Conference addresses right-wing extremism
01 July 2009
Dr Matthew Feldman, The University of Northampton, Dr Paul Jackson, The University of Northampton and Dr Peter Davies, University of Huddersfield, who spoke on the panel ''The Rhetoric of Party Political Extremism in Europe''. View large image
Leading commentators on history and far-right movements gathered at Park Campus recently at a major conference, the first day-long event of its type, to address the language of right-wing extremism.
'Speaking with Forked Tongues: The Rhetoric of Right-Wing Extremism' focused on veiled extremist language and also included a panel and forum discussion on the LaRouche Organisation, a political organisation run by Lyndon LaRouche, addressing the case of British student Jeremiah Duggan who died in mysterious circumstances in March 2003.
Dr Matthew Feldman, Senior Lecturer in Twentieth Century History, School of Social Sciences, The University of Northampton, and one of the organisers of the conference, commented:
''We have seen extensive evidence here today regarding the far-rights dualistic language; one face is turned to the public as a 'patriotic' or populist party yet the other, internal face is directed towards neo-facist ideologies of activists who are encouraged to 'sanitise' their language in order to obscure an extremist agenda shared by far-right parties across England and beyond.''
Guests and keynote speakers for the conference included Chip Berlet, an American investigative journalist, Dr Peter Davies, University of Huddersfield, Michael Ellis, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton North, Dennis King, leading expert on the LaRouche Organisation, Professor Roger Griffin, Oxford Brookes University, Dr Paul Jackson, The University of Northampton and Professor Janet Wilson, The University of Northampton.
Dr Matthew Feldman was interviewed by the BBC during the conference and also presented at the Parliamentary Committee on Anti-Semitism and at a counter-terrorism case at the Old Bailey.
Video footage from the conference will soon be available online at www.speakingwithforkedtongues.wordpress.com
Reference: UON9499
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