White Crusade: How to Prevent Right-Wing Extremists from Exploiting the Internet

By Christina Schori Liang and Matthew John Cross

Key Points • The rise of right-wing extremists (RWEs) in the West has been neglected in the global battle against terrorism until recent high-profile attacks. • Copycat terrorism is becoming the new modus operandi of nation-based, lone wolf extremists who are inspired by previous terrorist attacks and leave instructions for others to follow, refreshing the cycle of violence. • RWEs are profiting from the global disruption brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic by promoting conspiracy theories, racism and plotting large-scale violence to start a civil war or a ‘race war’ as seen during the ongoing protests. • RWEs have created an effective strategy that uses several off and online tools to help carry out their operations and recruit new members. • The internet has become the most important tool of RWEs to spread propaganda, plan events, recruit, finance and communicate. It provides unparalleled opportunities to reach broader audiences with subversive exposure. • RWEs are effective at subversive exposure: infiltrating non-extremist sites and skirting moderation efforts, rendering conventional online strategies ineffective. • Counter-narrative programmes to explicitly deconstruct and delegitimise propaganda may be the best way forward in breaking down RWE networks and influence.

Geneva, SWIT: Geneva Centre for Security Policy 2020. 27p.