Antifa – Portrait of a Radical Left-Wing Movement in Germany

The Antifa-movement polarizes. For some, it makes an important contribution to the fight against right-wing extremism, while for others it jeopardizes the state’s monopoly on the use of force and thus makes it a threat to democracy from the left. What are the key characteristics of this influential radical left-wing movement, and how did it evolve over time?

In his recent book Antifa: Portrait einer linksradikalen Bewegung, Richard Rohrmoser traces the historical development of the multifaceted anti-fascist movement from its beginnings in the 1920s until now. He outlines the tensions between civic engagement, protest culture, and radical violence that it finds itself in today. It seems more important than ever to take a closer look at these issues in times of political polarization in the Netherlands and everywhere else in Europe.

After the presentation, Hanno Balz will discuss the history and current significance of antifascist activism in Germany and beyond.

About the speakers

Richard Rohrmoser studied English, History and Social Studies in Augsburg, Malmö, and Ottawa (2008-2015) and holds a PhD in contemporary history from the University of Mannheim (2019). He focuses primarily on the history of protest, social movements, and political extremism. After having worked as a high school teacher for five years, he is currently working on a postdoc-project on the extreme right in Germany’s Rhein-Neckar-Region since the end of WWII.

Hanno Balz is a member of the academic staff at the Duitsland Instituut Amsterdam and a Lektor for the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst. He teaches German and European history at the University of Amsterdam. Hanno’s fields of research are the history of social movements, cultural and media history, and the Shoah and Nazi rule and its legacy. He published extensively on media and terrorism in West Germany.