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Case Studies on Sovereign Citizen Movements

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Case Studies on Sovereign Citizen Movements VIRTUAL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR RESEARCH SUPPORT AND COORDINATION ON SOCIETAL SECURITY D3.7 ANNUAL SOCIETAL SECURITY REPORT 4 This project has received funding From the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme For research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 313288. 01.01.2014 Coordinator: [email protected] www.societalsecurity.net 31.12.2018 PRIO SOURCE (313288) D3.7 Annual Societal Security Report 4 1 I Index I.1 Document Control Abstract: The SOURCE Annual Societal Security Report (ASSR) 2016 was investigating reactions to the so-called reFugee crisis oF the year 2015 across Europe. In this report, Focussing on the interplay oF national and European policy reactions we set out to demonstrate the strategic exploitation oF the political situation created by the uncontrolled inFlux oF asylum seekers. During the research For the ASSR 2016 we identiFied citiZen groups who took controversial positions on the treatment oF reFugees in their countries. We Found a substantial number oF outspoken anti-migration groups, who Fiercely opposed any support For reFugees and who were waging anti-migration campaigns. We suggest to take these groups and their vigilant anti-asylum actions as the tip of a hitherto unexplored iceberg oF what we call "heterodox politicisation" – subject to this SOURCE Annual Societal Security Report 4 (2017). Protesters also were addressing in a more general sense the limited capabilities of the state and public policy, questioning the legitimacy oF the existing political-institutional order. Migration policy (or the Failure thereoF) is but one area, where new forms and narratives oF political protest and activity develop. Declining trust in the institutional set-up oF the modern state and a Feeling and/or experience of general disenFranchisement can support very diFFerent narratives and activities outside the established arena oF civic political involvement cutting across established dichotomies oF left/right or authoritarian/democratic used to categorise civic political protest. A closer look at the subterranean discourses emerging below the radar oF established approaches oF political analysis reveals strange mixtures linking tropes oF radical critique oF globalisation and political economy with a metaphysics oF Nature, spiced with a wide variety of conspiracy theories, populating the blogosphere and virtual space. Since very little has been written about these groups and research so Far has mainly Focussed on the international growth oF networks in the right-wing extremist segment oF the spectrum we move into uncharted territory with this analysis. Contractual delivery date: 31/12/17 (M48) Actual delivery date: 31/01/18 (M49) Version: 1 Total Number oF pages: 125 Author: Reinhard Kreissl (VICESSE) Contributors: Norbert Leonhardmair (VICESSE), Michaela Scheriau (VICESSE) Reviewers: KristoFFer Liden (PRIO) Dissemination level: PU SOURCE (313288) D3.7 Annual Societal Security Report 4 2 I.2 Version Log Table 1. Version log Issue Date Rev. No. Author Change 0.1 RK, NL Deliverable structure, Case study template 0.2 RK, MS Country report input 0.3 RK Country report review 0.4 RK Revised country report input 0.5 RK, NL Introduction 0.6 NL Network analysis input 0.7 RK, NL Consolidation, Final editing 0.9 KL Review 0.10 RK, NL Integration comments, Final version I.3 Legal Notice Deliverable submitted 31.01.2018 (M49) in FulFilment oF requirements oF the FP7 project, SOURCE – Virtual Centre oF excellence For research support and coordination on societal security (SEC-2014.7.4-2: Networking oF researchers For a high level multi-organisational and cross-border collaboration). © Copyright 2014 the SOURCE Consortium (PRIO, FOI, CIES, FhG, TNO, CEPS, VUB, VICESSE, KCL, EOS, TEC, Sciences Po). All rights reserved. This document may change without notice. SOURCE (313288) D3.7 Annual Societal Security Report 4 3 Table oF contents I Index ................................................................................................................................................ 2 I.1 Document Control ..................................................................................................................... 2 I.2 Version Log ............................................................................................................................... 3 I.3 Legal Notice............................................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 7 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 8 2 Heterodox PoliticiZation ................................................................................................................ 10 2.1 Emerging trends oF anti-statist social resistance in Europe ...................................................... 10 2.2 Some common Features oF heterodox political groups ............................................................ 14 2.3 Putting heterodox political groups into context ...................................................................... 16 2.4 The constituency oF heterodox political groups....................................................................... 18 2.5 Heterodox political groups and societal security ..................................................................... 22 3 Data sources used For the analysis ................................................................................................. 24 4 Selected contextual data on political behaviour and attitudes in Europe ....................................... 25 5 Sovereign citiZen social media networks ........................................................................................ 30 5.1 Explorative network analysis: Overlap oF Facebook audiences among Austrian political and sovereign citiZen accounts ............................................................................................................ 30 5.2 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 30 5.3 Results ................................................................................................................................... 34 6 Country Reports ............................................................................................................................ 40 6.1 Austria.................................................................................................................................... 40 6.1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 40 6.1.2 Heterodox Movements in Austria .................................................................................... 41 6.1.3 Media Discourse .............................................................................................................. 44 6.1.4 Law enForcement and legal perspectives on heterodox politicization in Austria ............... 47 6.2 France .................................................................................................................................... 49 6.2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 49 6.2.2 Heterodox political movements in France ........................................................................ 49 6.2.3 Survey data on political indicators in France .................................................................... 53 6.2.4 Heterodox politiciZation in context .................................................................................. 55 6.3 Germany ................................................................................................................................ 59 6.3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 59 SOURCE (313288) D3.7 Annual Societal Security Report 4 4 6.3.2 Heterodox political movements in Germany .................................................................... 60 6.3.3 Media discourse on heterodox political groups ................................................................ 63 6.3.4 Law enForcement and legal reactions to heterodox movements ...................................... 64 6.3.5 Heterodox politiciZation in context .................................................................................. 65 6.4 Greece.................................................................................................................................... 67 6.4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 67 6.4.2 Heterodox political movements in Greece ....................................................................... 67 6.4.3 Survey Data ..................................................................................................................... 72 6.4.4 Media discourse on heterodox political groups ................................................................ 74 6.4.5 Law enForcement and legal reactions to heterodox movements ...................................... 75 6.4.6 Heterodox politiciZation in context .................................................................................
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