The economic downturn and the impact of the pandemic on our lives provides the conditions in which the far right thrives, enlarging the pool of potential recruits and blurring lines with the political mainstream.
First, a meteoric rise in infections, hospitalisations and, sadly, deaths. Second, the economic turmoil caused by lockdown restrictions imposed to control the spread of the virus. The impact of Covid-19 has been felt immediately.
Immediate, too, has been the response of the far right.
Just weeks into the pandemic, far-right groups were already highly visible, not missing a beat. White supremacists in the US discussed ways to spread the disease to Jewish communities, prompting warnings from the FBI, while groups in the UK spread disinformation about Muslims breaching the lockdown.