Neo-Nazi group 'The Base' grooming teenagers to incite ‘race war’: Report

As a worldwide movement against racism and discrimination gathers steam, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly exposed the secret efforts of a neo-nazi militant group to groom and recruit teenagers. According to a BBC report, the hate group known as The Base has been interviewing young applicants and discussing how to radicalise them.

The federal agency has reportedly claimed that the group seeks to unite white supremacists from around the world to incite a race war. In the recordings obtained by BBC, Rinaldo Nazzaro, founder of The Base, asked the applicants about their personal history, ethnicity, radicalisation journey, and experience with weapons.

The prospective members were asked about their knowledge of race, the books they have read, including Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, and were encouraged to gain more knowledge about white supremacist ideology. The young applicants told the interviewers that online videos and propaganda were the main sources of radicalisation. 

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Attempt to stop neo-nazism

Governments around the world have been trying to erase the symbols that could help the resurgence of neo-nazism and last year, Austria’s interior ministry announced that Adolf Hitler’s birthplace in Braunau am Inn will be turned into a police station. The ministry, in a statement, said the handling of the birthplace has been a challenge for the authorities for more than 70 years, considering the connection with the history of Third Reich.

"The future use of the house by the police should set an unmistakable sign that this building is permanently removed from the memory of Nazism," said Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Peschorn.

The property located at the address ‘Salzburger Vorstadt 15, Braunau am Inn’ was expropriated by the officials in January 2017 with the help of special legal authorization and a compensation amount of EUR 812,000 was paid to the former owner. The Austrian legislature also gave orders to ensure that the property is used in such a way that any form of nazi activities is prevented.

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(Image: AP)