Conclusions
2020 was a pivotal year in history that was characterised by the COVID-19
Pandemic, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the Presidential Election. The
confluence of these events created the perfect storm, in which civil unrest,
economic hardships, and political polarisation intersected with the sudden
increase in internet usage and combined to create the perfect fuel for a surge in
far-right activities.
• The Coronavirus pandemic not only switched life online, but it
also exposed existing economic and social disparities and provided
grounds for the far-right to exploit fears, weaponizing distrust and
opposition to health measures.
• The Black Lives Matter Movement acted as a catalyst for far-right
backlash and the polarisation of the political landscape. The protests were
used as a rallying point for far-right groups, with extensive media coverage
allowing them to galvanise their supporters and spread their white
supremacist rhetoric under the pretence of defending the police.
• The Presidential Election was fiercely contested and intensified
various public divisions, with widespread right-wing claims that Trump
was the true winner of the election and that there had been a national
voting fraud. Far-right opposition to the result climaxed at the storming of
the U.S. Capitol building.
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