A/HRC/38/53 allowing them in some cases to secure legislative seats. As of July 2017, right-wing populist parties were in Government in eight European countries: Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland, while there are three nationalist parties that are now part of the governing coalition in Bulgaria. 35 It was estimated that the total number of European voters who supported a populist party in their latest general elections amounted to 21.4 per cent.36 26. In sum, white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies have a symbiotic relationship with right-wing populism, each strengthening the other. By adopting the language and core ideas of these extreme ideologies, right-wing populists gain political power by mobilizing these groups to vote for them. In turn, when populist politicians gain mainstream success, white nationalist and neo-Nazi ideas become more socially acceptable. Emboldened by seeing leaders sympathetic to their cause in Government, white supremacists and neo-Nazis increasingly occupy public platforms and recruit new members. C. The role of technology in the spread of neo-Nazi ideology 27. Neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups have taken advantage of new digital technologies and social platforms to promote their ideologies and arguments. 37 Indeed, the Internet has made it easier for people to communicate, express their views and engage in debate across vast distances. The Internet has also provided groups espousing racial superiority and hatred with effective platforms for spreading their messages, organizing events and raising money. 38 The anonymity provided by the Internet and social media allows people to express views that they would deny in public. 39 Moreover, the interactivity of new social media platforms allows for the easier creation of virtual communities in which extremists can easily disseminate information to their target audiences. 40 1. Digital recruitment, especially of youth 28. The Internet, and social media in particular, have become a growing means through which neo-Nazi groups recruit followers. It is documented that hate groups such as these usually direct their recruitment efforts at targeting susceptible individuals, such as loners and children. Groups espousing racial superiority — including neo-Nazis — have increasingly targeted children and youth as recruits because they are typically more impressionable, may feel alone and marginal, and desire a sense of identity and group belonging. 41 Some neo-Nazi websites are specifically tailored towards children, with the aim of their indoctrination. Neo-Nazi websites appeal to children through music, activities, games, “memes” and cartoon characters on their websites.42 Indeed, even video games exist 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 See https://timbro.se/app/uploads/2017/07/briefing-timbro-authoritarian-populism-index-2017.pdf. The three nationalist parties in Bulgaria are: Attack, the Bulgarian National Movement and the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria. Ibid. See A/HRC/26/49, para. 18. For example, the major hate forum, Stormfront, now has more than 300,000 members. Mark Potok, “The year in hate and extremism”, Southern Poverty Law Center, 17 February 2016. Available at https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2016/yearhate-and-extremism. The site has been adding about 25,000 registered users annually for several years. Francie Diep, “How social media helped organize and radicalize America’s white supremacists”, Pacific Standard, 15 August 2017. Available at https://psmag.com/social-justice/how-social-mediahelped-organize-and-radicalize-americas-newest-white-supremacists. LaShel Shaw, “Hate speech in cyberspace: bitterness without boundaries”, Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, vol. 25, No. 1 (2012), pp. 279–304. Gabriel Weimann, “Terrorist migration to social media”, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. 16, No. 1 (2015), pp. 180–187, at p. 181. Ibid. Michael Edison Hayden, “Neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer is ‘designed to target children’ as young as 11 for radicalization, editor claims”, Newsweek, 16 January 2018. Available at www.newsweek.com/website-daily-stormer-designed-target-children-editor-claims-782401. See also Julian Baumrin, “Internet hate speech and the First Amendment, revisited”, Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal, vol. 37, No. 1–2 (2011), p. 230 (“typical methods of attraction include 9