Right-wing populism paints a polarizing picture of society. In this picture there is “us” and “them”. Those populists decide who belongs to the “others”. They create an apparent gap between “normal” and “not normal”. In this world it is always the “others” who cause problems. This “otherness” can refer to religion, origin, orientation or political views.
Reason for these thoughts: The 2022 Office for the Protection of the Constitution reveals a planned attack on the Vienna Volksstimme Festival. This is what the journalist Michael Bonvalot found out. A right-wing extremist is said to have planned this. This man has been in the sights of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution since 2021. There were suspicions of violations of the prohibition law and incitement to hate speech. Additionally, evidence suggested illegal possession of weapons. A subsequent house search led to the seizure of numerous weapons, Nazi relics and explosives.
Has this man radicalized himself? No, that cannot be assumed. The man, who is very well connected in the scene, must have been heated up over the years, heated up by the angry words of right-wing populism. He may have felt justified in using violence. A violence that is never directly addressed on the “clean surface” of right-wing populism. Nevertheless, she is provoked by these words. They create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust. They drive people to take action against those who are portrayed as “different.” These people then become the target of hatred and violence.
Right-wing populism does not talk about violence!
That is the sad result. The Grapes of Wrath. They arise from the seeds that right-wing populists carefully plant. Their followers feel justified in attacking those who don't fit the mold. They believe they are doing the “right” thing. But they don't see the truth behind this manipulation. The followers are merely tools in the hands of their leaders. They are the ones who reap the darkness that their leaders have sown. They are the ones who take the risk. The leaders themselves remain safe while their followers feel the wrath of society and the legal system.
In the end, it is not the populists who end up in court. They are their followers. As in the case of the man who wanted to carry out the attack on the Vienna Volksstimme Festival. It is the people who take the words of populism too seriously and want to put them into action. However, they simply become scapegoats, pawns in the great game of power.
The bitter irony is that followers do not realize that they are being exploited. They see themselves as defenders of their group. They believe they are fighting for a “just” cause. But in reality they are just puppets in the hands of their leaders. They are exploited, manipulated and ultimately abandoned.
The danger of right-wing populism does not lie in open support for violence. It lies in the subtle manipulation of emotions and thoughts. It consists of sowing fear and hatred in order to gain control. It lies in the ability to make people turn against their fellow human beings.
The victims of this tactic are not just those labeled “other.” It is also the followers themselves. They fall victim to the anger they believe they are stirring up. They pay the price for the words of their leaders.
But what to do?
Combating manipulative populism requires an awareness of its strategies. It's about recognizing and understanding the mechanisms of manipulation. It's about recognizing the dangers that lie behind seemingly harmless words. It is also important to understand how and in what ways this anger is built up.
We must always keep an eye on the mouthpieces and communication channels of content that threatens democracy and also understand them. Much, almost all, manipulative content spreads via social media. And this is where we can start, because the future is in our hands. It is up to us to counter the mechanisms. It is up to us to calm the anger and defeat the hatred.
Education . Consciousness. Enlightenment. Honest communication. Because these are the real weapons against the manipulative shadows of populism. And he's afraid of that too!
It is up to us not to allow the fruits of wrath to continue to grow.
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )