How Alt-Right Groups Use Medievalism in Response to Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ Rights Movements.
By: Rosemary Kelly
Tags: Fascism, Irish Politics, Medievalism, Racism, White Supremacy

How Alt-Right Groups Use Medievalism in Response to Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ Rights Movements.

Image of Anti-Mask gathering outside Customs House, Dublin. Image taken from The Irish Times.

This summer has seen the growth of the Black Lives Matter campaign globally, a movement that targets racism across institutions and everyday life, calling for mass change. The movement began in 2017 but throughout the summer of 2020 we have seen an increase in protests, both online and in person. In Ireland, several protests took place across the country with large numbers in attendance. Campaigners have also successfully seen the removal of several statues dedicated to imperialist figures, such as past slave-traders. In Belgium, many statues dedicated to King Léopold II, one of many responsible for the violent exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo that saw thousands of people murdered, were removed by protesters (Munshi 2020). However, the anti-racism movement has not been without criticism, particularly from far-right individuals and groups that promote anti-immigration policies and ideologies. In the run up to the US election in November, the military arm of Proud Boys, known as the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights targeted several Black Lives Matter protests. Dorothy Kim writes that the faction “aims to instigate violent confrontation with #BlackLivesMatter and anti-fascist protesters”, while Donald Trump refused to explicitly condemn the group and its actions (Kim 2020).

Acts of violence and racism by far-right groups are not isolated incidents but rather, are part of a wider white supremacist campaign. The growth of Black Lives Matter and incorporation of the movement into marketing campaigns, advertising, celebrity appearances, and other such examples such as acts on the popular show Britain’s Got Talent, has incited a response from far-right / alt-right groups. These groups have been using the medieval as part of their identity for a significant amount of time. White supremacy overlapping with the medieval in modern day can be traced back to publications from the late 18th century, where scholars argued for the racial superiority of Germanic groups such as “the Anglo-Saxons” over “other races”. The Nazi Party used the medieval past of Germany as part of their identity, such as the legend of Sigurd in Norse Mythology.

Social media has been a useful tool for Black Lives Matter campaigners, but so too has it been utilised by far-right groups, parties, and individuals. Anonymous accounts are being created quicker than the platforms can deal with the backlog of reports. One anonymous account on Twitter, created in 2020, stated that “England is our ancestral home — so why is there a ‘BLM’ mob here? The indigenous people of the UK are white Anglo-Saxon, some Viking, some Celt. No Black African”. This account is one of many tweeting out in response to Black Lives Matter and arguing that black people cannot be British. Similarly, there is a growth of accounts arguing that black people cannot be Irish, using a Celtic and Gaelic history and culture as the pinnacle of Irish identity, sweeping this together with whiteness.

This is not just the words and actions of anonymous individuals online, however. Political groups have been formed in response to civil rights movements and increased immigration in both Ireland and the UK. In recent years, political parties such as National Front in the UK have used Old Norse runes as part of their iconography at rallies, while many Trump supporters have been seen to do the same, such as individuals at the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Irish political parties such as the Irish Freedom Party, the Irish National Party, and Anti-Corruption Ireland have also used Irish history, both medieval and modern, as part of its identity. However, not all of these are recognised as registered parties due to requirements under Irish law, so its members have run as independent candidates in recent elections. The groups push for anti-immigration policies and ideologies. It was recently noted that the Irish National Party self-published an article on black youths in Ireland, claiming there is a “mass plantation of Africans onto Irish soil”. These groups do not recognise black people as Irish, regardless of whether they were born in Ireland or not. They wish to strip citizenship from minority groups as well as enact mass deportations from Ireland, looking to create a white, Catholic republic. These groups also seek to undo the results of the 2018 Abortion Referendum in Ireland, which saw the repeal of the 8th amendment allowing for the legalisation of abortion in the Republic. North Ireland continues to face obstacles in securing abortion rights, despite it being legal in Scotland, Wales, and England. Individuals who continue to campaign for reproductive rights in Ireland therefore must also be concerned with these groups. The Irish Nationalist Party or Síol na hÉireann openly claim that “Síol na hÉireann means Tribe/Seed of Ireland. While its name and ethos are rooted in our sacred Irish soil and our ancient traditions, this is an organisation dedicated to using best 21st century campaigning practice to build a real nationalist alternative in all our 32 Counties”.

