Thread by @MikeStuchbery_

With police raids carried out on today in Vienna, in a counter-terrorism investigation, it seems a good time to give a quick rundown again on the Identitarian movement, or 'Generation Identity', and how it links to other European Far Right figures. /1

The Identitarian movement has its roots in France, inspired by philosophers of the New Right, who rejected the progressive ideals of the sixties generation. /2 thedailybeast.com/the-french-ide…

The first group to emerge was the French Generation Identitare, a sort of youth wing of the Far Right 'Bloc Identitaire'. Most identitarians, subsequently, are in their teens and twenties. /3

They were followed by groups such as the Identitäre Bewegung in Germany and the Identitäire Bewegung Österreich in Austria. /4 prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/how-w…

These groups take a lot of their ideas from the 2003 book, 'Generation Identity' written by University of Stuttgart student, Markus Willinger. Still available on Amazon, despite stuff I'll get to later. /5

Identitarians, quite simply, see Europeans as under siege by migrants, who will replace them and destroy what they deem a singular 'European culture'. They advocate for 'remigration' - ethnic cleansing, really - through a series of happenings - 'situationist' protests. /6

Identitarians also met at training camps across Europe, where they are trained in self-defence and hear lectures. Some have likened these to the terrorist training camps they espouse to oppose. /7 google.com/amp/s/www.inde…

They stress they are non-violent, but undercover investigations by Al-Jazeera discovered a number of Identitarians were involved in racist violence. /8

The Identitarian movement doesn't have a leader per se, but the leader of the Austrian wing, Martin Sellner, is a sort of figurehead. /9

Sellner first came to prominence in 2017, when he and his compatriots chartered a ship in a failed mission to stop migrants from crossing the Mediterranean by boat. /10
reuters.com/article/us-eur…

Incidentally, white supremacist agitator Katie Hopkins went out to meet the Identitarians in Sicily during their mission. Here she is with fellow activist Peter Immanuelson, who has expressed Holocaust denial in the past. /11

Sellner has quite the reputation in Vienna. He was banned from carrying pepper spray against supposed attacks by 'Antifa' - no real evidence has emerged of this.

Recently it emerged that when he was younger, he daubed swastikas on a synagogue. /12 google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.…

Last year, Sellner and some of his compatriots were arrested on suspicion of attacking a theatre performance attended Muslims, and stockpiling weapons. They were found not guilty. Some think was linked to the former co-ruling Far Right FPÖ party.
/13 google.com/amp/s/news.vic…

Sellner was also banned from entering the UK to speak at a rally held by his mate 'Tommy Robinson'. 'Tommy' subsequently read his speech at Speaker's Corner. /14
google.com/amp/s/amp.theg…

This year, shortly after the Christchurch massacre, it was revealed that Martin Sellner had received a substantial donation from the accused shooter. /15 trtworld.com/magazine/how-t…

Subsequently, it was revealed that Sellner's contact with the shooter was more extensive than thought, exchanging emails with him and inviting him for coffee. /16 google.com/amp/s/amp.theg…

The shooter was clearly inspired by the Identitarian movement, as his manifesto was named after the idea underpinning their group - 'The Great Replacement'. /17

Both Sellner and his fiancée, Brittany Pettibone, are now being investigated for further links to terrorist organizations. If charged and found guilty, Sellner could do up to 10 years in prison. Pettibone would be deported. /18

In the UK the movement is slowly growing, using stickers, leaflets and 'actions' to recruit. They are most active in London, led by Charlie Fox.

Their Telegram Channel is full of pictures of them interviewing new recruits. /19

In the past, Jacob Berwick, a member of proscribed Neo-Nazi group was briefly a member of the group, and Jack Renshaw, jailed for plotting to kill an MP was influenced by them. /20 hopenothate.org.uk/2018/03/12/exp…

The UK arm of Generation Identity doesn't seem to pose quite the threat that other Identitarian groups do, but it clear they are providing a safe space for extremists to gather. /21

Generation Identity are identified by their use of the Spartan lambda, as well as a palette of black and yellow in their flyers, posters and stickers. /22

Hope that was useful. Happy to go into depth on any aspect. The movement is certainly one to watch in the wake of recent atrocities. /FIN