GegenUni

GegenUni is a fake (non-accredited) online university set up by white nationalists, neo-Nazis and Christian fundamentalists in Germany. It is associated with the far-right populist party Alternative for Germany. Bogus "lecturers" at the university include Martin Sellnerhttps://gegenuni.de/kurse/wie-zur-wende/ (leader of the Austrian branch of Generation Identity), Nils Grunemannhttps://gegenuni.de/kurse/geschichte-der-kreuzzuege/ (the chairman of the Berlin branch of Generation Identity and member of the AfDhttps://www-fr-de.translate.goog/rhein-main/petrys-mitstreiter-germania-11057751.html
), Michael Henkelhttps://gegenuni.de/kurse/sozialismus-und-nation/ (a rabid Islamophobe and parliamentary secretary for the AfD in Thuringiahttps://www.der-rechte-rand.de/archive/2763/zwischen-kirche-afd-neue-rechte/https://afd-thl.de/fraktion/mitarbeiter/), Felix Dirschhttps://gegenuni.de/kurse/geopolitik/ (a self-described "right-wing Catholic"https://www.freilich-magazin.com/kultur/prof-felix-dirsch-klima-gender-migration-sind-zur-neuen-trinitaet-geworden and NWO conspiracy theorist), Martin Semlitsch (a far-right publicist who has attended the white nationalist Scandza Forum in Stockholmhttps://thebattleground.eu/2020/06/29/the-white-nationalist-experience/), Edward Dutton (ex-editor of the Mankind Quarterly and racist pseudoscientist),https://gegenuni.de/kurse/sociobiology-kurs/ Eric Lehnert (a consultant for the AfD parliamentary group in the Brandenburg state parliament), Paul Joachim, deputy chairman of the AfD parliamentary group in the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate and Stefan Scheilhttps://twitter.com/diegegenuni/status/1497311315752329218 (formerly an elected council member for the AfD in Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis). GegeUni's course reading lists include far-right authors including and .https://gegenuni.de/kurse/warum-konservative-immer-verlieren/https://gegenuni.de/kurse/kritik-der-menschenrechte/https://gegenuni.de/kurse/wir-und-die-anderen/
The German newspaper has described GegenUni as "right-wing extremist".https://www.fr.de/frankfurt/frankfurt-neue-rechtsradikale-hochschule-90820319.html
GegenUni has no educational accreditation and most its lecturers have no academic qualifications. Its courses are taught by distance learning via online videos.
Despite advertising itself as an alternative to mainstream universities it deems "corrupt", the fake university is associated with numerous disreputable and notorious individuals. Martin Sellner is a neo-Nazi who has a criminal conviction for posting swastikas on the walls of a synagogue, for which he received a suspended sentence and undertook 100 hours of unpaid community work.https://www.heute.at/s/sellner-klebte-hakenkreuze-an-synagoge-43242355 Edward Dutton is a disgraced academic who was investigated by the University of Oulo and found guilty of plagiarism.http://web.archive.org/web/20210805024936/https://www.oulu.fi/yliopisto/node/46820 Emil O. W. Kirkegaard a.k.a. William Engman is a perjurer in contempt of court who moved to Germany to avoid paying a judgment debt.https://oliveratlantis.com/emil-kirkegaard/ Supporters of GegenUni visible on social media include neo-Nazis (including the troll Michael Coombs), members, party officials and elected politicians of AfD and the Berlin/Austrian branches of Generation Identity.
