Oppression
AFA is against every form of repression based on origin or descent, sex, Religious belief and sexual orientation. AFA strives towards a society based on equality and freedom and minimising socio-economic differences. This is the opposite of fascism which is an ideology which glorifies violence and the idea that might is right. Under fascism, democracy would be the first thing to be abolished and fascists view themselves as superior. Women, immigrants, homosexuals, Jews, the handicapped and anyone who has different opinions are repressed by fascists with all the means available to them. Over the years. the term fascism has had multiple interpretations. It is used and abused for right-wing extremists, racist and neo-nazi parties and groups, Own people first groups and sometimes in a broader sense such as calling repressive regimes or government policies fascist. We prefer to use the term right-wing extremism, an umbrella term for right-wing extremists, neo-fascists and neo-nazis. We use this term because, for example, not every extreme right-wing racist is a fascist.

Combating the extreme right-wing

AFA strives to combat racist, extreme right-wing, neo-nazi and neo-fascist groups, parties and tendencies. The extreme right abuse their freedom of speech to discriminate against people and groups and incorrectly accuses these people of being the cause of social problems. Extreme right-wing organisations and political parties always propose false solutions for social problems. For example, they use nationalistic or racial solution for issues such as migration, population composition, job opportunities and crime. They attempt to create a schism in society. The extreme right tries to destabilise society and incite -sometimes subtly - racial hatred and violence against ethnic groups. Right-wing extremism also makes the entire political climate more right-wing when established political parties adopt extreme right-wing points of view so as not to lose any votes instead of combating and refuting prejudice and racism.

The fight against the shift right in government policy

In the AFA's eyes antifascism also entails fighting the shift right in government policy. The Netherlands are not a fascist state but a parliamentary democracy. A shift right has been going on for some time in this democracy. Parts of fascist ideology threaten to become palatable to society. Nowadays, messages formerly considered extreme right-wing or racist have become socially acceptable. The government is increasingly opting for very right-wing solutions. The introduction of the compulsory ID, the increasingly repressive refugee policy (a growing number of prisons for illegal aliens, the Data Merge Act, the new Alien's Act,…), tougher penalties and the expansion of the police force are just a few examples. AFA fights against this shift right as it feeds fascism. Latent fears and insecurities are awakened and policy measures create an 'us' against 'them' mentality.

Activities

In order to combat the political shift right and extreme right-wing activity AFA undertakes actions. This can be in the guise of a demonstration, a blockade, the dissemination of flyers in order to inform people, flyposting and the support of other organisations. We also provide information to schools and the press, publish the Alert! magazine and issue informational brochures. Furthermore, we investigate the extreme right.

Alert!

AFA has been publishing Alert! since 1997. Alert! is a quarterly publication and provides background information on the extreme right-wing movement in the Netherlands and abroad. Furthermore, attention is paid to the political shift right. The magazine is aimed at those who have to deal with the extreme right-wing professionally, interested parties and others. Alert! enables the AFA to provide (local, provincial and national) governments, antiracist organisations, interested parties , the press and politicians with essential information in order to provide insight into the extreme right-wing. Other organisations and institutions often lack this knowledge which is important if you wish to understand and stay up to date on right-wing extremism. Alongside various background articles, Alert! consists of a number of sections such as 'What did the right write?' and 'Under the microscope' in which antifascist research group Kafka spotlights a different movement or person per issue.

Support

Extreme right-wing organisations, parties and people continue to campaign and increase their rank and file with varying degrees of success. Per instance, AFA determines whether action is warranted. To do so we need your support! Over the years, it has become clear that we cannot trust the government to tackle the extreme right, reduce prejudice and care for refugees. The political climate in the Netherlands has become pretty right-wing over the past few years. We will therefore have to cooperate to create a borderless society in which mutual solidarity, equality and freedom are of paramount importance.