White Supremacy in a Permissive Environment
January 31, 2022 8:36 AM Subscribe
Germany’s White Supremacist Problem—and What It Means for the United States, LAWFARE Foreign Policy Essay, Anna Meier, January 30, 2022. As the United States wrestles with the threat of white supremacist violence, observers often look to Germany for lessons on how to deal with a racist past. The University of Nottingham’s Anna Meier argues that this is a mistake. She finds that German officials often minimize the extent of the problem and, as a result, ignore the deeper structural reforms needed to reduce racism.
This is a very helpful article, thank you for posting. I, too, have been guilty about venerating Germany for policies such as not fascistly flying the flag literally everywhere (like here in the states) or having laws that force Twitter to actually crack down on Nazi speech on their platform, but haven't considered that it also is doing a number of these things to highlight as, "look, we're great now!" (a la the election of Obama here in the states).
posted by knownassociate at 9:15 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by knownassociate at 9:15 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
what the Germans call Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung—loosely, working off the past. The term carries further connotations of getting through something, shedding weight and refurbishment. Though lauded by some observers, Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung presents the country’s history as just that: events confined to the past that can be addressed and then kept in the past, such that the “working through” will eventually end. To quote a German police officer with whom I spoke, “Haven’t we remembered enough?”
The trouble here is the desire for aufarbeitung rather than arbeitung, I'm struggling to come up with the exact English equivalent but there is something very procedural and "working through to completion" about that word with the connotation of it being done or nearly so. I might refer to working through a backlog of email or the completion of some final edits this way. In German (and in the analogous Dutch word) this is a word that you might also use in the construction context to refer to final finishes.
His successor, Nancy Faeser, declared right-wing extremism the “greatest threat to [German] democracy” on her first day in office. Though these may appear as different positions on the surface, neither identifies white supremacy—a concept, indeed, for which there is no word in German apart from “Nazism”—as the structure undergirding the surge in violence and hate.
I think that many American commentators on European politics often miss this distinction quite completely. The view that "these people" aren't really German/Dutch/Czech/Swiss/whatever goes very, very far beyond people who are distinctively right wing let alone extremists. Many people who are convinced down to their bones that it is wrong to mistreat ethnic minorities in their countries nevertheless believe on an often completely unexamined level that these third/fourth generation descendants of immigrants are still foreign.
posted by atrazine at 9:16 AM on January 31, 2022 [26 favorites]
The trouble here is the desire for aufarbeitung rather than arbeitung, I'm struggling to come up with the exact English equivalent but there is something very procedural and "working through to completion" about that word with the connotation of it being done or nearly so. I might refer to working through a backlog of email or the completion of some final edits this way. In German (and in the analogous Dutch word) this is a word that you might also use in the construction context to refer to final finishes.
His successor, Nancy Faeser, declared right-wing extremism the “greatest threat to [German] democracy” on her first day in office. Though these may appear as different positions on the surface, neither identifies white supremacy—a concept, indeed, for which there is no word in German apart from “Nazism”—as the structure undergirding the surge in violence and hate.
I think that many American commentators on European politics often miss this distinction quite completely. The view that "these people" aren't really German/Dutch/Czech/Swiss/whatever goes very, very far beyond people who are distinctively right wing let alone extremists. Many people who are convinced down to their bones that it is wrong to mistreat ethnic minorities in their countries nevertheless believe on an often completely unexamined level that these third/fourth generation descendants of immigrants are still foreign.
posted by atrazine at 9:16 AM on January 31, 2022 [26 favorites]
Institutional transformation will ultimately require the police, military and intelligence agencies to look outward not for risks of infiltration, but for the permissive environment in which they are embedded and that shapes their actions irrespective of the individual people making any one decision.
Not gonna hold my breath, especially when I think what needs to happen here is an ass whuppin.'
Here's my open plea to the world as an American, please come in here to bring us freedom, as we love to do for y'all. Maybe some of the nations we brought freedom to in my lifetime can come over here now and help us out? Just, please, someone, won't you rid us of these meddlesome white supremacists.
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:18 AM on January 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Not gonna hold my breath, especially when I think what needs to happen here is an ass whuppin.'
Here's my open plea to the world as an American, please come in here to bring us freedom, as we love to do for y'all. Maybe some of the nations we brought freedom to in my lifetime can come over here now and help us out? Just, please, someone, won't you rid us of these meddlesome white supremacists.
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:18 AM on January 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
The trouble here is the desire for aufarbeitung rather than arbeitung, I'm struggling to come up with the exact English equivalent but there is something very procedural and "working through to completion" about that word with the connotation of it being done or nearly so. I might refer to working through a backlog of email or the completion of some final edits this way. In German (and in the analogous Dutch word) this is a word that you might also use in the construction context to refer to final finishes.
It's kind of like the difference between curing an acute disease and treating/managing a chronic one.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:26 AM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
It's kind of like the difference between curing an acute disease and treating/managing a chronic one.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:26 AM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Daily's series Day X on the Franco Albrecht case and the National Socialist Underground murders was well done and illuminating.
posted by BungaDunga at 9:54 AM on January 31, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by BungaDunga at 9:54 AM on January 31, 2022 [8 favorites]
"the German Defense Ministry dissolved a unit of the special forces due to extremist incidents"
It can't happen here.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:59 AM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
It can't happen here.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:59 AM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
I mean I fucking wish the US goverenment would investigate nazis in the uniform at all levels. But that ain't gonna happen.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:01 AM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:01 AM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
Many people who are convinced down to their bones that it is wrong to mistreat ethnic minorities in their countries nevertheless believe on an often completely unexamined level that these third/fourth generation descendants of immigrants are still foreign.
One thing that I think very strongly when I look at anti-racism/anti-oppression material is that while there are similarities, there are also some important differences in how xenophobia and racism manifest in settler societies, and post-Imperial societies. So Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, USA have things in common which Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and the UK. There are different assumptions at work when the traditionally oppressing group is also the indigenous group in a specific country. Not easier or better or harder or worse, just really different.
posted by plonkee at 10:49 AM on January 31, 2022 [21 favorites]
One thing that I think very strongly when I look at anti-racism/anti-oppression material is that while there are similarities, there are also some important differences in how xenophobia and racism manifest in settler societies, and post-Imperial societies. So Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, USA have things in common which Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and the UK. There are different assumptions at work when the traditionally oppressing group is also the indigenous group in a specific country. Not easier or better or harder or worse, just really different.
posted by plonkee at 10:49 AM on January 31, 2022 [21 favorites]
Further to plonkee's comment, Canada and other "New World" countries feature that blend of First Peoples, European settlers, then you get waves of settlement from there.. plus the blending of peoples, indigenous and European, yielding (Canada) the Metis peoples with some important distinctions observed by some Metis from east to west for example. On the plus side the range of ideas and traditions is rich and there is endless room to learn things, share things, be better together. On the other hand there's the raw wound left by contact and the history of theft and colonial/settler aggression against indigenous peoples. My most hopeful moments, I think this century we move the needle a little in this world and things are better as we approach 2100 but man.. we sure have dark moments and it will take a lot of work.
posted by elkevelvet at 11:11 AM on January 31, 2022
posted by elkevelvet at 11:11 AM on January 31, 2022
As a Canadian, I suspect that -- since the essence of this country is colonial and therefore racist -- the "supremacy" matter won't be resolved until settlers internalise the knowledge that they are foreigners. I can imagine that if someone like me were to pay taxes to a sovereign confederacy of W̱SÁNEĆ nations, say, and live under their laws*, it would reinforce the notion that we occupy this land not as rightful, ordained owners but as immigrants, and might be hard to feel too superior under those circumstances.
* This is not to say they want that responsibility -- it's just a hypothetical. But Land Back is definitely a thing.
posted by klanawa at 1:13 PM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
* This is not to say they want that responsibility -- it's just a hypothetical. But Land Back is definitely a thing.
posted by klanawa at 1:13 PM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
"the German Defense Ministry dissolved a unit of the special forces due to extremist incidents" It can't happen here.
It did, in Utah in...the 1980s? Small problem with the state guard being taken over from within led to its disbanding, iirc. From 1990: "Indeed, [National Guard Adjutant Gen. John] Matthews and others would just as soon the militia stay away from guns and aggressive missions following a purge of gung-ho "wackos" three years ago from what was then known as the Utah State Guard."
posted by MonkeyToes at 1:28 PM on January 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
It did, in Utah in...the 1980s? Small problem with the state guard being taken over from within led to its disbanding, iirc. From 1990: "Indeed, [National Guard Adjutant Gen. John] Matthews and others would just as soon the militia stay away from guns and aggressive missions following a purge of gung-ho "wackos" three years ago from what was then known as the Utah State Guard."
posted by MonkeyToes at 1:28 PM on January 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
"But the warning signs go back more than a decade: a 2009 Homeland Security report warned that military veterans possess combat skills and experiences that are attractive to right-wing extremists in particular."
