Subject: Neo-Nazi marches against the Christopher-Street-Day celebration in Fulda, smear campaigns against active civil society, and the strong showing of the AfD in the last local elections: The city of Fulda and the surrounding area in eastern Hesse are hotspots of far-right activites. The MBT Hessen not only documents far-right incidents in eastern Hesse but, above all, advises and supports active citizens seeking to counter these phenomena. This presentation offers insight into the work being done on the ground: how can we define this phenomenon? What is occurring in this region? And: what strategies have been proven to be effective in counteracting it?

Speaker/Organisation: The MBT Hessen provides counsel to civil society, businesses, government representatives, and anyone who seeks to oppose right-wing extremism and racism, and to advocate democracy. In addition, they offer workshops and lectures on the subject. The MBT Hessen is part of a state- and nationwide network of counselling centres. Jakob Stengel holds a Master's degree in History and is responsible for public relations at MBT Hessen. Marie-Lena Barth has a Master's degree in Peace and Conflict studies and works as a consultant at MBT Hessen.

This lecture is based on the article "Potential Global Effects of the Rise of the Far Right on Public Health" (American Journal of Public Health, 2025), which examines the implications of far-right political movements for population health, considering the impact of their discourses and the policies they implement. 

The study was conducted as a narrative review of the scientific literature, aiming to identify and synthesize existing knowledge on how far-right ideologies, discourses, and policy approaches may influence health outcomes and health systems at both individual and population levels. 

The findings show that the rise of the far right represents a structural and global phenomenon with potential negative effects on public health. These effects operate through multiple mechanisms, including increasing social and economic inequalities, promoting discriminatory practices, undermining rights, weakening public health systems, and fostering distrust in science and institutions. 

As a political determinant of health, these dynamics require a call to action from public health professionals to protect equity, rights, population health, and collective well-being in the face of the threat posed by the far right. 

About Speaker: 

José Miguel Carrasco 
Socio investigador 
Cooperativa APLICA: Investigación y traslación

Nicht nur der gegenwärtige US-Präsident, sondern auch viele andere Menschen mit extrem rechten Weltdeutungen halten den Klimawandel entweder für eine Erfindung oder für ungefährlich. Entgegen umfangreicher Evidenz sehen sie in der Fortsetzung der fossilen Energienutzung sowie in der Atomkraft eine verheißungsvolle Zukunftsperspektive. Alternative Energiegewinnung wird vielfach abgelehnt. Der Vortrag skizziert die Positionen der extremen und populistischen Rechten zum Thema Klimawandel und verdeutlicht, wie diese Akteure in die politische Debatte eingreifen. 

Angaben zur Person:

Prof. Dr. Fabian Virchow; Studium der Soziologie, Politikwissenschaften und Volkswirtschaftslehre an der Universität Hamburg, Promotion an der FU Berlin. Seit 2010 Professor für Theorien der Gesellschaft und politischen Handelns an der Hochschule Düsseldorf, wo er auch den Forschungsschwerpunkt Rechtsextremismus/Neonazismus leitet.

Antifeministische Bewegungen gewinnen an Einfluss und greifen zunehmend die Grundlagen sexueller und reproduktiver Rechte an. Diese Entwicklungen wirken sich direkt auf die Gesundheit und Selbstbestimmung von Frauen, queeren Personen und anderen marginalisierten Gruppen aus. Der Vortrag beleuchtet zentrale Akteur*innen, Narrative und politische Strategien dieser Angriffe und zeigt auf, warum sie zu einer wachsenden Herausforderung für Public Health werden. 

Angaben zur Person:

Judith Goetz ist Literatur-, Politik- und Bildungswissenschafterin, Gender-Forscherin, Rechtsextremismus-Expertin, Mitglied der Forschungsgruppe Ideologien und Politiken der Ungleichheit (FIPU), Lehre und Forschung an der Universität Innsbruck. 

Forschungsschwerpunkte: 

Rechtsextremismus und Gender, Antifeminismus, genderreflektierte politische Bildung. 

Mitherausgeberin der Sammelbände „Rechtsextremismus: Band 4: Herausforderungen für den Journalismus“ (2021), „Handlungsstrategien gegen Rechtsextremismus“ (2022), „Global Perspectives on Antifeminism“, Monographie „Geschlechterpolitiken der Identitären. Ein Beitrag zur politischen Bildung gegen Rechtsextremismus“ (2024)

Content: We can only understand or recognise many crises on the basis of academic research. Climate science is just as important for the statement of the climate crisis as epidemiology was in the corona crisis. At the same time, research is met with a high degree of scepticism or rejection, especially in times of crisis. In the USA, the denial of fundamental academic insights ("science denialism") is part of the standard repertoire of right-wing populism, as are attacks on unpopular fields of research ("gender studies"). What lies behind the phenomenon of scientific scepticism? What forms does it take and what are its causes? These questions can only be answered satisfactorily if we do not avoid the basic question: Why should we trust research at all?

Personal details: Alexander Bogner is a sociologist and works at the Institute for Technology Assessment at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. From 2017-2019, he was Professor of Sociology at the University of Innsbruck. From 2019-2025, he was president of the Austrian Sociological Association. In 2023, he led research into the coronavirus crisis at the initiative of the Austrian federal government.