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Abstract
Counter-mobilisation against far-right activism takes many forms, adopts many practices— but humour is one of the most persistent tactics. Time and again far-right movement organisations carry out actions laden with pretensions of gravity and solemnity: Nazis mourning Rudolf Hess on the anniversary of his suicide; Ku Klux Klan members protesting against the removal of Confederate flags from U.S. state houses; Hindu extremists ‘protecting people from immorality’ by assaulting men and women gathered together in a pub; black-clad ‘soldiers of Odin’ patrolling streets in Finland, are just a few examples. To undermine these activities, anti-fascist activists have repeatedly turned to ‘tactical frivolity’ or calculated silliness to disrupt the attempts of far-right groups to perform dignified actions. Humour can serve several purposes. In order to illustrate these, this article examines the emergence of humour as a tactic in activism in Germany and the example of the Front Deutscher Äpfel, a case which demonstrates the utility of satire among counter-mobilising activists and, specifically, against far-right groups.
Citation
@incollection{Zeller2021how,
Address = {Stuttgart},
Author = {Michael C. Zeller},
Booktitle = {The Radical Right During Crisis},
Editor = {Eviane Leidig},
Publisher = {ibidem-Verlag},
Title = {How to Laugh Away the Far-Right: Lessons from Germany},
Year = {2021}}