Digital Extremisms

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Mark Littler, Benjamin Lee

   Pages 1-11

3. Pioneers of World Wide Web Fascism: The British Extreme Right and Web 1.0

   • Paul Jackson

   Pages 13-36

4. Cumulative Extremism and the Online Space: Reciprocal Radicalisation Effects Between the Extreme Right and Radical Islamists in the UK

   • William Allchorn

   Pages 37-62

5. Haters Gonna “Like”: Exploring Canadian Far-Right Extremism on Facebook

   • Ryan Scrivens, Amarnath Amarasingam

   Pages 63-89

6. ‘Neo-Nazis Have Stolen Our Memes’: Making Sense of Extreme Memes

   • Benjamin Lee

   Pages 91-108

7. Then and Now: Irish Republicanism and Ulster Loyalism Online

   • Lorraine Bowman-Grieve, Stephen Herron

   Pages 109-132

8. Animal Rights Extremism and the Internet

   • Ruth McAlister, Rachel Monaghan

   Pages 133-156

9. ‘Demonic Slappers’ and ‘Fascists’? Exploring Extreme British Anti-abortion Activism on Facebook

   • Mark Littler

   Pages 157-176

10. Jihadi Fans Revisited: Mapping the Commonalities with Non-Islamic Extremism

    • Gilbert Ramsay

    Pages 177-196

11. Developing Effective and Ethical ‘Secondary’ Intervention Programmes to Counter Radicalisation and Polarisation

    • Jonathan Birdwell

    Pages 197-222

12. Researching the Radical Right: Making Use of the Digital Space and Its Challenges

    • Pelham Carter, Katherine Kondor

    Pages 223-252

13. Conclusion

    • Benjamin Lee, Mark Littler

    Pages 253-262

14. Back Matter

    Pages 263-268

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This book explores the use of the internet by (non-Islamic) extremist groups, drawing together research by scholars across the social sciences and humanities. It offers a broad overview of the best of research in this area, including research contributions that address far-right, (non-Islamic) religious, animal rights, and nationalist violence online, as well as a discussion of the policy and research challenges posed by these unique and disparate groups. It offers an academically rigorous, introductory text that addresses extremism online, making it a valuable resource for students, practitioners and academics seeking to understand the unique characteristics such risks present.

• cyber
• online activism
• memes
• animal rights
• research methods
• violent extremism
• far right
• Islam
• criminal behavior
• facist
• campaigning online
• guns
• policing

• University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

  Mark Littler

• Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

  Benjamin Lee

Mark Littler is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Policing at the University of Huddersfield, UK. He has previously held posts at the University of Hull, University of Oxford, and University of Manchester, and has been an Associate at the think-tank Demos and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. Mark has published on far-right extremism in journals including The Journal of Language and Politics & Behavioral Science of Terrorism and Political Aggression, and was recently commissioned to undertake work on online radicalisation by the UK Government's Commission for Countering Extremism.


Benjamin Lee is Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats, based at Lancaster University, UK. He has published on far-right extremism in journals such as Democracy and Security and Behavioral Science of Terrorism and Political Aggression. In addition, he has published in both the International Journal of Press/Politics and New Media and Society.

Policies and ethics