Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Do you know anyone personally who belongs to a Far Right group?

136 replies

FortunesFave · 08/07/2021 09:21

I was just thinking about far right extremists because of something I saw on Youtube and then thought about how I've never and would probably never meet one of these people because of my line of work (the arts) then I began thinking about people who might be like that but hide it...

Does anyone know any? Are they open about their ideals? I promise I am not a journo. Just interested.

OP posts:
PoppyFern · 08/07/2021 09:24

Of course not.

I'd give anyone like that a very wide berth as would any normal, decent person.

3scape · 08/07/2021 09:26

I know someone. He is a performer. His views are very obvious very quickly. There's not likely to be a line of work immune from extremists is there?

Siblingquandary · 08/07/2021 09:28

My brother is into antifa and TRA.

I'd say that's pretty far right.

He wouldn't, obviously but he'd be wrong Wink

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Politics
1moreglassplease · 08/07/2021 09:33

My neighbour's relative was a founder member of a well known far right group. I had no idea until another neighbour told me. He's always been perfectly pleasant and chatty when I've met him so I wouldn't have known (but we've never discussed politics).

maddy68 · 08/07/2021 09:37

I have met several through my line of work. Most are stereotypical , however some intelligent people have also surprised me by having these views

lurkingdh · 08/07/2021 09:41

Not knowingly in person, but I was a poster on PistonHeads for years. The amount of far-right extremism on there is staggering. They don't even bother hiding it.

What's interesting is that they're convinced they're not racist. It's as if they've gotten as far as realising that would be bad, but not as far as knowing what that actually means.

Justcallmebebes · 08/07/2021 09:42

We had a client at work who was an active member of an Eastern European far right group and was involved in a lot of football violence. He didn't hide his views at all.

I would say he wasn't the brightest pixie in the forest

Insertfunnyname · 08/07/2021 09:48

yes I know lots of TRAs who are bulldozing women's rights and swarming all over the eradication of women's spaces. They're hugely anti feminist (although oddly would say they're feminist)

They're extremely right wing but wouldn't describe themselves as that.

DismantledKing · 08/07/2021 09:49

I don’t mind being friends with people with different views to mine, but I draw the line at fascism. I had one long-standing friend who sent me Tommy Robinson and For Britain videos despite me strongly telling him not to. He’s not my friend any more.

Camomila · 08/07/2021 09:49

One of my cousins stood as a Lega Nord local councillor a few years ago Blush
Luckily my other cousin stood as a counciller for one of the centrist parties - so my gran voted for her instead Grin

My other cousin (I have many) I'm a bit confused about, sometimes he posts stuff on facebook where I can't tell if he is supportive of Salvini et al. or if its satire (I can read Italian, but satire/sarcasm is a bit too complicated for me).

whitemirrors · 08/07/2021 09:51

It depends what you count as far right tbh.

I don’t know any BNP members but I know people who voted for UKIP, follow Britain first on Facebook. I wouldn’t personally say they were far right though.

Aposterhasnoname · 08/07/2021 09:57

I know someone who stood in a local election for the BNP, he’s a bit of a knobhead. Was forever posting bullshit on Facebook, the word Easter banned etc, which I took great delight in debunking, so he blocked me.

Saracen · 08/07/2021 10:00

There's a young man I've known since he was a child, though I haven't seen him in recent years. He used to play with my own DC. He and DC are part of a large friendship group which dates back to those days. He has very serious mental health problems. For this reason, many of his childhood friends are loath to turn their backs on him; they hope they can help him. Apparently some of them think he doesn't really hold extremist views and is just saying he does in order to get a rise out of them; most of them are very liberal. They think they can influence him for the better.

He has exhibited some threatening views and behaviour towards women in private, which he claims are jokes. As a result, DC is now frightened of him and avoids him as much as possible, to my relief. His male friends are in a better position to try to help him without putting themselves at risk. It's very sad and worrying.

Shuffleuplove · 08/07/2021 10:02

A crony of my Dad turned out to have joined the BNP years ago and his name appeared on that leaked list. He’s actually a nice bloke, but thick as mince. I mean really dense.

More worryingly one of the TAs from my sons school was a paid up member. School knew and she doesn’t work there any more. She was also thick as shit, and v common in my opinion.

Cloudninenine · 08/07/2021 10:04

@Siblingquandary

My brother is into antifa and TRA.

I'd say that's pretty far right.

He wouldn't, obviously but he'd be wrong Wink

Antifa is far left, surely?
knittingaddict · 08/07/2021 10:05

@Siblingquandary

My brother is into antifa and TRA.

I'd say that's pretty far right.

He wouldn't, obviously but he'd be wrong Wink

Antifa is far left. Confused
Cloudninenine · 08/07/2021 10:05

I know some UKIP members, whom I consider to be far right. They’re the parents of a lovely, left wing school friend of mine. Needless to say, her relationship with them is very complicated.

Original poster
FortunesFave · 08/07/2021 10:06

@PoppyFern

Of course not.

I'd give anyone like that a very wide berth as would any normal, decent person.

Well it's not always a choice...I didn't ask if you were friends with any extremists but if you KNEW any. As a PP says, her brother is one.
OP posts:
knittingaddict · 08/07/2021 10:07

Antifa is far left, surely?

Agree, obviously. There's a clue right there, in the name.

ImaginaryCat · 08/07/2021 10:07

I met a new neighbour several house moves back who, within the first week of knowing him, had casually mentioned his intention to vote for the BNP in the upcoming elections. Had no shame about this, saw no problem in mentioning it to people whose own views he didn't yet know.
And a boy in my teenage DC's class is openly homophobic. I've never previously picked up on this trait from his parents (admittedly I don't know them well), but I'm absolutely judging them. This has either come from them or they're doing fuck all to address their child's odious views.

Hollowgast · 08/07/2021 10:08

@lurkingdh

Not knowingly in person, but I was a poster on PistonHeads for years. The amount of far-right extremism on there is staggering. They don't even bother hiding it.

What's interesting is that they're convinced they're not racist. It's as if they've gotten as far as realising that would be bad, but not as far as knowing what that actually means.

I'm a PH member too - and there are definitely a few like that. Thankfully they tend to occupy themselves on one particular forum (News, Politics and Economics) leaving the rest a much more pleasant place to be. The special interest forums (Watches, Health, Music, Books etc) are really supportive and like MN, there are loads of examples of people going out of their way to do other members a favour.
Original poster
FortunesFave · 08/07/2021 10:08

@lurkingdh

Not knowingly in person, but I was a poster on PistonHeads for years. The amount of far-right extremism on there is staggering. They don't even bother hiding it.

What's interesting is that they're convinced they're not racist. It's as if they've gotten as far as realising that would be bad, but not as far as knowing what that actually means.

Interesting. The video I saw was a man who had been an extremist but had reformed...he said a lot of recruitment happened online in gaming chat. He said the youngest person he had engaged with during that time was 9 years old. He said there was almost always trauma in the life of the people who'd fall for it all...and that many would say they weren't racist.
OP posts:
PattyPan · 08/07/2021 10:10

No. There was someone I went to school with that started spouting UKIP crap on Facebook so I unfriended him.

entropynow · 08/07/2021 10:10

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Mammyofasuperbaby · 08/07/2021 10:11

I have a relative who's views are very EDL although they are not a member. I've cut this person out of my life as those views are horrific.
This person pretty much hates all forigners which is hilarious considering they are of dual nationality themselves