With their recent electoral success across Europe and the United States, far-right parties seem to have become an “acceptable” force in politics. The far right, however, is not confined to the populist “brand” of Marine Le Pen, Victor Orbán, or Donald Trump but contains all kinds of organizations and individuals—from populist to radical to outright terrorist.

Following the exhibition We Indict! (on view through March 18 at Ludlow 38), a recent case in point is the far-right terrorist group known as the National Socialist Underground (NSU) in Germany. Between 2000 and 2007, the NSU murdered ten people and carried out bomb attacks as well as several bank robberies. The group was embedded in a well-known and widely spun network of right-wing organizations, many of which, like the white supremacist Blood & Honour, operate internationally.

During the first part of the event, Chip Berlet will speak about ethno-nationalist and neo-Fascist groups, drawing out similarities and differences between the US and Europe. The second part is going to focus on how the German NSU could remain active for seven years despite the fact that 160 police officers had been tasked nationwide with the investigation of the murders. Doris Liebscher will explain how the failures of the German authorities in the NSU case point toward collusion and structural racism.

The event is organized by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office and The Agency for Legal Imagination operating throughout 2018 at MINI/Goethe-Institut Curatorial Residencies Ludlow 38.

With the support of Friends of the Goethe-Institut

7pm

Goethe-Institut
30 Irving Place