(New York, N.Y. / Berlin, Germany) – Right-wing extremist groups and networks have been growing substantially in many European countries in recent years, including in Central Europe. Many of these movements espouse new right-wing extremist narratives, have a pro-Russian stance, and reject globalization as well as what they call “western” values. All of these movements reject human equality and try to institutionalize inequality. In both Hungary and Bulgaria, the far-right scene consists of a diverse set of actors: from political parties to paramilitary groups to networks outside the formal political structure, such as football clubs.
Sources of financing are as diverse as the actors themselves, and usually include many different streams, such as cultural platforms, for income. In both countries, online media platforms and social media are misused by the extreme right for propaganda and recruitment. In both Bulgaria and Hungary, government reactions are in many instances not decisive enough to effectively contain these movements.
This webinar aims to delve into the specific framework in which far-right extremist groups operate in Bulgaria and Hungary in order to identify common patterns and differences, and most importantly to examine potential approaches that could mitigate the threats these groups pose to democracy. This event is the first in a two-part series on Central European extreme right-wing movements.
The webinar will be conducted in English via Zoom.
Date: November 14, 2023
Time: 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. ET / 15:00 – 16:30 CET
EVENT PROGRAM:
Introductory Remarks and Moderation:
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
Speakers:
Dr. Spasimir Domaradzki, Assistant Professor, University of Warsaw & Senior Researcher, Institute of Central Europe
The Radical Right in Bulgaria
Dr. Edit Zgut-Przybylska, Visiting Fellow, CEU Democracy Institute & Guest Lecturer, Foreign Service Institute
Extreme Right-Wing, Paramilitary Organizations Under the Orban Regime: Live and Let Live
The presentations will be followed by a Q&A-session open to all participants.
REGISTRATION:
To participate in this webinar please register via this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Fa9Z9TYuTlmeM2mDfhwn7A
Please register up to one hour before the webinar starts so that your registration can be approved in time.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues with an interest in the subject.