Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) have become the third Neo-Nazi
organisation in just six months to be proscribed as a terrorist
group by the UK government.
As of Friday 17 July 2020, it is an offence to be a member or
support FKD, with those found guilty facing up to 10 years in
prison and an unlimited fine.
FKD is a small, international neo-Nazi organization that follow
a white supremacist ideology and also advocates
‘accelerationism’ – which is the use of violence and acts of
terrorism to bring about a ‘race war’ and the fall of existing
social and political systems.
They promote their ideology online through the sharing of
violent white supremacist propaganda, commonly using social
media platforms to target young people aged between 13 and 25.
Deputy Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism
Policing, Assistant Chief Constable Tim Jacques, said: “Today’s
proscription is yet another step forward in our battle against
this hateful ideology, which aims to incite hatred and violence
between our communities.
“Last year we called Right Wing Terrorism the fastest-growing
terrorist threat in the UK, but despite this rapid growth it
thankfully still has a relatively small footprint in this
country.
“However, we must do everything we can to stop it growing
further in terms of reach and influence – and this proscription
helps us in that fight.
“Our world class Counter Terrorism Network has become adept at
identifying and disrupting these groups, but like the recently
proscribed Sonnenkrieg Division, and National Action before
that, we should expect FKD to splinter and rebrand under a
different name.
“We will continue to use every power at our disposal to arrest
and charge those who support this group and those like it, but
we can only hope to beat this insidious ideology by stopping
young and vulnerable people from following the path towards
extremism in the first place.”
Analysts at Counter Terrorism Policing have warned that groups
like FKD are increasingly targeting young people with their
rhetoric and propaganda, reporting that young people who engage
with right wing extremism are highly likely to do so
online.
The groups often use mainstream social media platform to post
non-extreme information regarding popular or relatable topics,
with the intention of engaging these younger audiences before
encouraging them to migrate to less moderated platforms where
they can share more graphic and extreme content.
“Too often recently we have seen young people in the UK jailed
after being lured towards extremism and violence by what they
consume online,” said Assistant Chief Constable Jacques.
“We don’t want to be in the business of convicting children and
young people, but when they become a risk to themselves and
others we must take the appropriate action to protect the
public.
“We can stop this from happening, but it requires parents,
friends and family to help us by talking to their children
about what they view online, and sharing their concerns when
they suspect someone they know is in danger of being
radicalised. It is a difficult thing to do, but we must see it
for what it is – action which could potentially save their life
and the lives of others.”
Every year thousands of reports from the public help police
tackle the terrorist threat. If you see or hear something that
doesn’t seem right, trust your instincts and ACT by reporting
to police in confidence at gov.uk/ACT.
If you are concerned that someone you know is
potentially at risk of radicalisation, tell someone – and help
them take a different path. For help and advice about the risks
of radicalisation and to refer your concerns, visit
www.ltai.info
To learn more about how you can contribute to the UK’s
fight against terrorism visit gov.uk/ACT.
