Extremist Generation? Young People and the Extreme Right in Times of Economic Crisis

The latest wave of mobilisation and support for the extreme right in Europe pre-dates the financial crisis of 2008 onwards. However, the threat to jobs and livelihoods in recession, austerity measures which reduce collective support, and the resulting disruption to 'business as usual' may provide fertile ground for further extreme-right populism. This paper explores support for the extreme right amongst the 'lost generation', those young people (18-30 years old) with low prospects of finding a job, buying a home or starting a career, in Greece and the UK. Rising youth unemployment – now over 50% in Greece – means many young people are at the sharp end of the instability and insecurity brought by globalisation. While the young have always been less connected to mainstream politics than their elders, the current financial crisis gives them yet another reason to distrust governments and elites. Governments in the UK and Greece have implemented austerity measures impacting on the young with reference to the need to satisfy the market or Eurozone requirements: in both cases it is demonstrated that globalisation has reduced the power of nation-states to act for their nationals. Mainstream politicians can be characterised as tied in to an elite (neo)liberal mode, in which internationalism, economic migration, multiculturalism and secularism are the only possibility, benefiting 'them' to the detriment of 'us'. Questions addressed include: how have the extreme-right parties and movements approached the young? In what ways are the young more vulnerable to their messages? How do young people engage in extremist activism? The paper is based on the first results of the EU funded RAGE (Hate Speech and Populist Othering in Europe) project, led by Dr Gabriella Lazaridis, examining the discourse and actions of extreme right or populist groups across nine EU member states.