The conflict in Israel and Gaza which was re-ignited following the October 7th attacks committed by Hamas is heavily polarised perceivable in media and in public opinion. The different facets of the conflict are put up for debate, a phenomenon which also transpires in multicultural diverse European societies. Indeed, the polarisation of the conflict benefits certain extremist ideologies who are seizing this moment to promulgate their own beliefs, seeing a window of opportunity. Such ideologies were already on the rise in Europe prior to the outburst of conflict, however, a correlation can be observed between the two. The rise in incidents is observed across the extremist spectrum, notably in extreme right and jihadist extremism.
Rise of rightwing extremism
Germany reported a rise in activity amongst extremist far right groups since the pandemic. In 2020, the state recorded a total of 23,083 far-right crimes, the highest it had been in more than two decades. [1] Since then, numbers have been consistently high. The recent stabbing and violent riots in Dublin and the surge of right-wing militant groups in France following the murder of a 16-year old boy display the heightened tensions. While the conflict between Israel and Hamas is certainly not the cause of such incidents, the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza establish a “us vs. them” trope. Right wing extremists capitalise of the anti-immigrant and anti-muslim discourse that is generated by the polarisation of this conflict. The “us vs. them” trop is also advanced by Israel, in putting forward claims of “The West is next” and “Hamas is ISIS”. This re-ignites sentiments of fear of the other and anti-immigration of which right wing extremism capitalises from.
Rise of islamic extremism
Europe is also witnessing a surge in other places on the extremism spectrum, particularly in Jihadist or Islamic extremism. Interestingly, the “us vs. them” discourse is also a catalyst for increased violence and extremism. Incidents of violent islamic extremism include the murder of Dominique Bernard, a French teacher and the shooting of Swedish football supporters in Brussels. Such incidents oxccurred in the two weeks of the Hamas attack on the 7th of October and after former Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal called upon “all those who teach and learn jihad to this is a moment for the application of theories”. Similarly to the rise of rightwing extremism, the conflict creates an opening for jihadists to align themselves with the cause of Hamas and capitalise on the momentum of the terrorist organisation.
Conclusion
The deep polarisation of the Israel/Hamas conflict has caused existing extremist tendencies to rise. This comes at a time during which a wave of right-wing politics has spread through Europe, notably in Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands, making right-wing extremist groups stronger and more popular and also igniting reaction amongst islamic extremists. European society appears to be trapped in a ‘action-reaction’ cycle from different groups including those who promulgate extremist ideology. It is not the first time that Europe is faced with rising extremist tendencies, whether it be rightwing or islamic or other, however, seldom has Europe witnessed such strong implication by society in an external conflict and such strong polarisation. European governments will have to remain increasingly vigilant for terror threats and violence expressions of extremist ideologies as they strive to confront such extremes.
By The European Institute for International Law and International Relations
References:
[1] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-reports-rise-in-far-right-crimes/2850648
