Extremist groups find refuge on Telegram platform once more
In recent days, Spain has been grappling with an alarming surge in hate speech and far-right extremism, both online and offline. A report by the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia revealed a significant increase in hate speech on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram.
Until 11 July, the amount of hate speech ranged between 2,000 and 5,000 messages a day. However, on 12 July, the number spiked to an unprecedented 33,000 messages. This surge was particularly noticeable on Telegram, a platform that has been criticized for its content moderation policies.
Telegram's comparatively lax controls over hateful and extremist content have allowed far-right groups to organize, spread hate speech, and coordinate violent activities. This has led to its alleged use by far-right extremist groups to plan and incite hate crimes and violence, as evidenced by the anti-immigrant riots in Spain linked to a Europe-wide far-right network called Deport Them Now.
The alleged ringleader of these riots used Telegram channels to call for residents to "hunt" down north Africans in retribution for an assault on an elderly resident. The violence occurred in Murcia, Spain.
The arrest of the ringleader is related to these anti-immigrant riots, and he is accused of inciting hate, forming an illicit association, and illegally bearing arms.
The problem of far-right extremism and calls for expulsion of immigrants is not only confined to the internet. Rioters wielding batons and chains roamed the streets of Torre Pacheco, terrorising immigrants and vandalising kebab shops. Spain's far-right party Vox, which has 33 members in the nation's Parliament, called for the expulsion of millions of immigrants from the country before the Torre Pacheco riots.
The concept of remigration, rooted in the belief of a "white genocide" taking place in the west, gained momentum among the far right after the 2011 publication of the book "The Great Replacement" by French author Renaud Camus. The Remigration Summit, organized by Deport Them Now and other groups, took place in the northern Italian town of Gallarate in May. Approximately 400 far-right activists from various European countries attended this meeting, where they discussed the "destruction of Europe" at the hands of non-European immigrants and the subsequent need for mass deportation, also known as remigration.
The lack of attention paid by authorities and media across Europe to extremist groups online is a concern raised by experts like Madrigal, who believes this oversight is dangerous. He argues that the proliferation of hate speech and extremist content on digital platforms can incite real-world violence and erode social cohesion globally.
- The rise in hate speech, not only on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram, but also in physical spaces, has become intertwined with politics, entertainment, and general news in Spain, often causing controversy and division.
- The surge in crime and justice issues in Spain, particularly those linked to far-right extremist groups such as Deport Them Now, have been closely associated with the use of social media, particularly Telegram, for organizing, spreading hate speech, and inciting violence.
