Author(s): Sławomir Ozdyk / Language(s): English
Issue: 3/2012
The internationalisation of far-right movements is a fact and the trans-national cooperation of neo-fascists is its part. In Poland it is seen from the activity of NOP or ONR, for a long time fascinated with a potential cooperation with neo-fascists from other countries. This specific political schizophrenia; alliances with the most aggressive enemies of their own nation, can be astonishing; however, not in the situation when we know that the far-right parties using the slogan, let’s defend Europe together, want to create a European political international. For that reason also the neo-Nazis cooperate in their fight against the Jews and ‘blacks’, make plans of joint actions and get trained together.As seen from the example of the Brown Army Fraction - Zwickauer Terrorzelle from Germany, an extremist national movement is a phenomenon which is most complex. There are hundreds of groups with international links, and often one person is a member of a few similar organizations.In the Polish far-right environment, similarly as in the case of Autonomic Nationalists in Germany, there emerged a yearning for something new, perfect and free from surveillance since the groups which were known were fossilised, permanently observed and, in practise, they ceased to operate. One had to start everything from scratch; differently, with new people and methods. What was needed to attract committed believers was the strategy worthy of the era of mobile Internet. An example of such modern international operation is a terrorist group Combat 18; however, it is hardly an organization as the group is based on the idea of leaderless resistance. Even though C18 is very active in Poland, we still have not had any terrorist attack, however the level of ignorance of the authorities can lead to it. Neo-fascists are, following their mentor, Himmler, passionate about various symbols, codes or Celtic patterns. Printed on clothes, CDs, in magazines, on cars or tattooed on the skin or processed as jewellery, they play a few basic functions; used by the neo-Nazi, the codes, symbols and signs are a visual representation of their beliefs and an integral part of far-right culture.
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