S2 Ep2: How The Far Right Went Global

Fascism has never really gone away—but it has changed shape. From the street-level racism and open organising of the British National Party in 1990s East London to today’s globalised far right, this episode traces how authoritarian politics have moved from the margins to the mainstream. Host Nick Dearden draws on personal experience of anti-fascist organising, and is joined by Seema Syeda from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and co-author of Creeping Fascism, and Luke Cooper , author of Authoritarian Contagion and academic at the London School of Economics. Their conversation explores how the far right has built international networks, institutions, and narratives that now feel disturbingly normal. They dig into why “fascism” remains a contested term on the left, what’s genuinely new about the current moment, and what can still be done to resist it. In This Episode The rise and fall of the BNP, street fascism, and the mass anti-racist movements that defeated it Debates about whether “fascism” is the right label for today’s authoritarian politics Key similarities and differences between past and present far-right movements What a Reform government might actually look like in power, and whether figures like Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson represent fundamentally different threats The “Unite the Kingdom” rally and what it reveals about the current far right Featured Organisation: No to Hassockfield No To Hassockfield Facebook: The No to Hassockfield Campaign Instagram: @no2hassockfield Twitter/X: @No2Hassockfield Links to things we discussed Creeping Fascism by Neil Faulkner with Samir Dathi, Phil Hearse and Seema Syeda. Authoritarian Contagion by Luke Cooper A Town Within: Visiting Baqa’a Refugee Camp by Madihah Karim What happened when I met my Islamophobic troll by Hussein Kesvani The law of the jungle by Nick Dearden Praxis: The essential guide for changing minds on migration UNRWA : United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees Time For Change: The evidence-based policies that can actually fix the immigration system Make a donation to COUNTER•POWER ABOUT THE PODCAST COUNTER•POWER is brought to you by Stop Trump Coalition, Another Europe Is Possible and Global Justice Now, three organisations at the centre of the new global resistance. This podcast isn’t just about chatting and conversation — it’s about turning ideas into action and building real community power. That’s why we have a simple pledge to you, our audience. On every single episode we’ll leave you with something you can do to catalyse change. Whether it’s the latest big ideas or the movements you need to check out, you’ll find them on COUNTER•POWER. But we need your help to launch this project. We need £8,000 to catapult COUNTER•POWER into the podcasting sphere with the aim of making it self-sustaining in the future. The funds will cover high-quality production – including sound and visuals – as well as consistent editorial quality, all of which are essential to creating the kind of impactful podcast we’re aiming for. Any donation – big or small – can help us get there. Thank you for your support. DONATE HERE

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S2 Ep2: How The Far Right Went Global is an episode from The Another Europe Podcast by Audioboom.

This episode is 47:06 long.

This episode was published on Feb 7, 2026.

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