Simone Rafael, an expert on extremism at the Heidelberg-based Amadeu Antonio Foundation, considers GegenUni to be a right-wing extremist organization.https://www.bild.de/bild-plus/regional/frankfurt/frankfurt-aktuell/neues-nazi-netzwerk-verfassungsschutz-warnt-vor-rechter-elite-uni-77107244.bild.html
==History==
GegenUni was registered by Erik Ahrens as a company, GegenUni UG, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (commercial register number: HRB 15647), but re-registered and moved its company address to Rostock, Germany.https://gegenuni.de/agb-gegenuni/ The company currently has a capital of €9,000 and was registered on 22 March, 2021.https://www.northdata.com/GegenUni+UG,+Rostock/HRB+15647https://firmeneintrag.creditreform.de/18069/6070822362/GEGENUNI_UG_HAFTUNGSBESCHRAENKT On the same day of being registered, Emil Kirkegaard (now known as William Engman) registered the company Gesellschaft für deutsch-dänischen Wissenstransfer UG in Kiel, Germany.https://firmeneintrag.creditreform.de/24105/5030793266/GESELLSCHAFT_FUER_DEUTSCH_DAENISCHEN_WISSENSTRANSFER_UG_HAFTUNGSBESCHRAENKThttps://www.unternehmen24.info/Firmeninformationen/Deutschland/Firma/4904645 Kirkegaard appears to be associated with the fake university, if not one of its founders. He is quoted on GegenUni's website as "Emil K." and has promoted GegenUni on his social media.You can apparently take a course on sociobiology online now under Ed Dutton @jollyheretic by Emil O W Kirkegaard (4:52 PM · Dec 20, 2022) Twitter (archived from 25 Dec 2022 18:22:03 UTC).
The moving of GegenUni's offices from Frankfurt to Rostock likely has to do with Antifa targeting the former address as well as the fact the far-right views of GegenUni were exposed in a local newspaper.https://www.fr.de/frankfurt/frankfurt-vermieter-distanziert-sich-von-rechtsextremem-portal-90825643.html The landlord of the offices that Ahrens' was renting in Frankfurt terminated the rental contract "after the background of this organization became known".https://www.fr.de/frankfurt/frankfurt-gegenwind-fuer-rechte-gegenuni-90875562.html In November 2022, Ahrens' private apartment in Frankfurt was vandalised with and paint.https://www.freilich-magazin.com/politik/mit-buttersaure-farbe-angriff-auf-privatwohnung-von-gegenuni-grunder-erik-ahrens
GegenUni was created as a so-called "counter university" to oppose mainstream academic institutions which Ahrens maintains are left-wing.From GegenUni FAQ: "The GegenUni is not "against the university", but represents a counter-movement to the left-dominated university. We are for the university as it could be — but against the university as it is." GegenUni has also been promoted by Kirkegaard and Dutton as a "non-woke" place to study controversial topics such as race and intelligence.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCX_5H2atBI [timestamp 12:02-12:15 "GegenUni which is mainly in german but which has courses on, various you know, non-woke truth-seeking uh sort of things, it really is trying to teach about, science about genuine science rather than the the the woke censored science."]https://twitter.com/KirkegaardEmil/status/1508480960018403333
In June 2022, stickers of GegenUni were found on the campus walls of the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.https://www.volksstimme.de/lokal/magdeburg/nach-nazi-schmierereien-rechte-aufkleber-auf-dem-campus-der-hochschule-in-magdeburg-3389593 Two weeks before, swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans (including "kill Jews") were found painted on the walls of a student residence at the same university.https://www.volksstimme.de/lokal/magdeburg/nazi-schmierereien-und-brandstiftung-in-magdeburger-studentenwohnheim-3378042
Ahrens has registered another company named ALB Kommunikation UG with offices in Cottbus, Germany.https://www.companyhouse.de/Erik-Ahrens-Hattersheim-am-Main This appears to be the publishing division of GegenUni with the stated purpose of "digital media and print products on political, economic and cultural topics".https://www.northdata.de/ALB+Kommunikation+UG,+Cottbus/HRB+16333
===AfD===
GegenUni has strong connections to the AfD (many of its lecturers are AfD members or work for the party) and has been sponsored by AfD party officials.Archived Twitter snapshot
==Erik Ahrens==
Erik Ahrens is a German white nationalist, Christian fundamentalist, anti-LGBT activisthttps://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1664600076939919361 and the founder of the GegenUni. Ahrens is a self-described "volcel".https://archive.is/tVT5y Born in 1994,https://www.freilich-magazin.com/gesellschaft/ich-bin-froh-darueber-wie-die-dinge-sich-entwickelt-haben Ahrens identifies as a right-wing Christian.https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1668008387563380737 He is the editor of Konflitk Magazine.https://web.archive.org/web/20210418213053/https://konfliktmag.de/category/theorie/
