This statement is also available in Kurdish, Hebrew and German.
Whether at football matches or at demonstrations – the fact that a shift to the right means the state apparatus is becoming more brutal and heavy-handed in the way it enforces its power is evident everywhere. The rise of right-wing populists and the far right worldwide is impossible to ignore. Whether it’s Erdogan, Ben Gvir or Weidel – their populist ideas and legislative proposals are being implemented or copied, human rights are met with nothing but scorn, and democratic norms are being called into question. We are witnessing a frightening shift towards authoritarianism and the curtailment of minority rights across the globe, with very tangible consequences for those who are not protected by the state. All this is almost never accompanied by a reduction in state power, but rather by a strengthening of executive authority, which is used to crush those below. Neo-Nazis sense that their actions hold power and are, at best, half-heartedly sanctioned by the state. In the wake of the shift to the right, they can grow, using violence and, despite all contradictions, presenting themselves as rebels.
We, as anti-fascist football fans, feel all this too. Law and order measures are being enforced against our subculture; the state would prefer to dissolve us today rather than tomorrow. The claim that football must be free from politics therefore only ever serves the far right. More than ever, then, we as anti-fascist football fans are the target of sanctions. But more than ever, we are also called upon to act. As the largest subcultures in our societies, we, active football fans, can set an example and take action against this damned shift to the right. We must do so, for our own protection and out of full conviction. Our solidarity with one another and with all anti-fascist endeavours gives us strength. Action Week this April 2026 will focus both on european developments and on promoting local structures that oppose the shift to the right. As long as we stand in the stadium, we will resist – against Nazis, right-wing populist arseholes, ethno-nationalist thinking, law and order, and fascism!
Alerta Network, April 2026