‘Sometimes Anti-Social, Always Anti-Fascist’ – Interplay Between Moderate and Radical Actors in the Polish Anti-Racist and Anti-Fascist Movements
‘Sometimes Anti-Social, Always Anti-Fascist’ – Interplay Between Moderate and Radical Actors in the Polish Anti-Racist and Anti-Fascist Movements

Summary/Abstract: With the populist tide on the rise, comparisons of contemporary right-wing governments to fascist regimes are increasingly common. The rise of the populist right-wing politics has created a number of reactions, using either new or established forms of political resistance. One of such examples is the anti-fascist movement whose strength grows in many national contexts. The recently observed political swing to the right results also in a radicalization of politics. Radical actors intersect and cooperate with moderate ones, influence one another and bring new ideas and repertoires of contention to the streets and into mainstream politics. This trend can be observed in Poland where the 2015 elections (presidential and parliamentary) resulted in the radicalization of the mainstream discourse. This article focuses on the case study of the broadly understood anti-racist movement in Poland that has recently had to remodel itself to face new challenges – in particular the institutionalization of xenophobic rhetoric and the growth of the far-right sector – and has undergone substantial changes in general. The article presents the internal radicalmoderate dynamics within the specific context of the anti-fascist movement in Poland. In particular, it explores the role of changes in political opportunity structures for the reinvigoration of the anti-fascist movement in Poland, radicalization in some of its sectors, and change in its priorities and focus.

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