The 2024 Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) addresses global threats to internal security, noting that traditional ‘skinhead’ movements associated with white supremacy and neo-Nazism are less appealing to youth compared to new far-right nationalist movements with a significant online presence and charismatic leaders acting as influencers.
The document emphasizes an observed “proliferation of increasingly diverse and sophisticated communication channels, including online gaming platforms and content-sharing groups, which promote the mass dissemination of extremist content and facilitate recruitment and (self)radicalization processes.”
“Online platforms have become the preferred stage for decentralized far-right movements with accelerationist and/or satanic underpinnings, where, through a culture of meme-based communication, they recruit and radicalize increasingly younger individuals, many under the age of 16,” states the RASI. The report stresses that the development of this phenomenon in recent years “necessitates that the threat posed by potential lone actors from the far-right, especially minors, must not be overlooked.”
The report also highlights that the Portuguese far-right exhibited considerable dynamism and extensively leveraged the two electoral periods of 2024—legislative and European elections—to intensify symbolic actions, protests, and propaganda as a means to disseminate their ideology.
“The persistence and visibility of these actions are beginning to shape the public narrative against ethnic, religious, or sexual minorities, leading to a certain level of normalization and, in some cases, providing justification for acts of violence,” according to the RASI, approved today by the Conselho Superior de Segurança Interna.
The document further notes that last year saw some far-right structures organize counter-demonstrations in response to public demonstrations announced by far-left groups or movements, especially on issues related to immigration or gender ideology.
Regarding the Portuguese far-left, RASI indicates that “the year 2024 was marked by intense activity from the anti-capitalist environmental movement advocating for climate justice, resulting in numerous actions with high media impact, including acts of vandalism.” These activists also stood out in local community opposition to lithium exploitation projects in Portugal.
The Palestinian cause continued to mobilize various sectors of the Portuguese far-left, with the document highlighting the “strong affinity between the environmental movement and pro-Palestine activism.”
On the topic of terrorism as a threat to internal security, the RASI highlights, using information from the Sistema de Informação da República Portuguesa (SIRP) and Polícia Judiciária (PJ), the “existence of online jihadist propaganda facilitating radicalization and recruitment, particularly among younger age groups.”
The RASI is now set to be submitted to the Assembleia da República.