Jesus Hitler, an ‘adrenaline junkie’ and the plot to train Michigan neo-Nazis.
posted by clavdivs at 1:56 PM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Jesus Hitler, an ‘adrenaline junkie’ and the plot to train Michigan neo-Nazis.
posted by clavdivs at 1:56 PM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
For sure there are Nazi structures within the military from the Nazi period. There are bases named after Nazi generals, for example. More generally, high ranking Nazi politicians continued their careers after the war.
With the end of the draft, only volunteers go into the military. Right wing extremists want training and the ability to steal munitions, which they have repeatedly been caught doing, in the military and police. So those organizations are very attractive to right wing extremists.
posted by starfishprime at 2:22 PM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
With the end of the draft, only volunteers go into the military. Right wing extremists want training and the ability to steal munitions, which they have repeatedly been caught doing, in the military and police. So those organizations are very attractive to right wing extremists.
posted by starfishprime at 2:22 PM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Absolutely, plonkee. In fact I would put the post-colonial colonising powers in a different category from those countries which never absorbed substantial numbers of people from their imperial possessions.
There is a sense in which Britishness if not Englishness has been "available" to Imperial subjects in a way that maybe other identities haven't, partially because "British" is a complicated pseudo-imperial identity of its own. I would also say that the attitudes of people in my own country (The Netherlands) towards people from colonial possessions is different even among people who are (unacknowledged) white supremacists. One of our more notable racist demagogue politicians even has Indonesian ancestry and this is by no means an ironic fact but fits comfortably within the overall structure of right wing Dutch ethnonationalism.
posted by atrazine at 1:22 AM on February 1, 2022
There is a sense in which Britishness if not Englishness has been "available" to Imperial subjects in a way that maybe other identities haven't, partially because "British" is a complicated pseudo-imperial identity of its own. I would also say that the attitudes of people in my own country (The Netherlands) towards people from colonial possessions is different even among people who are (unacknowledged) white supremacists. One of our more notable racist demagogue politicians even has Indonesian ancestry and this is by no means an ironic fact but fits comfortably within the overall structure of right wing Dutch ethnonationalism.
posted by atrazine at 1:22 AM on February 1, 2022
In Germany’s east, far-right extremists find footholds in escalating anti-vaccine protests, Loveday Morris/Vanessa Guinan-Bank, Washington Post, January 30, 2022 [alternate 12ft.io link]:
posted by cenoxo at 7:40 AM on February 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
BAUTZEN, Germany — Among the crowd who gathered to protest the German government’s pandemic policies at a medieval square in the old town of Bautzen on a recent icy Monday evening were a gaggle of first-time demonstrators.So neo-Nazi and other far-right groups are using anti-vaccine protests as a subterfuge to increase membership, funding, and influence? Asking for a concerned friend in the USA.
A 16-year-old nursing student said new German mandates on vaccinations for health-care workers, due to come into force in the spring, had gotten her out on the streets. Others said they just wanted to be able to meet at a cafe to drink coffee with friends — now not possible in Germany for the unvaccinated unless they recently had the coronavirus.
“We feel left out of society,” said Stephanie Handrick, 37, who was demonstrating for the first time with her mother, Karin, 62.
Protests in Germany — the majority in the form of Monday evening “walks” — are growing. According to official estimates, there were 1,700 demonstrations across the country in the third week of January alone, drawing around 400,000 people, said a security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.
Anti-vaccine movements have hardened across Europe in recent months — and at times drifted into violence — as winter surges in infections have brought new restrictions and mandates.
…
Among the marchers are members of more established organizations like the neo-Nazi Third Way party, whose online channels now also mix anti-vaccine and anti-restriction messages with antisemitic diatribes. Its Telegram channels post videos of the Monday walks set to dramatic music with its members marching with banners. “Prevent compulsory vaccination,” read one banner held up by men in balaclavas. “The system is more dangerous than corona. Fight the system.”
There is concern such groups are also networking to mobilize behind similar demonstrations across Europe….
posted by cenoxo at 7:40 AM on February 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
As a Canadian, I suspect that -- since the essence of this country is colonial and therefore racist -- the "supremacy" matter won't be resolved until settlers internalise the knowledge that they are foreigners. I can imagine that if someone like me were to pay taxes to a sovereign confederacy of W̱SÁNEĆ nations, say, and live under their laws*, it would reinforce the notion that we occupy this land not as rightful, ordained owners but as immigrants, and might be hard to feel too superior under those circumstances.
This is an example of where things don't translate well to a European context. Because we are not settler societies, our history of defining belongers and foreigners is different. I don't want immigrants to the UK and their children and grandchildren to feel foreigners forever just because they can't trace their DNA back to these islands for thousands of years. While all the sentiments above might be right for Canadians, they play into nationalist views in Europe in a bad way. What works in one context doesn't necessarily work in another.
posted by plonkee at 8:28 AM on February 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
This is an example of where things don't translate well to a European context. Because we are not settler societies, our history of defining belongers and foreigners is different. I don't want immigrants to the UK and their children and grandchildren to feel foreigners forever just because they can't trace their DNA back to these islands for thousands of years. While all the sentiments above might be right for Canadians, they play into nationalist views in Europe in a bad way. What works in one context doesn't necessarily work in another.
posted by plonkee at 8:28 AM on February 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
, they play into nationalist views in Europe in a bad way
I can definitely see that. In Canada, in general, indigenous nations aren't pursuing dominance, but more of a nation-to-nation form of mutual respect and consultation.
posted by klanawa at 8:40 AM on February 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
I can definitely see that. In Canada, in general, indigenous nations aren't pursuing dominance, but more of a nation-to-nation form of mutual respect and consultation.
posted by klanawa at 8:40 AM on February 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Last night, I wrote a thousand word comment to this post instead of working, and then deleted it.
What I wanted to say was that there are two issues in the article, one being the American interpretation of the German "Vergangenheitsbewältigung" (the term used in the article is not mainstream, though I won't say it is never used).
The other being wether Vergangenheitsbewältigung can work in any context.
To the first, I think there is a lot of nuance that is lost in Anglo interpretations, and last night I was mostly fixated on all the complications added in after Die Wende, the 1989 revolution.
Secondly, as a Dane who was married to a German, I think the strategy has some very positive aspects. I feel we could use some Vergangenheitsbewältigung here. But I also acknowledge that it is complicated and probably not something that can be replicated in other contexts. For one, it was basically forced on the West Germans by the US occupation forces. (Yes, I know that is ironic).
posted by mumimor at 9:46 AM on February 1, 2022
What I wanted to say was that there are two issues in the article, one being the American interpretation of the German "Vergangenheitsbewältigung" (the term used in the article is not mainstream, though I won't say it is never used).
The other being wether Vergangenheitsbewältigung can work in any context.
To the first, I think there is a lot of nuance that is lost in Anglo interpretations, and last night I was mostly fixated on all the complications added in after Die Wende, the 1989 revolution.
Secondly, as a Dane who was married to a German, I think the strategy has some very positive aspects. I feel we could use some Vergangenheitsbewältigung here. But I also acknowledge that it is complicated and probably not something that can be replicated in other contexts. For one, it was basically forced on the West Germans by the US occupation forces. (Yes, I know that is ironic).
posted by mumimor at 9:46 AM on February 1, 2022
Unfortunately related: listen to the NY Times' Day X Podcast
posted by MengerSponge at 12:08 PM on February 1, 2022
posted by MengerSponge at 12:08 PM on February 1, 2022
mumimor, if you have time to write a shorter comment, what would you say about white supremacists in Germany? Are supremacists a problem in Denmark also? Do they communicate/interact with each other?
posted by cenoxo at 4:10 AM on February 2, 2022
posted by cenoxo at 4:10 AM on February 2, 2022
cenoxo, I'll start from the back: yes, there are white supremacists in every European country and they communicate intensely with each other. They have online media and conferences and social groups. How many there are is a big question with different answers in each European country. I don't know the exact numbers in each country, here in Denmark, there might be 1-3% of the population, depending on how you define white supremacy. In the West of Germany there might be even less, in the East a lot more. But the data might be misleading, since the methods of data collection differ from country to country.
In Denmark, there has always been a strong overlap between gang criminality and white supremacy and in the last couple of decades between hooligans and white supremacy, and both of those categories are being challenged right now because the "ethnic" gangs are more succesfull and white gangsters want in, and because there are more and more soccer stars who are PoC.
I'm not bundling all racists here. If you count all racists, I think the numbers are about 15-20 % or even higher in both countries and more evenly distributed, but the majority of racists maintain that all citizens have equal rights.
In Germany, the rise of Neo Nazis and other white supremacist groups is very closely connected to the perceived failure of Die Wende to provide improved quality of life in East Germany. That is not to say that there are no white supremacists in the West, there are, but the difference in numbers is huge. IMO, this is not just about economic inequality, but as much or more because of the lack of Vergangenheitsbewältigung in the East, not only before 1990, but also after. Because German and European leaders felt it was more important to fokus on unity and common grounds than on the obvious differences in outlook and education. If you don't talk about stuff that happened, myths can grow. People try to create explanations for the things that seem weird, inexplicable.