Ahrens moderated a discussion by AfD-affiliated economists Felix Menzel, Recherche Dresden and Jurij Kofner, MIWI Institute.https://kofner.de/archive/4296 He has spoken at far-right conferences including the 22nd Spring Academy of the IfS in Schnellroda on "Biopolitics".https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/kanal-schnellroda/biopolitik-erik-ahrens-auf-hDsHp1o-ORm/ Ahrens opposes interracial marriage and maintains homosexuality should be illegal.https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1668508286277111813 Ahrens believes god created women to "seek out the best possible offspring."https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1667061622089695234
Despite identifying as a "volcel" and claiming to voluntarily refrain from sex, Ahrens believes men and women have a "natural inclination" by god to reproduce:
===NoFap and hypocrisy===
Ahrens supports the NoFap movement and claims to oppose masturbation and pornography.https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1668900487205142530https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1668904125369577472https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1664380529003700228
He has bizarrely tried to link masturbation to witchcraft and communism.https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1668932652555018241https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1669346151274008579
Despite posing online as a moral crusader, Ahrens has been criticised for hypocrisy when it comes to child pornography:
Ahrens is a mutual follower of Emil Kirkegaard on Twitter and even quoted him on the GegenUni website as a promoter of a GegenUni course (see below). Kirkegaard is a sadomasochist and infamous activist for legalising child pornography and reducing the age of consent. Despite this, Ahrens is a close associate of his and has never criticised Kirkegaard. Instead, Ahrens can be found palling around with him.https://twitter.com/erikahrens_ffm/status/1669970475672272896
===Neo Byzantium===
In October 2024, Hope not Hate exposed Ahrens (who is active in the AfD) as having co-founded a neo-Nazi cult with Matthew Frost which was modelled on the Waffen-SS named Neo Byzantium.https://investigations.hopenothate.org.uk/race-science-inc/
==Mission==
The main goal of GegenUni is the creation of an "identitarian" (a dogwhistle for white nationalism) university. For example, one course is called Identitarian Foundations.https://gegenuni.de/kurse/identitaere-grundlagen/
GegenUni has also stated its goal is "the dissemination of right-wing ideas" and to provide a conservative alternative to liberal universities:https://www.journal-frankfurt.de/journal_news/Gesellschaft-2/Projekt-Gegenuni-Eine-rechtsextreme-Veranstaltung-die-sich-elegant-gibt-37612.html
The fake university has an account on BitChute and describes itself as "a German dissident online university."https://www.bitchute.com/video/FUjR6gJPXEVm/
In 2022, the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Hesse published a detailed report on GegenUni documenting its underlying extreme-right ideology but noted its website has tried to moderate some of its rhetoric as part of Sellner's strategy of rebranding white nationalism.https://verfassungsschutz.hessen.de/analysen-und-aktuelles/martin-sellner-und-die-gegenuni Because the term white nationalist has a stigma attached to it and is unpalatable to the general public, Ahren and Sellner now use terms such as "identitarian" and "ethnopluralist" to describe the same racist ideology. It has been noted by scholars that "by using less tainted terms (e.g. ‘ethnopluralism’ for a classic right-wing blood-and-soil-ideology) they hope to appear different and more harmless."https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/16118944221110714
===Courses===
GegenUni's website openly admits the content of its online courses are political and "relate primarily to conservative and right-wing currents of thought."https://gegenuni.de/elementor-5297/
Several of GegenUni's courses are explicitly nationalist and fascist with one course titled "ethnosymbolism".https://gegenuni.de/kurse/ethnosymbolismus/
Most of GegenUni's online courses are in German, however, one course is in English by Edward Dutton (a grifter who is also associated with other far-right diploma mills, e.g. ALEX University).https://twitter.com/diegegenuni/status/1508420550116392966 This course on sociobiology costs $147 and merely consists of downloading video lectures, approximately 90 minutes each.https://gegenuni.de/edward-dutton-sociobiology/ There is no coursework or exam for enrolled students. Therefore, calling it a "course" is dubious at best. The videos are extremely poor quality, with Dutton sitting in a dark room ranting about feminism while espousing pseudoscientific theories about race and the spiteful mutant hypothesis.
