Anti-fascist research group Kafka, commonly abbreviated to Kafka, is a Dutch anti-fascist and far-left research group. Its name was said to be an acronym for Kollektief Anti-Fascistisch/-Kapitalistisch Archief (English: Collective Anti-Fascist/-Capitalist Archive) before 1994, but the research group has since indicated that they had named themselves after the writer Franz Kafka.
History
Kafka finds its origins in the squatters' movement. It conducts research into groups and individuals in the Netherlands whom it considers to be far-right, and the developments related to them. The results are published on the website of the research group. Kafka is funded by gifts and donations, rather than subsidies. Jaap van Beek has been the group's spokesperson since at least 2010.
In the run-up to the provincial elections of 2011, Kafka published a report which showed that various Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) candidate members and party supporters (who had signed its "Declaration of support for a list of candidates" document) had ties to the far-right. Among them were former Centre Democrats and members or candidate members of the Dutch People's Union.
In December 2017, the research group published a report on Géza Hegedüs [nl], who had been presented as PVV's lead candidate in Rotterdam for the 2018 municipal elections. Kafka revealed that Hegedüs was a member of the alt-right Studiegenootschap Erkenbrand and had shared, among other things, antisemitic and antiziganist opinions and his belief in a coming civil war in Western Europe on that group's podcast.
In 2023, two White Lives Matter (WLM) activists were arrested on suspicion of projecting white nationalist slogans on the Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam and other structures in Alkmaar and Eindhoven. Dutch media cited Kafka's report on WLM in their coverage, and the group's spokesperson voiced his concerns about right-wing extremists' attempts to normalize racism and the increased use of ethnonationalist rhetoric in mainstream political discourse.
AIVD scrutiny
In the 2008 annual threat report of the General Intelligence and Security Service (Dutch: Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst, AIVD), under the heading 'left-wing extremism', Kafka was mentioned as the information supplier of the left-wing activist group Anti-Fascistische Aktie (AFA). In 2010, the AIVD wrote in its report Afkalvend front, blijvend beladen (English: Calving Front, Permanently Fraught) that Kafka and AFA strove to "keep everything that is considered right-wing out of the public space." Kafka and AFA would allegedly pursue this anti-democratic goal through undemocratic means, such as (inciting) violence and intimidation.
Selected dossiers
- Blood & Honour
- Centre Democrats
- Centre Party '86
- Dutch Block
- Dutch People's Union
- Forum for Democracy
- Linguistic purists
- Lonsdale youth
- National Alliance
- Nationalist People's Movement
- New National Party and Volksnationalisten Nederland
- New Right
- Oud-Strijders Legioen
- Party for Freedom
- Pim Fortuyn List and Livable Netherlands
- Stormfront
- Voorpost
See also
- Antifa (Netherlands)
- Blokwatch, a comparable research and documentation group on right-wing extremism in Belgium
References
- "FAQ" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Over Kafka" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Steun Kafka" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- Selevcek, Miroslav (24 October 2010). "Storm op komst" (in Dutch). Art.1. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- "Rechtsextremisten actief bij de PVV" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- Heijmans, Toine (16 February 2011). "PVV krijgt steun extreem-rechts" (in Dutch). de Volkskrant. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- "De bruine wortels van de Rotterdamse PVV-lijsttrekker Géza Hegedüs" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- Beek, Monica (15 December 2017). "Kafka: Lijsttrekker Rotterdamse PVV heeft extreemrechtse ideeën". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- Bolle, Joram; Kraak, Haro (24 February 2023). "Politie arresteert twee verdachten voor racistische projecties op Erasmusbrug en stadhuizen in Alkmaar en Eindhoven". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- "White Lives Matter onder de loep" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- "Racistische laserprojecties baren zorgen: 'Symptoom van groter probleem'". NOS. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- Klei, Ewout (17 January 2023). "'Extreemrechts wordt steeds meer mainstream', ziet Jaap van Beek (Kafka)". de Kanttekening (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- Horst, Guus ter (21 April 2009). "AIVD Jaarverslag 2008" (in Dutch). General Intelligence and Security Service. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- "AIVD-publicatie: Afkalvend front, blijvend beladen" (in Dutch). General Intelligence and Security Service. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- "Blood & Honour (B&H)" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Centrumdemocraten CD" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Centrumpartij '86 CP'86" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Nederlands Blok NB" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Nederlandse Volks-Unie NVU" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Forum voor Democratie Archieven" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Taalpuristen" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Lonsdalejongeren" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Nationale Alliantie NA" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Nationalistische Volks Beweging NVB" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Nieuwe Nationale Partij NNP / Volksnationalisten Nederland VNN" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Nieuw Rechts NR" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Oud-Strijders Legioen OSL" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Partij Voor de Vrijheid PVV" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Lijst Pim Fortuyn LPF" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "internetforum Stormfront" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "Voorpost" (in Dutch). Anti-fascist research group Kafka. Retrieved 6 September 2023.