This edited volume traces the rise of far right vigilante movements – some who have been involved in serious violence against minorities, migrants and other vulnerable groups in society, whereas other vigilantes are intimidating but avoid using violence. Written by an international team of contributors, the book features case studies from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, and Asia. Each chapter is written to a common research template examining the national social and political context, the purpose of the vigilante group, how it is organised and operates, its communications and social media strategy and its relationship to mainstream social actors and institutions, and to similar groups in other countries. The final comparative chapter explores some of the broader research issues such as under which conditions such vigiliantism emerges, flourishes or fails, policing approaches, masculinity, the role of social media, responses from the state and civil society, and the evidence of transnational co-operation or inspiration. This is a groundbreaking volume which will be of particular interest to scholars with an interest in the extreme right, social movements, political violence, policing and criminology.
Author(s): Tore Bjørgo, Miroslav Mareš
Series: Routledge Studies In Fascism And The Far Right
Publisher: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 371
Tags: Immigrants: Violence Against: Case Studies, Minorities: Violence Against: Case Studies, Vigilantes: Case Studies
Cover
......Page 1
Half Title......Page 4
Series Page......Page 7
Title Page......Page 8
Copyright Page......Page 9
Table of Contents......Page 10
List of figures......Page 13
List of contributors......Page 15
Preface......Page 22
Why research vigilantism against migrants and minorities?......Page 24
Conceptualizing vigilantism......Page 26
Vigilantism and interconnected phenomena......Page 31
A typology of vigilantism......Page 34
The spectrum of vigilantism in contemporary world......Page 37
Vigilantism and the extreme right......Page 38
A research guide for collecting comparable data on vigilantism......Page 40
Introducing the case studies......Page 42
References......Page 49
2. Ku Klux Klan: Vigilantism against blacks, immigrants and other minorities
......Page 54
Data......Page 55
References......Page 64
Introduction......Page 66
Methodology......Page 67
Political and legal contexts......Page 68
Ideological and political agendas......Page 70
Who are the Jewish vigilantes in the West Bank?......Page 71
Patterns of activity......Page 73
Conclusion......Page 75
Notes......Page 76
References......Page 77
Introduction......Page 78
Setting the context......Page 79
Framing Hindu vigilantism within the wider study of vigilantism......Page 81
Case studies......Page 83
Hindutva and its rising influence......Page 84
Intolerance......Page 87
Conclusion......Page 88
Notes......Page 89
References......Page 90
Introduction......Page 92
Forms of vigilantism in Russia......Page 93
End of vigilante activities in Russia (2014–2018): police repressions,
banning, fragmentation and marginalization of the radical
nationalists......Page 100
Political, social and economic context......Page 101
Organization and communication......Page 103
Conclusion......Page 104
References......Page 105
Introduction......Page 109
Militias and vigilante groups in Germany: a historical and definitional note......Page 111
Context: the far-right in Germany......Page 113
Watershed moment: New Year’s Eve in Cologne......Page 115
Case studies......Page 116
Repressive and permissive factors for vigilante groups in Germany......Page 120
Conclusion......Page 122
References......Page 123
Introduction......Page 126
The Hungarian far right and the Fascist tradition......Page 127
The political and social transition 1990–2000 and the rebirth of far right political tradition......Page 128
Advancement of the current militant far right......Page 131
Analysis and conclusions......Page 143
Notes......Page 146
References......Page 148
Historical legacy of extreme right vigilantes in the Czech Republic......Page 152
Current vigilantism against migrants and minorities in the Czech Republic......Page 153
Historical legacy of extreme-right vigilantes in the Slovak Republic......Page 155
Current vigilantism against migrants and minorities in the Slovak Republic......Page 156
Profiles of the most important contemporary vigilante groups in the Czech Republic and Slovakia......Page 157
Transnational cooperation of the Czech and Slovak vigilante groups......Page 166
Analysis of context, justification and modus operandi of vigilantism in the Czech Republic and Slovakia......Page 167
References......Page 169
Introduction......Page 174
Setting the stage......Page 175
The border as a battlefield......Page 176
Militarized masculinity......Page 181
Conclusion......Page 185
References......Page 186
Introduction......Page 187
Socio-economic and political context......Page 188
Ad-hoc vigilantism......Page 189
The development of the far-right scene and the rise of organized vigilantism......Page 190
Organized vigilante groups......Page 192
Government and (civil) society reaction......Page 198
Conclusion......Page 199
Notes......Page 200
Bibliography......Page 201
Appendix I......Page 205
The political, social and economic environment......Page 206
The ideology and organizational structure of the Golden Dawn: justification and motivation......Page 209
Support and membership......Page 211
Operations and activities......Page 212
Communication activities: Golden Dawn propaganda offline and online......Page 214
Relationship to political groups and public agencies......Page 215
Far-right vigilante activities beyond the Golden Dawn......Page 216
References......Page 217
Appendix A1......Page 220
Introduction......Page 222
Opportunity structures: the political, social and legal context......Page 224
Forza Nuova: ideological profile and background......Page 226
The security walks: Forza Nuova’s vigilante activism......Page 228
Notes......Page 233
References......Page 234
List of interviews......Page 235
Introduction......Page 236
Political and cultural opportunities for vigilantism in France......Page 238
Calais, its “Jungle” and its vigilantes: Les Calaisiens en Colère......Page 240
Mediatized vigilantism across France (and beyond): Les Identitaires......Page 244
Concluding remarks......Page 247
References......Page 249
The ideology, origins and supporters of Britain First......Page 251
Britain First and the UK far right......Page 253
Britain First vigilante activities and legal sanctions......Page 255
Conclusion......Page 258
References......Page 260
15. The Soldiers of Odin Finland: From a local movement to an international franchise
......Page 264
Founding the Soldiers of Odin and its connections to Nordic Resistance Movement......Page 265
Expansion and decline......Page 267
Soldiers of Odin as an international phenomenon......Page 269
Reasons for the early success of the SOO in Finland: political opportunity and organizational resources......Page 270
Values, language and violence......Page 273
Notes......Page 275
References......Page 276
The emergence of Soldiers of Odin in Norway......Page 280
Who were recruited to Soldiers of Odin Norway – and why?......Page 284
Responses to the Soldiers of Odin......Page 288
Concluding remarks......Page 290
Notes......Page 291
Ideology of the Soldiers of Odin in Canada......Page 295
Divisions within the movement......Page 298
The Canada–Finland split......Page 300
The Soldiers of Odin and the extreme right in Canada......Page 301
Notes......Page 304
References......Page 306
A radical nationalist landscape......Page 309
Sweden’s citizen militia......Page 312
Soldiers of Odin......Page 314
Gardet and autonomous vigilante groups......Page 318
National socialist patrols......Page 319
Concluding remarks......Page 321
Notes......Page 322
References......Page 326
Modus operandi in vigilantism against migrants and minorities: a typology......Page 328
What makes vigilantism emerge and flourish?......Page 338
What makes vigilantism decline or fail?......Page 342
Vigilantism and the state......Page 347
Use of violence, threats of violence and the display of violent capacity......Page 348
Vigilantism as performance......Page 349
Vigilantism and political organizations......Page 351
Transnational dimensions and diffusion......Page 352
Contributions of our findings to broader research on vigilantism......Page 354
References......Page 355
Index......Page 358