Dutton's sociobiology course includes video lectures titled "Making Sense of Race" and "Evolutionary Psychology of Wokism".https://gegenuni.de/course/physiognomy/ His lecture on race primarily is based on his own book Making Sense of Race which was published by Richard Spencer's Washington Summit Publishers in 2020.https://www.amazon.com/Making-Sense-Race-Edward-Dutton/dp/1593680716
GegenUni's courses on ethics are based on a "vision of what a good Germany can look like" while criticising liberalism and multiculturalism.https://gegenuni.de/kurse/rechte-ethik/https://gegenuni.de/kurse/rechte-ethik2/
===Lecturers===
The majority of "lecturers" at GegenUni are unqualified and have no academic background. However, four notably have PhDs:https://twitter.com/diegegenuni/status/1497311315752329218
* Edward Dutton (Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen)
* Eric Lehnert (Philosophy, University of Bamberg)
* Stefan Scheil (Political Science, University of Jena)
* Felix Dirsch (Philosophy, Munich School of Philosophy)
Although Dutton talks about sociobiology in his video lectures which focus on psychology, evolutionary biology and population genetics — he is not qualified or knowledgeable about any of these subjects. Actual scientists have described him as a fraud.https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2021/04/23/professor-edward-dutton-is-a-fraud/ Dutton's followers on Twitter sent a woman misogynistic abuse after she asked him "Are you qualified to lecture about sociobiology?".https://twitter.com/ekligercismann/status/1508468996726833165
Lehnert is infamous for his criticism of the inclusion of women in Bundeswehr army combat units and has been described in German newspapers as a sexist.https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/tod-auf-der-gorch-fock-marine-magazin-verunglimpft-frauen-an-bord-a-773161.html
===Students===
GegenUni claims to have 550 enrolled students.https://gegenuni.de/gegenuni-foerdern/
Emil Kirkegaard (as "Emil K.") on a GegenUni webpage is misleadingly listed as a student who lives in Denmark who enrolled on Dutton's course.https://gegenuni.de/edward-dutton-sociobiology/ (archived webpage) This is despite the fact Kirkegaard moved from Denmark to Germany in May 2021 (a few months after registering a company in Kiel) and is much more associated with GegenUni than only a student. Another course attendee testimonial on GegenUni's website is by "Holger M." a student from Germany. Holger is possibly Hans-Holger Malcomess, an AfD party official who has attended Pegida demonstrations.https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Holger_Malcome%C3%9F
Curiously, within a few days of this article documenting Kirkegaard's association with GegenUni — the aformentioned webpage describing him as a student at GegenUni from Denmark was deleted.Page deletion (archived webpage), see older version of page prior to deletion here. This likely has to do with the fact he has been caught out lying about the country where he currently lives (he lives in Germany, not Denmark) since he is being sued for debt collection after losing a lawsuit.
==External links==
* GegenUni (main website)
* Twitter
==See also==
* Asbiro University
* ALEX University
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Alt-right
Category:Conspiracy theorists
Category:Conservative deceit
Category:Diploma mills
Category:Education
Category:Fascism
Category:Germany
Category:German politics
Category:Human Diversity Foundation
Category:Pseudoscience
Category:Purity culture
Category:Racism
Category:Scams