Neo-Nazi groups across Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand organized summer camps this year to indoctrinate children in their racist ideology and train them to use firearms, according to a new investigation from a watchdog group.
The summer camps helped "attract recruits and disseminate neo-Nazi ideology," according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which tracks hate groups online. The camps were promoted across social media sites like Telegram and Gab and advertised "a wide range of activities, including ideological indoctrination, workshops on activism, sessions on combat skills, and physical training."
The camps are providing "a crucial role as recruitment hubs" for radical groups as they expand across Europe and other continents. Neo-Nazi organizations have seen a resurgence in recent years as extremist political ideologies permeate across the globe, particularly in Europe, which has seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitism.
"The ideology propagated at these camps varies," according to MEMRI. "It is predominately neo-Nazism, white supremacy, and ultranationlism. Physical activities included lessons in hand-to-hand combat, knives, and firearms."
Countries hosting these camps include Germany, Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Russia, and Italy, among many others.