White school children from the middle class in Great Britain in Great Britain as young as nine are referred to an extreme right-wing deradicalisation charity after he has become 'brainwashed' by memes.
Exit Hate UK Chief Executive Nigel Bromage said that the average age of references to his organization -based organization was 15, but they even had one as old than 68.
Mr. Bromage, who brought in the far right for 20 years and co-founded the forbidden Neo-Nazi group Combat 18, said that it was' often self-referrals or parents who referred their children 'and' white children from the middle class who feel lost . '
Those whose children were referred to say that they are often radicalized through memes – viral images that record ideals and distill in an easily divisible format.
The group had only 11 annual references when he founded it in 2016 – but this has since increased to consistently between 100 and 150 a year, he told The Times.
Mr. Bromage stopped the extreme right after he became increasingly uncomfortable with the violent rhetoric distributed by his colleagues. His activities also cost him his marriage.
He claimed that excessive screen time was often linked to radicalization, with exit hatred hatred with an increase of 300 percent in references during the pandemic.
He said: 'Our youngest reference ever is nine years old, but usually they are about 15, with the oldest we have ever had 68 years old.
Former extreme right-wing activist Nigel Bromage left the movement and prepared an anti-extremism in love with those who are in the grip of hatred
He now runs charity output – who says it takes more cases where young children are radicalized online (file image)
Internet memes are now an easy way for hate figures to spread their ideologies – often with harmless figures such as Pepe de Frog (depicted)
'It is often self -references or parents who refer their children, and are often white children from the middle class who feel lost. The majority is young and well trained.
'They are worried that when they start talking about sex and immigration, they are called sexist or racist, and these extreme right -wing groups offer them a safe space to have those conversations.
“They are especially far right, neo-Nazi and extremists who are referred to us and can spend as long as two years with our deradicalization programs.”
Sarah Hardy, a mother who works with exit hates on training programs, said that her son John was first radicalized at the age of 14 with a meme shown by a friend on a phone.
The meme said: 'British soldiers are on the street because immigrants take all the houses. They are just over to die. '
And Mrs. Hardy said to The Times: 'As a mother you go through so many emotions: confusion, fear, sadness. It's like losing your child. He was still physically there, but the John I knew and loved had disappeared. '
Social media and message platforms have played an important role in flourishing hatred online -and the favorite weapon among its architects is the meme, a cover -all -term for viral images that are copied and distributed online.
Taking after the anthropological term for cultural ideas that are passed on from generation to generation, InternetMemes can capture large, complex ideas in one image – and are easily remediated and shared under online communities.
But this can extend to extreme right -wing ideas, such as white nationalism, toxic ideals of masculinity and the role of women in society and racist stereotypes – all tasty, digestible and easily spread in a matter of seconds.
But many have dark undertone-or have been copted and toxified by extreme right-wing movements. Pepe the Frog, a cartoon amphibian signed by artist Matt Furie, was included in hate movements about ten years ago, for the dismay of Furie.
Mr. Bromage now runs charity output – who says it takes more cases in which young children are radicalized online
Two examples of 'Wojak' memes, with a Nazi-SS stormtrooper and the 'Tradwife' meme that is usually used by alt-right communities to represent conservative roles for women in society
Counter terror Police Chief Matt Jukes (photo) has called on Great Britain to follow Australia's leadership in the prohibition of social media for the under 16
And 'Wojak' memes – harmless Microsoft paint drawings of cartoon faces – are often used to subtly promote these extreme right -wing ideals.
Other memes take the form of images with claims written in fat -printed text, usually without a source, or use AI to generate racist images – such as a 'British' lion roaring to monkeys, a coded racist metaphor for people of color.
But they wear currency in internet communities that often take on their claims against nominal value.
Experts say that their harmless appearance can help to move the 'Overton window' – the framework within which certain political ideals are considered acceptable – so far as an extreme right view are considered acceptable.
This week, the British head of the fight against terrorism Matt Jukes compared the damage caused by the use of social media to 'cancer' – warning that the radicalization of young people formed a larger part of MI5 and in the field of police work.
He has suggested that the VK Australia follows when imposing a ban on social media under 16 years of age – despite the fact that critics claim that it would not be fanceable.
He said to the Times: 'If I give you a parallel with the damage caused by smoking, it was clear in 1950 that smoking caused lung cancer and kill people.
'But it took decades for governments to decide to regulate, not even after the offer of tobacco not further, but even only the advertising of tobacco for young people in places where young people could see it.
“So that kind of delay of decades is what we can't hold against this challenge.”
And last year, Mi5 boss Ken McCallum revealed that the agency had reported a triple increase in children who was investigated for terrorism, in which Memes usually played a role in the radicalization of the young people.
In October he said in the Counter Terrorism Operations Center in West Londs: 'Unfortunately, 13 percent of everyone who is investigated by MI5 are being involved in involvement in the UK terrorism below 18.
“That is a triple increase in the past three years. Extreme right -wing terrorism in particular is harming young people, driven by propaganda that shows a cannic understanding of online culture. '
