The far-right threat

How to spot signs of far-right radicalisation

We live in unpredictable times and many people are confused and looking for answers. Sadly, this makes people, especially the young, more vulnerable to recruitment by the far right who exploit these fears to promote their racist agenda by giving them ready-made answers and a sense of purpose and belonging. As parents, teachers or community leaders, it is our duty to steer young people away from extremist narratives.

Sometimes it’s natural for an adolescent to go through an uncharacteristically rebellious and aggressive phase, but there are certain noticeable behavioural changes that are more common to far-right radicalisation and extremism.

If someone is radicalised by the far right, they might:

be hostile towards people from a certain country, religious group, sexual orientation or cultural background, especially Muslims
recite simplistic and prejudiced arguments about immigration and minorities, seeing them as a threat to ‘our way of life’ or blaming them for global or local issues
feel persecuted, referring to a ‘liberal, elite establishment agenda’ or ‘Jewish conspiracy’
see white Britons as under threat of racial and cultural extinction and say that they have to ‘take action’
share extremist or divisive views, especially on immigration and Islam, on their social media
significantly change their appearance and clothing
adopt the use of certain symbols associated with far-right or neo-Nazi organisations, distribute extremist literature, such as leaflets promoting far-right rallies
become increasingly secretive about their online activities.

When someone you know exhibits some or all of the behaviours above, you should look into it further. The first step is understanding why they’ve changed. Usually young people fall prey to radicalisation because they feel:

isolated and lonely
angry at the world
confused about the reasons for their misfortunes or situation
purposeless, without direction or hope
unprotected, lacking adult guidance.

If you’re concerned about your child, student, sibling or friend becoming vulnerable to far-right radicalisation and recruitment, you should:

talk to them in a direct but sensitive, non-judgemental manner
raise the issue with their close family
talk to one of their friends to establish if something’s wrong in their social life
challenge their opinions by offering an alternative argument.

Small Steps is here to give you all the support you need to help guide someone away from this divisive and potentially dangerous lifestyle. If you need advice or help, either give us a call or email us. You can also sign up to one of our far-right awareness training courses here.

Spotting Far Right Codes

White supremacists and the far right often use codes to mark their territory and communicate with one another. They may look harmless but they have hidden meanings that carry extremely violent messages.

How does the far right use the internet to recruit?

Far-right groups have become increasingly sophisticated in using social media to recruit and radicalise young people, predominantly young white men aged 18-45. In this article, we look at some of the tactics they use.