference. Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno. Retrieved 10 May 2017. 

External links

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