The Relational Dynamics of Violence Escalation and Inhibition During Far-Right Protest Waves

Abstract

This article examines how interactions between far-right protestors, counter-protestors and other actors, including the police, lead towards and away from violence that exceeds normal levels relative to the groups under analysis. Based on four cases (Dover, United Kingdom 2015–2016; Sunderland, United Kingdom 2016–2018; Charlottesville, United States 2016–2017; Chemnitz, Germany 2018), and integrating interactionist approaches with relational and processual analysis, the article describes a series of violence-enabling and violence-inhibiting mechanisms and discusses how this framework can enhance understanding of the violence dynamics of waves of far-right protests. The article (a) reiterates the importance of mechanisms at the situational level, but shows how these can profitably be understood as part of relational processes that develop across and beyond waves of contention; (b) highlights the value of integrating analysis of violence-enabling and violence-inhibiting mechanisms; (c) identifies blind-spots in movement-centric relational models and proposes a solution; and (d) introduces the idea that different protest ecologies – “movement-marginalised” and “movement-emboldened” – can produce different violence pathways.