Guardians of Democracy? On the Response of Civil Society Organisations to Right‐Wing Extremism

Abstract

This article expands on the understanding of the role civil society organisations (CSOs) play in counteracting right-wing extremism. Drawing on central strands in the defending democracy literature, this article introduces a typology to classify the responses of CSOs to right-wing extremism. The typology takes into account the distinction between tolerance and intolerance on the one hand, and active and passive political participation on the other. What is more, it allows for a more fine-tuned analysis of a variety of CSO responses vis-à-vis extreme rightwing movements. This distinction is important as it allows for a better understanding of the democratic role of civil society in general and the responses of pro-democratic civil society to political extremism in particular. Using this typology as a point of departure, the article contributes empirically by exploring how local CSOs in the Swedish town of Ludvika responded to the foremost neo-Nazi movement in the Nordic countries, namely the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM), prior to the 2018 Swedish election. Drawing primarily on the perspective of civil society leaders, the findings show that local CSOs are generally intolerant of the NRM and have engaged in opposition to the movement. Notably, responses tend to be more oriented towards promoting dialogue and the importance of public discussion in civil society rather than using confrontational tactics such as protests and civil disobedience. The article concludes that CSOs serve as bulwarks against right-wing extremism at least during politically charged situations; however, differences in tolerance and political participation indicate that CSOs respond differently to right-wing extremism.

The People’s Champions? Populist Communication as a Contextually Dependent Political Strategy

“…For these reasons, we expect that politicians from populist parties employ more populist rhetoric when civil society is not mobilized. Populist politicians are strategically more vulnerable when facing bottom-up forms of citizen engagement, as it becomes more difficult to present themselves as the sole representatives of a pure and homogeneous citizenry when a vocal and diverse civil society mobilizes (Lundberg, 2021). Mainstream politicians who endorse liberal values will attempt to ally with and defend the constitutional rights of organized citizens by justifying their claims as resonating with the will of the people and by expressing resentment and disappointment toward elites (De Bruycker, 2017).…”

State repression of racist associations: Dilemmas of tolerance in the Nordic countries

“…Sweden, meanwhile, faced neither internal anti‐democratic threats nor occupation during WWII, but the contemporary extreme‐right is stronger than in the other Nordic countries (Ravndal, 2018). The Nordic Resistance Movement ( Nordiska Motståndsrörelsen ), the most prominent extreme‐right movement in the Nordic region, is registered as a political party in Sweden and has been represented in the municipal council of its stronghold Ludvika (Korsell et al, 2020; Lundberg, 2021).…”

Different Types, Different Reactions? How Civil Society Organizations Respond to Right-Wing Extremism

“…Indeed, some may envisage a more active role than others that use different mobilization strategies. Combing central strands from the civil society literature with scholarship on how political parties react to extremist challenges, Lundberg (2021) presents a typology that distinguishes between four distinct theoretical types of responses-accept, ban, protest, and dialogue-that vary along two axes: tolerance and intolerance on the one hand, and passive and active political participation on the other (see Fig. 1).…”

“…The aim of this article is to address this as yet unanswered question by exploring empirically how various types of CSOs perceive their role and responsibility when it comes to responding to right-wing extremism. The empirical analysis is of a sample of local CSOs in the Swedish town of Ludvika, where the presence of the prominent neo-Nazi movement the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) has been particularly strong and where local CSOs have taken a stand against it (Lundberg, 2021). The article focuses on pro-democratic civil society-that is, organizations with an overall objective to empower democracy (Pedahzur, 2002).…”