Old Threat, New Approach: Tackling the Far Right Across Europe

The document examines the nature of far-right extremism in Europe, categorising agents into youth gangs, terrorist cells, political/paramilitary groups, and nativist/anti-Islam movements. It identifies four primary government approach structures: general crime prevention, securitised, social-integration linked, and multi-agent/multi-level. The report highlights significant implementation challenges, including poor data collection, lack of frontline awareness, and the 'securitisation' of the issue which can alienate civil society. It concludes with ten key recommendations, emphasizing the need for comprehensive legal frameworks on hate crime, national Exit programmes for disengagement, and long-term funding for sustainable prevention.

• Far-right extremism in Europe is diverse, ranging from less ideological youth street gangs to neo-Nazi terrorist cells and registered political parties, generally characterised by "racism, xenophobia, ultra-nationalism, and authoritarianism".
• Governments across the 10 studied countries typically adopt one of four policy structures: a general crime prevention and social policy approach (e.g., Denmark), a securitised approach (e.g., Hungary), a social-integration linked approach (e.g., UK), or a multi-agent and multi-level approach (e.g., Germany).
• A 'securitised approach', where police or intelligence agencies lead the response, often results in "under-investment in broader preventative measures" and can create "mistrust and suspicion between social services, civil society and security services".
• Data collection on far-right extremism is often inadequate, with significant gaps between intelligence, government, academics, and civil society, and a tendency for official data to be "patchy and dogged by under-reporting".
• The report identifies a critical lack of awareness among 'first-line responders'—such as teachers, social workers, and mental health practitioners—regarding the "signs and symptoms of extremism".
• Legal frameworks are essential but often limited by 'legal fetishism', where governments rely solely on penal code adjustments rather than holistic strategies; additionally, some countries lack explicit legal protections for specific victim groups, such as transgender individuals in Denmark or LGBT communities in Poland.
• Exit programmes, which facilitate the disengagement of individuals from extremist movements, are rare but effective; the report advocates for national Exit programmes that are "independent of government" but supported by statutory funding.
• Preventative measures are most effective when they offer alternative activities and a sense of purpose, such as the use of extreme sports in Norway to divert youth from neo-Nazi groups.
• The report argues that political leadership is currently lacking and calls for politicians to be "more courageous about making public statements denouncing far-right ideologies, intolerance and hatred".
• The document recommends that the EU adopt a comprehensive framework on hate crime and a directive on victims' rights to pressure lagging national governments to improve their legislation.

APA

Ramalingam, V. (2014). Old Threat, New Approach: Tackling the Far Right Across Europe. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/OldThreatNewApproach_2014.pdf

Chicago

Ramalingam, Vidhya. Old Threat, New Approach: Tackling the Far Right Across Europe. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2014. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/OldThreatNewApproach_2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ramalingam |first1=Vidhya |title=Old Threat, New Approach: Tackling the Far Right Across Europe |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=2014 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/OldThreatNewApproach_2014.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ramalingam2014old, author = {Ramalingam, Vidhya}, title = {{Old Threat, New Approach: Tackling the Far Right Across Europe}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/OldThreatNewApproach_2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }