What links organised crime with the radical right? – Open Democracy

Why would the radical right, particularly its most extreme elements, get involved with organised crime? There are, of course, a number of reasons, one of which involves something Ive mentioned several times already: arms trafficking.

Radical right extremists who want to arm themselves cant easily do so through any legitimate means. Even in countries with lax gun laws like the US, radical right extremists generally cant just buy up military-grade weapons and hardware without garnering unwanted attention from the authorities.

With a huge market for smuggled weapons around the world sources for these weapons include places like the former Yugoslavia and Ukraine and the involvement of a number of organised crime groups in this smuggling, its no surprise that radical right extremists would find themselves part of the game. Its also no surprise, then, that in the wake of radical right terror attacks in recent years, authorities appear to be paying increasing attention.

Another reason for radical right involvement with organised crime is financing. How radical right groups get their money and their funding is, as has been noted by journalists covering the radical right (myself included), an issue that itself requires much more attention.

Not all radical right extremists require some significant form of financing, nefarious or otherwise; it doesnt necessarily cost much money to write, draw and post hateful propaganda on Telegram for instance. But for radical right extremists with ambition, the costs can add up. For example, well-designed websites with professional-grade video, replete with flashy logos and almost-corporate branding, arent things one can buy up with a few pennies lying around.

In countries with weak rule of law, the tentacles of organised crime can weave their way into the fabric of the state. The phenomenon of state capture a form of corruption where private actors, from politicians and businesspeople to criminals, influence a states decision-making processes to their own advantage has been documented in places like Serbia, Turkey and other countries.

When radical right extremists join the game and themselves become part of the phenomenon of state capture something seen in Ukraine, for example, where much of the radical right is alleged to have the patronage of the countrys powerful interior ministry they give themselves a means of being protected from prosecution, an opportunity to act with greater impunity and, above all, a pathway to increase their status and influence.

Originally posted here:

What links organised crime with the radical right? - Open Democracy