But, Angela Merkel is from the East and she is an upstanding non-racist woman, stronger than many liberals in the West. I'm sure she represents millions of people. So there is no clear cut answer.
posted by mumimor at 10:02 AM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
In Denmark, there has always been a strong overlap between gang criminality and white supremacy and in the last couple of decades between hooligans and white supremacy, and both of those categories are being challenged right now because the "ethnic" gangs are more succesfull and white gangsters want in, and because there are more and more soccer stars who are PoC.
I'm not bundling all racists here. If you count all racists, I think the numbers are about 15-20 % or even higher in both countries and more evenly distributed, but the majority of racists maintain that all citizens have equal rights.
In Germany, the rise of Neo Nazis and other white supremacist groups is very closely connected to the perceived failure of Die Wende to provide improved quality of life in East Germany. That is not to say that there are no white supremacists in the West, there are, but the difference in numbers is huge. IMO, this is not just about economic inequality, but as much or more because of the lack of Vergangenheitsbewältigung in the East, not only before 1990, but also after. Because German and European leaders felt it was more important to fokus on unity and common grounds than on the obvious differences in outlook and education. If you don't talk about stuff that happened, myths can grow. People try to create explanations for the things that seem weird, inexplicable.
But, Angela Merkel is from the East and she is an upstanding non-racist woman, stronger than many liberals in the West. I'm sure she represents millions of people. So there is no clear cut answer.
posted by mumimor at 10:02 AM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
American White Supremacist Groups Exploiting International Connections, Anti-Defamation League, March 16, 2020:
posted by cenoxo at 12:02 PM on February 3, 2022
Online platforms have enabled white supremacist groups to tap into a global community, amplifying their racist views and connecting them with like-minded individuals. While online activities help unify far-flung adherents, real-world connections outside these virtual platforms indicate a true commitment to their cause.Details in the article. See also Wikipedia’s global List of white nationalist organizations.
Increasingly, this real-world action is taking place on an international stage. American white supremacists are traveling abroad to attend events and to meet with foreign counterparts, and international white supremacists are coming to the U.S. for the same reasons.
A white supremacist attack anywhere in the world can inspire a global base of white supremacist supporters. Examples of individuals whose attacks serve as violent inspiration to others include Anders Breivik in Norway, Brenton Tarrant in New Zealand, John Earnest in Poway, Robert Bowers in Pittsburgh and Stephan Balliet in Halle, Germany….
posted by cenoxo at 12:02 PM on February 3, 2022
Washington Post Opinion: Inside the white supremacist global network, David Ignatius, December 1, 2020:
posted by cenoxo at 4:23 PM on February 3, 2022
Violent white-supremacist groups have formed a connected global movement that rose before Donald Trump’s presidency and threatens to continue long after he leaves office.On the Internet, (you hope) nobody knows you’re a seditious co-conspirator.
These white-supremacist groups have used the Internet to recruit and train followers, much as Islamist extremists did a decade ago, argues a major new study by Jigsaw [link], a research arm of Google. The study [The Violent White Supremacy Issue – How violent white supremacists leverage the Internet and what the journey out of extremism entails], described here for the first time, is being published Tuesday by Jigsaw’s digital journal, the Current.
The study shatters the image that many analysts have of white supremacist attackers as “lone wolf” extremists. Jared Cohen, the chief executive of Jigsaw, argues that “this myth obscures the vast underlying infrastructure of white supremacist online communities around the world.”
These groups “move fluidly between mainstream and fringe platforms,” Cohen warns. They recruit followers on Facebook or YouTube, among other venues, and then direct them to protected “alt-tech” sites where they can privately share propaganda and boast about operations….
posted by cenoxo at 4:23 PM on February 3, 2022
The preceding article also refers to the University of Maryland Global Terrorism Database (GTD)– Information on more than 200,000 Terrorist Attacks:
posted by cenoxo at 4:51 PM on February 3, 2022
The Global Terrorism Database (GTD)™ is the most comprehensive unclassified database of terrorist attacks in the world. The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) makes the GTD available via this site in an effort to improve understanding of terrorist violence, so that it can be more readily studied and defeated. The GTD is produced by a dedicated team of researchers and technical staff.Their current data goes from 1970 to mid-2019.
The GTD is an open-source database, which provides information on domestic and international terrorist attacks around the world since 1970, and now includes more than 200,000 events. For each event, a wide range of information is available, including the date and location of the incident, the weapons used, nature of the target, the number of casualties, and – when identifiable – the group or individual responsible.
posted by cenoxo at 4:51 PM on February 3, 2022
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Wait . . . are we looking to them for lessons, or have they already learned the lesson from us?
posted by anansi at 8:50 AM on January 31, 2022 [3 favorites]