Page 135 - Šolsko polje, XXIX, 2018, no. 5-6: Radicalization, Violent Extremism and Conflicting Diversity, eds. Mitja Sardoč and Tomaž Deželan
P. 135
Radical Hate Speech:
The Fascination with Hitler and Fascism
on the Slovenian Webosphere
Boris Vezjak
Introduction
In January 2015, Lutz Bachmann, the leader of the German anti-Mus-
lim Pegida movement, posted a photo of himself on his Facebook pro-
file posing as Adolf Hitler and captioned by hate speech, referring to
the migrants as “vermin”. This triggered an avalanche of media backlash
and public distancing, also within the right movement’s membership it-
self. It seemed that a direct fascination with the Führer was going to be
too difficult to justify even in the framework of political convictions of
the likeminded and the wider public, which has come to expect nothing
other than this sort of islamophobia and hated towards migrants from
Pegida and its leader. Kirn (2015: p. 51) notices that Bachmann’s positions
were considered absolutely fine until the publication of the leader’s por-
trait. But having thus penetrated the media agenda, the leader’s public
flaunting of his Hitlerian visage, which veritably reflects the truth about
Pegida, miscarried and resulted in his, at least temporary, resignation
from Pegida’s leadership.
Bachmann later tried to apologise by claiming that the photograph,
featuring him wearing the typical Hitlerian parting with the addition of
the recognizable moustache, was only an attempt at satire after a visit to
the hairdresser for his sound book titled He is back. He added that that
satire was a normal human reaction, which needs to be applied from time
to time to allow for self-mockery (Connolly, 2015). This paper specifical-
ly examines the issue of the intolerability of the fascination with Hitler
in Facebook users from Slovenia and, in turn, runs aground a similar
133
The Fascination with Hitler and Fascism
on the Slovenian Webosphere
Boris Vezjak
Introduction
In January 2015, Lutz Bachmann, the leader of the German anti-Mus-
lim Pegida movement, posted a photo of himself on his Facebook pro-
file posing as Adolf Hitler and captioned by hate speech, referring to
the migrants as “vermin”. This triggered an avalanche of media backlash
and public distancing, also within the right movement’s membership it-
self. It seemed that a direct fascination with the Führer was going to be
too difficult to justify even in the framework of political convictions of
the likeminded and the wider public, which has come to expect nothing
other than this sort of islamophobia and hated towards migrants from
Pegida and its leader. Kirn (2015: p. 51) notices that Bachmann’s positions
were considered absolutely fine until the publication of the leader’s por-
trait. But having thus penetrated the media agenda, the leader’s public
flaunting of his Hitlerian visage, which veritably reflects the truth about
Pegida, miscarried and resulted in his, at least temporary, resignation
from Pegida’s leadership.
Bachmann later tried to apologise by claiming that the photograph,
featuring him wearing the typical Hitlerian parting with the addition of
the recognizable moustache, was only an attempt at satire after a visit to
the hairdresser for his sound book titled He is back. He added that that
satire was a normal human reaction, which needs to be applied from time
to time to allow for self-mockery (Connolly, 2015). This paper specifical-
ly examines the issue of the intolerability of the fascination with Hitler
in Facebook users from Slovenia and, in turn, runs aground a similar
133
