VICE, 2021
How did Generation Identity go from being the most high-profile and influential far-right groups in Europe, to being de-platformed and banned in their country of origin?
Repackaging classic far-right ideas for millennials, Generation Identity consciously eschewed the stereotypical far-right aesthetics and language – binning the bomber jackets and talking about culture instead of race, in an effort to seem more respectable and appealing to potential recruits and the media.
In March 2021, after nine years of controversial and confrontational activism, the French government finally banned the group, whose tactics and ideology was able to spread across Europe and to the US.
How effective will a ban be? Only time will tell. But undoubtedly, Europe’s most influential and high-profile far-right street movement is on a downward spiral.
