The Justice for Prosperity Foundation (JfP) has undertaken this research to shed light on the narratives of Generation Identity and their persistent influence on youth groups, social media, and political discourse. This report aims to expose how these ideologies propagate and to empower the public to recognize and understand the mechanisms behind their spread. By focusing on the Dutch landscape, JfP seeks to contribute to a safer internet and a more resilient democratic society in the Netherlands.
Don’t Look it Up – Generation Identity, Polarisation and Social Media
Globally, LGBTIQ+ rights, gender equality, migrant rights, and sexual health and reproductive rights (SRHR) are under pressure, and this does not happen in isolation. Across the world, a backlash against these topics and democratic principles has intensified, as seen in the rise of electoral autocracies and authoritarianism. The resurgence of conservatism, nativism, nationalism, and traditionalism has led ultra-conservative extremists, populist politicians, and far- right ideologues to instrumentalize these topics to reshape the global understanding and safeguarding of human rights.
In the Netherlands, this trend resonates strongly within the narratives promoted by Generation Identity and similar movements. As Jan Willem Duyvendak discusses in his work on nativism, such groups capitalize on a sense of national identity that aligns with exclusionary values, which often target marginalized groups under the guise of ‘protecting cultural heritage’ (Duyvendak, 2011). Meanwhile, Ian Haney López’s insights into “dog-whistle politics” reveal how far-right language manipulates public sentiment by framing exclusionary and extremist ideas in seemingly benign or coded terms (Haney López, 2015. These strategies allow ideologies that undermine democratic values to spread freely and subtly among youth and across digital platforms.
This trend expresses itself in different ways. For example, human rights language is used to position ‘traditional family values’ against SRHR and LGBTIQ+ rights; the ambiguity of such narratives is used to erode norms of inclusion, democracy, and equality, leading to a regression in formal norms, policy, and legislation.
Such norm violations, through ambiguous provocations combined with leveraging democratic credentials, enable actors who employ these methods to reframe their provocations as ‘allowed,’ making it challenging to hold them accountable. This strategic ambiguity presents a significant obstacle to those defending norms of inclusion and equality, complicating efforts to counter such violations and create counter-narratives.
This report aims to break down these processes, offering an in-depth analysis of the narratives and strategies that enable such ideologies to thrive and highlighting the risks they pose to democratic and inclusive societies. By examining these dynamics, JfP hopes to foster greater public awareness and equip policymakers, civil society, and communities with the tools to recognize and counteract these narratives effectively.
The propagation of anti-democratic rhetoric and social polarization by far-right groups has gained momentum in recent years in the Netherlands, France, and Belgium. These groups leverage social media platforms to propagate their ideology, recruit new members, and widen their influence. This phenomenon is of particular concern as it remains largely under-researched – creating significant gaps in our understanding of the methods employed to spread divisive and extremist messages. Without a comprehensive grasp of these groups’ strategies and tactics, societies across Europe face heightened risks, as the spillover effect of virtual hate speech and harmful ideology can profoundly impact real-world interactions – thereby increasing social fragmentation and tensions.
The interconnectedness of far-right networks across multiple European countries further amplifies the complexity of this issue. These groups do not operate in isolation but often form transnational alliances, allowing hate speech and propaganda to flow seamlessly across borders. Furthermore, their influence extends beyond informal networks, seeping into the political sphere and, at times, reaching levels of government in these countries. This migration of extremist language from the fringes into the mainstream underscores the urgency of understanding these networks to mitigate the risks they pose to democratic structures and societal cohesion.
The primary aim of this report is to provide an analysis of the operation of the far-right group and movement Generation Identity (GI) – tracing its origins, ideology, and methods – to understand how it has influenced the spread of radicalization in Europe. Emerging in France in the early 2000s, GI became one of the most prominent far-right movements in Europe, and it gained traction in Belgium and the Netherlands. By examining GI as a case study, this report sheds light on the strategic techniques far-right groups use to recruit members and propagate extremist ideology, particularly through social media. These techniques include using specific language and symbolism and promoting combat sports, which appeal to younger audiences and further the group’s objectives by positioning their ideas as a lifestyle and a cause.
Understanding these methods is vital, as they reveal how groups such as GI intentionally blur the line between online rhetoric and real-world action, creating pathways from virtual hate speech to physical acts of hate and violence. Without a clear comprehension of the modi operandi societies risk leaving themselves vulnerable to the escalation of hate speech into hate crimes. This report underscores the need for continued research and investigation into the operational methods of far- right groups.
The first part of this report examines the founding of GI in France and explores its ideological foundation, goals, and initial methods of operation. In the second section, the report delves into the specific techniques GI uses to attract new members and expand its influence. The third part investigates the alarming trend of far-right ideologies moving from fringe groups into formal political discourse and, in some cases, political institutions Finally, the fourth section presents JfP’s WhoDis methodology and its potential utilization to gain valuable insight into the dissemination of harmful rhetoric online causing polarization.
Please read the full report below: