The Online Ecosystem of the German Far-Right

The report maps the 'online ecosystem' of the German far-right, identifying 379 channels across ten alternative platforms. It finds that while these platforms provide safe havens for extremist discourse, they generally have a much smaller reach than mainstream platforms. The study suggests that banning extremists from mainstream sites reduces their overall reach and does not lead to a direct mass migration to alternative platforms. It also highlights the role of 'alt-media' in amplifying far-right narratives, such as the 'great replacement' myth, which are rarely prominent in mainstream media.

• The research identified 379 far-right and right-wing populist channels across ten alternative platforms. The platforms with the highest presence were Telegram (129 channels), VK (115 groups), and BitChute (79). The total number of German-speaking individuals with far-right beliefs using these platforms is estimated to be between 15,000 and 50,000.
• Different far-right ideologies vary in their reach; while anti-Muslim and neo-Nazi channels are more numerous, 'Identitarian' groups have the largest reach, with the largest Identitarian channel exceeding 35,000 followers, compared to 18,000 for the largest anti-Muslim channel and approximately 10,000 for the largest neo-Nazi channel.
• User motivations for joining alternative platforms differ by site: Gab users are primarily driven by freedom of speech grievances and anti-left resentment (54%), 4chan /pol/ users are motivated by anti-minority hatred (46%) and entertainment (22%), and members of the Discord group Reconquista Germanica seek political change (39%) and community belonging (41%).
• Immigration is the most discussed topic across the sampled platforms, with 60% of immigration-related posts focusing on the illegal behaviour of refugees or migrants and 12% referencing conspiracy theories regarding the demographic replacement of 'native Europeans'.
• An algorithmic analysis of 4chan's Kraut/pol/ threads revealed that 56.9% of mentions of Jewish people contained clearly antisemitic narratives, moving beyond simple slurs to include allegations of Jewish control over tech firms, media, and democratic institutions.
• Banning far-right groups from mainstream platforms reduces their overall reach and does not appear to cause a direct displacement of users to alternative platforms. A sample of 25 groups showed that those with a presence on mainstream platforms actually had higher follower numbers on alternative platforms than those who had been banned.
• Far-right themes are disproportionately overrepresented in alternative media compared to mainstream media. Concepts like 'great replacement' and 'Islamisation' appear in 0.5-6.0% of stories in alt-media, whereas mainstream media coverage of these themes is primarily event-driven, such as in response to the Christchurch attack.
• The right-wing populist party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) has a minimal and largely inactive presence on alternative platforms; only 31 communities were identified, 29 of which are on VK, with the largest recently active group having only 414 followers.

APA

Guhl, J., Ebner, J., & Rau, J. (2020). The Online Ecosystem of the German Far-Right. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ISD-The-Online-Ecosystem-of-the-German-Far-Right-English-Draft-11.pdf

Chicago

Guhl, Jakob, Julia Ebner, and Jan Rau. The Online Ecosystem of the German Far-Right. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2020. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ISD-The-Online-Ecosystem-of-the-German-Far-Right-English-Draft-11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Guhl |first1=Jakob |last2=Ebner |first2=Julia |last3=Rau |first3=Jan |title=The Online Ecosystem of the German Far-Right |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=2020 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ISD-The-Online-Ecosystem-of-the-German-Far-Right-English-Draft-11.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{guhl2020online, author = {Guhl, Jakob and Ebner, Julia and Rau, Jan}, title = {{The Online Ecosystem of the German Far-Right}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ISD-The-Online-Ecosystem-of-the-German-Far-Right-English-Draft-11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }