@perkinskeighley.bsky.social📢 CIRAF event announcement klaxon! 📢
@cirafcardiff.bsky.social is pleased to welcome Dr Martin Geoffroyoy from Cégep Édouard-Montpetit for a presentation on "The Far Right in Quebec: A Psycho-Social Portrait".
Find the abstract & register: tinyurl.com/bd2zf3yc
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 7/7
It is also about creating credible alternatives for belonging, support and connection before extremist communities fill that space.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 6/7
It also reinforces something that matters across radicalisation research more broadly: prevention is not only about challenging harmful ideas.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 5/7
That moves the focus from individual deficit to the social conditions that recruiters can exploit.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 4/7
What stands out to me is the shift away from asking “what is it about autism?” & towards asking what is it about particular environments, experiences & recruitment strategies that make extremist narratives resonate?
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 3/7
Extremist ideologies can exploit those needs by offering certainty, belonging, identity & apparently simple answers to complex problems.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 2/7
Dr Georgiou's article instead points to a combination of factors that may increase vulnerability for some autistic people, including social isolation, bullying, loneliness, limited support, rigid thinking & a strong preference for order & predictability.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 1/7
The evidence base is still limited & much of what we know comes from case studies rather than large-scale research.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.socialThis article by Dr Neophytos Georgiou explores emerging research on autism & engagement with extremist content while making an important distinction: autism alone does not explain extremist beliefs or violence.
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@perkinskeighley.bsky.socialI’ll be presenting at this event!
I’m taking a slightly different angle from my usual work & looking at how different ideologies across the radical right use imagery of war in their social media posts.
I’m really looking forward to taking part!
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 4/4
It raises some fascinating questions about how influence now moves between online & offline spaces – & whether understanding contemporary far-right mobilisation increasingly requires us to understand the cultures & practices of social media influence too.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 3/4
Particularly striking is the feedback loop between online & offline activity: disruptive action creates compelling social media content, which attracts attention & engagement that can then help support further mobilisation.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 2/4
Researchers quoted in the article explicitly compare these practices to those of celebrity influencers while also highlighting the movement’s use of belonging, masculine identity, religious symbolism & narratives of national threat.
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Its leader, Danny Tommo, has used livestreams, frequent social media updates & cross-platform content to build a community, mobilise supporters at short notice, fundraise & keep audiences engaged.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.socialThis fascinating piece from @theguardian.com examines the emergence of the Patriot Platform, a new anti-migrant movement whose recent protests combined highly organised offline action with a distinctly digital strategy.
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@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 4/4
Rather than thinking about social media simply as somewhere political ideas are communicated, cases like this raise questions about how individual figures build audiences, construct collective identities & then mobilise those communities into action.
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 3/4
Incidents like this are not only troubling but appear to show an interesting development in the role of influencer-like figures in organising political movements & events.
#radicalright #Dover #Portsmouth #farright #extremismstudies
@perkinskeighley.bsky.social🧵 1/4
The analysis highlights how social media was used to mobilise supporters at short notice & how a newly established movement is seeking to turn online support into coordinated offline action.
#radicalright #Dover #Portsmouth #farright #extremismstudies
@perkinskeighley.bsky.socialThis BBC News analysis traces the connection between two anti-migrant protests in Dover & Portsmouth to Danny Thomas (Danny Tommo).
🔗 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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#radicalright #Dover #Portsmouth #farright #extremismstudies