It gets more interesting. It seems that some modern neofascists are on a rebranding exercise. They have started calling themselves Identitarians and have renamed 'ethnic cleansing' as 'remigration':
AI Overview
Many experts and anti-extremism organizations describe
identitarianism as a form of modern white nationalism and connect it directly to neo-fascism, though the groups themselves often reject the label, preferring "patriots" or "sensible nationalists".
Key Connections and Characteristics
- Ideological overlap: Identitarian ideology shares core tenets with neo-fascism and white supremacy, including intense anti-immigration sentiment, nativism, xenophobia, and the goal of preserving a homogenous "national identity" defined by ethnicity and culture. Their central doctrine, the demand for "remigration" of settled migrant communities, is considered an extreme position.
- Metapolitics: Identitarian groups like Generation Identity (GI) focus on "metapolitics" and cultural infiltration, aiming to shift mainstream political discourse (the "Overton Window") to the far-right, a strategy also used by earlier fascist movements.
- Aesthetics and presentation: Unlike traditional neo-Nazi groups with overt symbols, identitarians adopt a modern, "hipster" look to appear mainstream and attract young people who might be put off by overt skinhead culture. However, this "shiny happy people" presentation is seen by researchers as a calculated rebranding that masks an extreme ideology.
- Ties to proscribed groups: Members of identitarian groups have been found to have ties to proscribed neo-Nazi terror groups, and the movement has become a rallying point for disparate strands of white nationalism globally.
- Academic analysis: Academic and journalistic sources often refer to the movement and associated groups using terms like "neo-fascist," "alt-right," and "far-right extremist". German domestic intelligence has classified the youth wing of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as "definitely extremist" due to its close ties to the Identitarian Movement.
- Shared tactics: Identitarians are known for highly publicized, carefully planned publicity stunts (e.g., occupying the Brandenburg Gate, disrupting migrant rescue efforts) and effective social media propaganda to spread their message, leveraging modern tools for a long-standing extremist agenda.
In essence, while they attempt to distance themselves from the historical baggage of the term "fascist," the underlying ideology, goals, and connections lead many observers and experts to classify identitarianism as a contemporary form of neo-fascism.
simple.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
