A/HRC/38/53 While anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia and racism are central, neo-Nazism also embraces homophobia and discrimination against people with disabilities. 4 6. Although the philosophical commitments of Adolf Hitler are a central theme, neoNazism has different variants. Indeed, some groups emphasize simple hatred against historically discriminated groups, while others focus on the revolutionary creation of a fascist political State.5 Neo-Nazism is also often closely aligned with white nationalism, which shares a core commitment to white racial supremacy and the inferiority of non-white people. This affiliation with white nationalism, as a contemporary trend of significance, is discussed in more detail below. 7. At its extreme edges, members of the neo-Nazi umbrella believe a war between races is imminent and thus seek to train and arm themselves in their quest for victory. These groupings consist of militarized clusters of racist skinhead adherents of radical right-wing ideology. Some activists acting on this belief and anticipating infiltration by security agencies adopt “lone wolf” campaigns characterized by small cells of activists acting without the leadership of the main group but drawing on its ideology to commit acts of violence and terrorism premised on the ideology. The Special Rapporteur would like to recall the horrendous act of terrorism that took place in Norway on July 2011 when Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 persons, including 69 young persons, for the cause of racial superiority. The killer clearly affiliated himself with neo-Nazi ideology, and his gruesome attack, whose victims included many white Norwegians, demonstrates clearly why neoNazism is a threat to nations as a whole, and not just to those racial and ethnic groups that are its direct target. 8. In addition to these extreme adherents, today supporters of this ideology who do not fit the conventional image of neo-Nazis are increasingly visible and proudly so. 6 Neo-Nazis also rely on various forms of popular culture to propagate their cause. For example, in countries where Nazism and holocaust denial were prohibited, music became an important tool used by neo-Nazi groups to spread their message and politicize potential followers. Indeed, the main activities of these organizations include publishing and consuming music and literature based on advancing Nazi ideology, staging grand meetings and making public proclamations. 9. Neo-Nazism is by no means a new phenomenon. The emergence of the transnational neo-Nazi movement can be traced back to as early as 1949 with the creation of the European Liberation Front in London. 7 Since then, the number of neo-Nazi-affiliated organizations has proliferated as new organizations and splinter groups emphasize different aspects of the ideology. In the late twentieth century, a neo-Nazi culture increasingly began to emerge in several different places worldwide, as local leaders imported ideas from Scandinavia and Western Europe. 8 Neo-Nazi organizations started demanding racial segregation and expulsion of non-white populations, especially in Europe and North America. These organizations attempted to create a consciousness of white superiority from which groups such as Jews, Roma and Sinti were among those excluded. Over time, the appeal of the neo-Nazism movement has expanded progressively beyond its traditional 4 5 6 7 8 4 Raphael S. Ezekiel, “An ethnographer looks at neo-Nazi and Klan groups: the racist mind revisited”, American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 46, No. 1 (2002), pp. 51–71. Southern Poverty Law Center, “Neo-Nazi”. Available at https://www.splcenter.org/fightinghate/extremist-files/ideology/neo-nazi. In one country, white nationalists willing to support neo-Nazi ideology include “young men wearing ‘fashy’ haircuts, khakis and polo shirts”. Heidi Beirich and Susy Buchanan, “2017: the year in hate and extremism”, Southern Poverty Law Center, 11 February 2018. Available at https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2018/2017-year-hate-and-extremism#neonazi. Jean-Yves Camus, “Neo-Nazism in Europe”, in The Extreme Right in Europe, Uwe Backes and Patrick Moreau, eds. (Göttingen, Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, 2011), pp. 231–242. Ibid., p. 236.