Proper Gander – Far into the far right
Despite its promotional graphics promising a flashy spy thriller with steely black-clad secret agents, Channel 4’s documentary Undercover: Exposing The Far Right was more sobering than spectacular. Cameras followed investigators from advocacy group Hope Not Hate as they went incognito among far-right activists to learn more about how they operate. As Hope Not Hate’s Director of Research Joe Mulhall says, ‘the far right often present one image to the world, and what they’re saying when they think no-one is listening is different. We have to be in the room when they think no-one’s listening’.
Two researchers who get ‘in the room’ are Harry Shukman and Patrik Hermansson. They travel from London to Tallinn, Warsaw and Athens, with Harry wearing a hidden camera and adopting the persona of ‘Chris’ to infiltrate a far-right network. This is composed of the richer, entrepreneurial type of activist, rather than the thuggish, St George’s flag-wearing variety, but their attitudes are the same, as shown when secret filming reveals abhorrent racist views.
By attending meetings online and in person as ‘Chris’, Harry pieces together information about what he calls a ‘very secretive company’: the Human Diversity Foundation, whose CEO Emil Kirkegaard is described as a ‘scientific racist’. One arm of the company arranges and funds research into ‘race science’, with articles published by its other arm, the Aporia website, established by ex-RE teacher Matt Archer. Aporia’s essays defend conservative values, with an unnerving emphasis on discussing genetic differences between groups. The documentary goes on to explain that the Human Diversity Foundation is a replacement for the Pioneer Fund, a financial backer of the far right. Being a charity, the Pioneer Fund had to disclose its funding sources, but as a private company, the HDF has no such requirement. ‘Chris’ is keen to find out the identity of a donor willing to invest $1.3 million, who Kirkegaard says is ‘between white nationalist and libertarian’. When ‘Chris’ asks if this person’s views could attract criticism, Kirkegaard replies ‘he’s so well off that it doesn’t really matter what they say’, which was one of the more depressing lines in the programme. Harry and Patrik eventually learn that the donor is Andrew Conru, a millionaire who made money in the early years of the internet by setting up online dating sites. Captions at the end of the documentary say that Archer and Conru have now ended their involvement with the HDF.
A previous covert operation by Hope Not Hate to infiltrate the fascist group National Action helped prevent a murder attempt on Labour MP Rosie Cooper, and was later dramatised for ITV. The documentary features its work to investigate and expose other far-right players, such as Paul Golding and Tommy Robinson. Golding, leader of the Britain First party, is filmed by Harry’s hidden camera saying he wants the country to deteriorate, as he sees it, so that this will motivate more people towards the far right. Tommy Robinson (formerly of the English Defence League) was found guilty of defaming a 15-year-old refugee from Syria, and went on to break a court order by repeating his claims in interviews and broadcasts. He was sent to prison for this in October 2024, with evidence for his trial contributed by Hope Not Hate.
Fighting the far right comes with risks of threats and retaliation; its ideology attracts people attracted to violence. The documentary itself was pulled at the last minute from premiering at the London Film Festival in case its screening led to reprisals. And while it was being recorded, Hope Not Hate’s founder and CEO Nick Lowles heard that the police had arrested someone who was arranging to have him targeted. The programme shows the strength and perseverance of those such as Patrik and Harry in particular who have kept up a persona to go undercover amongst such hate-fuelled people, although they’ll have to find other activities now their identities have been broadcast.
Contrasted with the bravery of the investigators is the confidence of the far right, no doubt boosted by the wealth available to organisations such as the Human Diversity Foundation. The documentary focuses on revealing Conru’s identity, but presumably there are also other millionaires who feel that their privileged status is best defended by investing in ‘race science’. The more money which goes into researching ‘race science’, the more it can gain traction in the market for ideas, regardless of the weakness of its arguments. The far-right activists featured in the documentary promote their ideology with a professional, business-like approach which suits their aims. The HDF aspires for its research to influence public policy and the views of the capitalist class, whereas the likes of Tommy Robinson and Paul Golding aim to attract support among the working class. This potentially makes the HDF and its associates more dangerous than the ‘populist’ far right, because of the power wielded by the elite. Even with a proportion of the capitalist class backing ‘race science’ – ie, race-based eugenics, how successfully they could translate this into furthering their own wealth would depend on the vagaries of the economic market and attracting broader support. Still, it’s concerning that ‘race science’ is now more prominent as part of the far right’s ideology than at any time since the 1930s. Hope Not Hate aims to combat this tendency by unearthing how its organisations are run and working with the police when they break the law. However many successful investigations they complete, the struggle is too wide for them to win, as it will continue as long as the societal conditions exist which breed far-right ideology.
MIKE FOSTER
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