The internet plays a central role in the spread of far-right hate propaganda. Right-wing extremists instrumentalize gaming platforms, messenger groups and other social communities with a wide reach to spread their anti-democratic and racist ideologies. The approach is often subtle, contemporary and ties in with the lives of young people. AI-generated deepfakes are also increasingly being used to emotionalize and fuel extreme positions. Young people in search of their own identity and a (political) world view are particularly susceptible and therefore at risk in their development. Even if the websites of right-wing extremists often look harmless, modern and youth-oriented, the ideology behind them is always the same: anti-democratic, racist and inhuman.
In our topic area, you will find information on right-wing extremist propaganda on the internet and help on how you can empower young people against it.
In order to take action against right-wing extremist agitation, well-founded information and educationally prepared teaching materials are needed in addition to commitment. The brochure "Rechts. Extreme. Online - How to empower young people against right-wing extremist influences on the internet" by klicksafe and jugendschutz.net provides you with a lot of background information and six teaching units that enable young people to deal with the challenges of right-wing extremist narratives on the internet in a critical and self-determined way.
Right-wing extremism today
Right-wing extremist and anti-democratic forces are trying to gain influence in society with hate, incitement and fear propaganda. Their themes: Racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny and hatred of LGBTQ+ people. The right-wing extremist attacks are not only taking place on the internet or verbally - an increase in right-wing extremist violence has been evident for years.
Today, the far-right scene can no longer be as clearly defined as it was in the early 2000s. Instead, there are various mixed scenes, from so-called angry citizens to conspiracy believers and right-wing populists to right-wing extremist and right-wing terrorist milieus.
The internet offers a space in which anti-democratic ideas and statements become more visible. Dangerous right-wing extremist propaganda is posted here around the clock. Not least young users are particularly targeted by anti-democratic actors. They want to inspire them with youth-oriented content for their own cause.
Law and justice
One of the cornerstones of democracy is the right to freedom of expression, which is protected in Germany by Article 5 (1) of the Basic Law: "Everyone has the right to freely express and disseminate his opinions in speech, writing and pictures and to inform himself without hindrance from generally accessible sources." Initially, this also applies to right-wing extremists and their misanthropic and anti-democratic views.
However, this right is not unrestricted. For example, criminal law prohibits the use of writings and symbols that stand for banned parties or associations (Sections 86 and 86a of the German Criminal Code). This includes, for example, the swastika, the Hitler salute, the Horst Wessel song or certain slogans of the SS and SA. These include, for example, "My honor is loyalty" or "Everything for Germany". Furthermore, according to Section 130 of the Criminal Code, no one may incite hatred against sections of the population (e.g. Jews, foreigners, asylum seekers), call for violence against them or attack their human dignity. This paragraph also criminalizes Holocaust denial.
However, simply viewing (or downloading from the internet) content that is prohibited under criminal law is not a criminal offense. What is prohibited is distributing such texts, images and symbols or making them publicly accessible, i.e. sharing them online.
Right-wing extremist online strategies: trend and camouflage
The influence of right-wing extremists on young people has long since moved beyond the streets. Whether YouTube, Instagram or TikTok - the most popular social media services and online subcultures among young people are used to spread right-wing extremist ideas.
The points of contact range from classic gaming and its platforms to the reinterpretation of historical images on Instagram and targeted disinformation on alternative platforms such as Telegram. Audio-visual formats such as memes, music, reels, podcasts, blogs or ephemeral content such as stories or snaps are used for right-wing extremist propaganda. Adapted to the platforms, the content is sometimes harmlessly packaged or spread in an openly misanthropic manner.
Right-wing extremist content tends to be shared more subtly on popular platforms due to the stricter guidelines, which is why people often refer to so-called alternative platforms (e.g. Telegram, Discord and SoundCloud). Actors can use these to disseminate their content without fearing consequences such as account deletion.
Propaganda on popular social media platforms
On services such as TikTok or Instagram, (extreme) right-wing actors operate their profiles like influencers. In addition to insights from their personal lives and innocuous content, they also communicate far-right world views. For example, with short music clips accompanied by relevant images, tendentious street surveys or podcasts that comment on current events in line with anti-democratic ideology.
Games as a gateway for right-wing extremist propaganda
Gaming is present in the everyday lives of children and young people. It is not only games that play a major role, but also in-game communication or networking via platforms such as Steam or Discord. Right-wing extremists specifically participate in these communities and spread their views there. However, right-wing extremists can also be active in games themselves. In the game Roblox, for example, where players can create their own content, content that trivializes the Holocaust or glorifies right-wing extremist violence is sometimes disseminated.
Right-wing extremist music
The range of right-wing extremist music on the internet has changed considerably in recent years. Classic "right-wing rock", as it is known from bands such as "Landser" or "Stahlgewitter", has long since ceased to be the only genre, although it is still very important. Hardcore punk (NSHC) or black metal (NSBM) are also popular genres used by right-wing extremist bands. Neofolk or electronic music are also used, and last but not least, rap, one of the most popular music genres in contemporary youth culture, is also a means of expression for right-wing extremist musicians.
Musical trends on TikTok, such as lipsyncing, are also used by right-wing extremists. It is no longer just pop songs that are sung, but also right-wing extremist songs or song excerpts.
When party songs suddenly carry racist messages
A video from a club in Sylt attracted a lot of attention at the beginning of 2024: to the techno beats of the song "L'amour toujour" by Gigi D'Agostino, people shouted "foreigners out" and "Germany to the Germans". The song continues to be disseminated on TikTok as a normal party anthem, but there are regular comments directly linking the song to the racist lyrics. This means that the far-right message spreads even without clear words; the melody or "Döp dödödöp" as words are enough to make a racist allusion. Since then, it has been observed time and again that well-known party songs have been used to convey inhuman statements. For example, at the AfD election party in Brandenburg in September 2024 with the song "Das geht ab!" by Die Atzen. Here, the original lyrics were loudly over-sung with the line "Hey, that's going off, we'll deport them all, deport them all".
Memes and humor
A frequent problem with right-wing extremist memes is the shifting of the boundaries of the humor used. Behind so-called dark memes (online scene term for supposedly black humor memes), there is usually content that is inhumane and goes viral under the guise of harmless jokes. Deliberately walking a tightrope with racist and anti-democratic statements is problematic because it causes a shift in the still respectful tone of interaction. The rapid sharing of right-wing extremist statements labeled as "politically incorrect" initially creates the impression that this content is "funny" and not meant seriously. However, it can contribute to the normalization of misanthropic narratives.
Symbols, emojis, codes
While right-wing extremists openly incite hatred against certain groups of people, communication channels have been established that enable more hidden forms of propaganda. Derogatory humor, provocation, new word creations - they can use these to package their discriminatory and racist views and spread them in the digital space. The ciphers are both identifiers and affiliation markers for right-wing extremists.
Symbols, emojis and codes are used to subtly convey misanthropy. It is also an attempt to circumvent criminal law limits and sanctions or blocks on social media platforms. The whole thing is also known as dog whistling (from the English dog whistle, which can only be heard by dogs but not by humans). This refers to hints, i.e. coded messages in which the intention of the statement is clear to insiders but is not explicitly stated in the wording. This includes (extreme) right-wing codes, emojis, symbols, hashtags, memes, abbreviations, terms, etc.
Fake news and alternative facts: Disinformation as an extreme right-wing core business
In today's information society, fake news and alternative facts have become a central instrument of right-wing extremist movements. These groups use targeted disinformation to stir up fears, reinforce prejudices and legitimize their ideologies. By tapping into the emotions of recipients, they can achieve a wide reach. Accordingly, disinformation often goes hand in hand with hateful comments: in the comment sections, users sometimes provoke each other to such an extent that it can even escalate into mutual calls for violence.
By spreading manipulated news, for example on social media, right-wing extremists reach a broad audience and create a distorted view of the world that supports their extremist views. Through disinformation, they aim to undermine trust in independent media and democratic institutions. On the one hand, this strategy serves to mobilize supporters. On the other hand, it is also a dangerous attack on social cohesion and the basic democratic order.
Right-wing extremists are also increasingly using artificial intelligence and deepfakes for their online strategy. Overall, generative AI is leading to an increased and accelerated production of far-right online content, especially sharepics and memes. Images can now be created quickly and purposefully using simple commands. Even more complex image compositions are no challenge for AI. For example, there are so-called tilt images, which at first glance appear to be a detailed, harmless scene, such as a portrait of a woman. A closer look reveals forbidden symbols, for example when the woman's clothing forms a swastika.
It is difficult for adolescents to distinguish which content on social media comes from trustworthy sources and which should be viewed with great caution. They need help from competent adults who can guide them and teach them the skills they need to recognize fake news and disinformation.
Digital civil courage: Active against right-wing extremism online
Right-wing extremists take part in discussions everywhere on the internet, be it on socio-political, pop culture or any other topic. However, their aim is not to inform and exchange information, but to spread their propaganda and disrupt the discourse. In this context, it is important to clearly counter misanthropic, historically revisionist or racist statements. It is not about convincing the other side, but about exposing the false and misanthropic statements. Every counter-speech sends a signal: Right-wing extremists are not tolerated here!
If you want to take action against right-wing extremist ideas online or in real life, you should stick to a few principles:
- Inform like-minded people and friends, take action together!
- Take a stand for yourself!
- Don't insult anyone, even if the other side does!
- Inform yourself, factual knowledge is important!
- Protect your own data!
- Show solidarity with those affected!
Report right-wing extremist content on social media
The major social media services always offer the option of reporting content that violates the general terms and conditions of the service or German and European laws. In the event of a violation, the services respond to the report by deleting the content or the user accounts concerned.
Even if you are not entirely sure whether content really violates the rules, you can report it as a precaution. The platforms check the reported content and take action if necessary. If content does not constitute a violation, it will not be deleted or restricted. No damage can therefore be caused by reporting content that is only borderline. The reporting person will also not suffer any disadvantages as a result of a report.
If you want to report content outside of the major platforms or if you believe that the platforms have not made the correct decision, you can also report right-wing extremist content to the reporting offices of the German Safer Internet Center:
