Right -wing extremism in Austria: Alarming numbers are calling for!

Right -wing extremism in Austria: Alarming numbers are calling for!

The constitutional protection report from 2025 brings worries messages about the development of right -wing extremism in Austria. According to the report, the number of right -wing extremists has increased by 23 percent. Lukas Hammer, right -wing extremist specialist of the Greens, describes these numbers as alarming and warns of the associated dangers for democracy and a solidarity society. The increase in severe bodily harm and the increase in weapons finds within the right -wing extremist scene is particularly worrying. Hammer emphasizes that the Freedom Party (FPÖ) is increasingly perceived as a parliamentary arm of the extreme right, which favors a dangerous social climate.

The increasing number of right -wing extremists also caused political reactions. Agnes Prammer, security spokeswoman for the Greens, demands increased measures to tighten weapons right. It is criticized that important information on weapons finds in parliamentary inquiries is often held back, which limits the possibility of effective combating these threats. In 2023 the constitutional protection itself documented a 544 relocation of the threat situation, whereby right -wing extremism recently distinguished itself as the largest internal threat in the country, before left -wing extremism and Islamism, as explained in an analysis of the protection of the constitution.

an increase in the threat situation

The review of 2023 shows that in the area of right -wing extremism the acts of crime have increased to 1,486 cases. This records an increase of 23 percent compared to 2022. In the context of the danger analysis, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner outlines four central threats: right -wing extremism, left -wing extremism, Islamism as well as espionage and cyber attacks. Particularly alarming is the twice as high radicalization online, which has risen to over 500 cases since 2022, whereby social media such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Steam and Telegram act as the main platforms for the spread of extremist content.

The radicalization not only takes place individually, but also through collective dynamics. An example is shown in the formation of networks in which a 16-year-old spread a chat group with 150 underage coordinated and right-wing extremist content. Such forms of networking promote potential for violence and can result in right -wing terrorist acts of violence. The report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BFV) confirms the role of the Internet as an engine of right -wing extremist radicalization. This is done through strategic communication and the distribution of ideological content based on social issues.

measures against right -wing extremism

In order to counteract this dangerous trend, security authorities must be increasingly active in the detection and monitoring of extremist networks and radicalized people. The data show that there is a quota of 64 percent when investigating right -wing extremist acts, while left -wing extremists are informed of only about 10 percent. Despite the challenge in the field of right -wing extremism, the educational rate in Islamist threats remains high, with 84 percent. Numerous house searches and arrests have already been carried out to contain the threats.

In order to combat the spread of extremist content on the Internet, the experts require sustainable self -regulation of large internet platforms. Civil society and the online community are also responsible for actively supporting measures against hate and agitation. It remains to be seen which further steps the political decision -makers will take to reduce the threat from right -wing extremism in Austria.

For further details, the [Constitutional Protection Report] (https://www.ots.at/presseaus-sung/ots_20250526_ots0132/hammerprammer-recht-utzreme- Waechst-Schaerferes-Waffenrecht-Ueberfaellig) as well as the [analysis Threat situation] (https://www.kleinezeitung.at/politik/innenspolitung/19728791/Rechtsextremism-groesste- Islamismus-faehrliche-threatening) and the BFV Online radicalization] (https://www.verdellungschutz.de/shahareddocs/kurzmeldungen/de/2024-09-18-rechtsextremism-im-internet.html).