These groups are not just racist, however. These groups also promote anti-LGBTQ actions and policies. During the summer of 2020, a rally took place outside Dáil Éireann, organised by the Irish National Party. Using images of nooses and claiming to be seeking protections for Irish children, this rally targeted LGBTQ politicians in both the Dáil and the Seanad, angered at the Minister for Children being held by an openly gay man, Roderic O’Gorman. The group strongly believe that LGBTQ sex education would endanger children, also making claims that LGBTQ people, including Irish politicians, are sexual predators. Issues of racism, homophobia, and transphobia are interlinked, especially considering new political parties and recent campaigns. These groups, if elected, would seek to undo LGBTQ rights in Ireland, as well as targeting ethnic minorities and immigration policies. Anti-Mask and Anti-Lockdown protests have also seen an increased use of Crusades imagery, with online accounts identifying with a white, Celtic / Gaelic past in Ireland. Similarly, this has occurred in the UK with reference to Viking, Early English (or “Anglo-Saxon”), and Celtic cultures and history.

Individuals concerned with the use of the medieval by fascist groups should be concerned about the increase of transphobic and homophobic ideology. These issues are heavily overlapping in Ireland. The use of the medieval for hate campaigns is not just unique to Irish or British groups but is a global problem that many scholars and those outside of academia have not fully acknowledged yet. In 2016, M. W. Bychowski stated that satirical transphobic papers were heard during Pseudosociety’s panel at Kalamazoo International Congress on Medieval Studies (Bychowski 2016). Gender studies in the medieval have faced confrontation and resistance within academia in the past and transphobic papers come as no surprise in the current climate. However, this is an issue that must be appropriately acknowledged by academics if the field is to be the diverse and welcoming area that many of us pride ourselves on, myself included.

With social media platforms either refusing to or struggling to deal with the onslaught of racist, homophobic, and transphobic accounts, minority communities are left feeling endangered. The Guardian reported in late November that black people in the UK have experienced an increase in discrimination, with it rising from 74% to 81%. Asian people living in the UK have also felt this increase in discrimination throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with the cited poll stating that 71% of Asian people have experienced racism this year (Booth 2020). These previously mentioned political groups have also often resisted public health guidelines surrounding masks, social distancing, and lockdowns, as well as spreading misinformation surrounding vaccines. The continued breach of public health guidelines puts entire countries at risk, and this heavily overlaps with continued acts of racism, homophobia, and transphobia in both the UK and Ireland. These groups are often connected internationally with other groups in Europe and the USA and push for legislation that displaces LGBTQ people, BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Colour), and other minority communities. If medievalists are serious about creating a field that is diverse and open to all regardless of race, gender, sexuality, etc. then it is important we respond to the continued use of medieval cultures, history, and iconography by far-right political groups online and in person. Combining violent language of extermination with medieval iconography, these groups will continue to target minority communities and these issues are therefore greatly overlapping in Irish, British, and American politics.

Works Cited

Bychowski, M., 2016. Genres of Embodiment: A Theory of Medieval Transgender Literature. [Blog] Transliterature: Things Transform, Available at: <http://www.thingstransform.com/2016/05/genres-of-embodiment-theory-of-medieval.html> [Accessed 5 December 2020].

Booth, R., 2020. “Black Lives Matter has increased racial tension, 55% say in UK poll”. The Guardian, [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/27/black-lives-matter-has-increased-racial-tension-55-say-in-uk-poll> [Accessed 5 December 2020].

Kim, D., 2020. “Where do we see medieval tropes this election season?”. Brandeis Magazine, [online] Available at: <https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2020/october/elections-medieval-comps-kim.html> [Accessed 5 December 2020].

Munshi, N., 2020. “Belgium’s reckoning with a brutal history in Congo”. Financial Times, [online] Available at: <https://www.ft.com/content/a17b87ec-207d-4aa7-a839-8e17153bcf51> [Accessed 5 December 2020].