The Guardian

I spent a year undercover with the far right. We must not let their hatred spread | Patrik Hermansson

Constant exposure to extreme racists was a numbing experience – after a while, I learned to live with unthinkably toxic ideas. The danger is that we all will• Patrik Hermansson is a Hope Not Hate researcher
‘Spending a year inside the far-right community numbs you.’ A far-right march. Photograph: Patrik Hermansson

For the past year, I have been living a dual life. To my friends, I am Patrik, a 25-year-old gay man studying for my master’s in London. To those inside a terrifying and violently race-obsessed world, I have been “Erik”, a dissatisfied Swede who came to London inspired by Brexit and to get away from the liberal bias of Swedish universities.

On behalf of , as it launches in America, I have spent 13 months infiltrating the upper echelons of the “alt-right”, a movement with strongly antisemitic, conspiracy- and

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian8 min read
PinkPantheress: ‘I Don’t Think I’m Very Brandable. I Dress Weird. I’m Shy’
PinkPantheress no longer cares what people think of her. When she released her lo-fi breakout tracks Break it Off and Pain on TikTok in early 2021, aged just 19, she did so anonymously, partly out of fear of being judged. Now, almost three years late
The Guardian4 min read
The Golden Bachelor’s Older Singletons Have Saved A Franchise
Strange as it may sound, one of the hottest shows on TV this fall has been … an old dating series now catering, for once, to senior citizens. That would be The Golden Bachelor, a new spin-off of America’s pre-eminent dating series in which a 72-year-
The Guardian6 min readRobotics
Robot Dogs Have Unnerved And Angered The Public. So Why Is This Artist Teaching Them To Paint?
The artist is completely focused, a black oil crayon in her hand as she repeatedly draws a small circle on a vibrant teal canvas. She is unbothered by the three people closely observing her every movement, and doesn’t seem to register my entrance int

Related Books & Audiobooks