Episode 296: Far-Left Extremism with Felix Neumann
Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil
Our conversation today with Felix Neumann traces the shifting landscape of far-left extremism, beginning with the broader global pressures shaping today’s political climate. We unpack how certain ideological threads have evolved, splintered, and re-formed, creating a movement that is at once fragmented and unexpectedly resilient. Along the way, we examine the role of foreign influence and funding, and how these forces complicate efforts to distinguish between genuine activism and the kinds of behaviours that cross into extremism.
We explore the tactics used by today’s far-left extremist actors, as well as their potential to impact systems, institutions, and critical infrastructure. The discussion expands into the programs designed to prevent radicalisation and support disengagement, highlighting what’s working, and what remains challenging, in addressing these dynamics. From the spread of conspiracy theories to the emerging trends that may define the next decade, we look ahead to what the future might hold. The result is a wide-ranging, thought-provoking exploration of ideology, vulnerability, and resilience in a rapidly changing world.
Felix Neumann has been working at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin since 2022. In this role, he deals with all extremist and violent movements in Germany, Europe, and worldwide. His focus is particularly on online-based movements and conspiracy ideologies. He holds a master’s degree in War and Conflict Studies from the University of Potsdam.
The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.
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Transcript:
Felix Neumann: If you look at QAnon-style narratives about child trafficking and similar issues, those are not things that are actually happening right now. But when you consider current developments around climate change, social media regulation, or the rise of far-right parties across Europe, those are very real, present trends — and far-left actors build their narratives around them. Their message is that now is the last moment to act, the final point in time where action is still possible.
Elisa Garbil: Welcome back to the International Risk Podcast, where we discuss the latest world news and significant events that impact businesses and organizations worldwide.
Dominic Bowen: Germany’s security debate has long been dominated by far-right and Islamist threats. Meanwhile, another movement has been gathering momentum: a resurgent and increasingly professionalized far-left extremist scene. It’s smaller, more fragmented — but also more capable, more networked, and far more willing to strike at institutions, companies, and infrastructures that keep an open economy running.
This matters for anyone in leadership. German security services are tracking almost 38,000 far-left extremists, with more than a quarter assessed as violence-oriented. Their attacks rarely make international headlines, but they have real impact: arson against energy assets, rail sabotage, coordinated assaults on political opponents, targeted intimidation of executives, police, and public officials. These are the kinds of low-visibility, high-disruption risks that businesses and ministries often underestimate.
I’m Dominic Bowen, host of the International Risk Podcast. To help us understand this evolving threat landscape — both the ideology behind it and the operational reality on the ground — we’re joined today by extremism and terrorism expert Felix Neumann. Felix, welcome.
Felix Neumann: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Dominic Bowen: [00:02:00] Felix, where in the world do we find you today?
Felix Neumann: I’m in Berlin — currently still the capital of Germany.
Dominic Bowen: Fantastic. So, looking past the headlines, what stands out to you regarding the professionalization of far-left extremism? What’s driving the shift from symbolic vandalism toward more coordinated operations?
Felix Neumann: What’s most notable isn’t actually a new trend — it’s the fact that for 30 years, so few people have talked seriously about far-left extremism. As you said, Germany counts nearly 38,000 individuals in the far-left milieu, about a third of whom are violence-oriented. Yet in media and academia, there’s very little attention. That’s been consistent for decades.
At the same time, the movement is becoming more professional. That makes it harder for police and intelligence services to understand strategies, identify targets, or determine who belongs to which subgroup — and therefore harder to prevent attacks.
Dominic Bowen: That’s fascinating. Historically, the Red Army Faction in the 60s and 70s was heavily Marxist-Leninist. Today, though, far-left extremism seems more driven by animal rights, climate activism, and anti-fascism. What motivates far-left extremist groups today?
Felix Neumann: That’s a very good question. When you look at the far-left and its relationship to ideology, you see a decline in knowledge of foundational texts. People are not reading Marx, Lenin, or classical theorists the way they did 20, 30, or 40 years ago — just as Islamist attackers today are often unfamiliar with Islam, or far-right extremists are disconnected from the texts they reference. New recruits join movements more through group identity than deep ideology.
That said, Marx is still symbolically important, and some narratives persist. But newer themes dominate: climate change, anti-militarism — especially potent in Germany — and anti-fascism. These drive much of the current mobilization.
Dominic Bowen: Without a unifying theory, what holds all these groups together? Some of these positions even contradict each other.
Felix Neumann: In truth, nothing fully holds them together. The far-left is extremely decentralized. There isn’t one overarching movement — it’s many small groups with overlapping networks. Some follow Marxist ideas, others anti-fascist or anti-capitalist principles, some organize around anti-militarism, and others align with the Free Palestine movement, where you also see intersections with Islamist actors.
Instead of unity, there is fragmentation. The Gaza–Israel war split many far-left groups in Germany; so did debates about Russia and Ukraine. These ideological fractures continually divide the scene.
Dominic Bowen: With this fragmentation and decentralization making the far-left harder to track, what does recruitment look like today? How does the radicalization pipeline work?
Felix Neumann: Interestingly, the far-left uses the online domain far less than other extremist scenes. Yes, they publish communiqués claiming responsibility for attacks, but they lack far-right-style influencers or charismatic online leaders.
Recruitment still happens primarily offline — at universities, alternative bars, student spaces. A newcomer might attend for the social scene or cheap drinks, and over time conversations become more political. If they agree, they stay; if not, they drift away. It’s still very analogue.
Dominic Bowen: Across Europe, we’ve seen foreign state funding in extremist spaces — especially environmental or animal rights groups. Is there any evidence of foreign funding for the far-left in Germany?
Felix Neumann: I haven’t seen evidence, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Russia monitors German critical infrastructure closely and has conducted attacks on it; some far-left groups target similar infrastructure for different reasons. There could be parallel activity without coordination — or covert support. But so far, we have no confirmed cases of foreign influence.
Dominic Bowen: Where do we draw the line between legitimate activism and extremism, given today’s political polarization?
Felix Neumann: It’s difficult and depends heavily on definitions. In Germany, extremism is defined by a strong belief against the democratic constitutional order — and a willingness to act against it. You can have radical ideas and protest capitalism without being extremist. Violence or intentional undermining of democratic structures is the threshold. But borderline cases — such as encouraging violence without directly committing it — are hotly debated.
Dominic Bowen: Tactically, what are we seeing from far-left extremist groups in Germany and Europe today?
Felix Neumann: The most common attacks target critical infrastructure — electricity, rail networks. Police are often attacked during demonstrations, and sometimes with serious violence. Another hallmark of the far-left is destruction of property rather than direct attacks on people — burning cars, damaging buildings, vandalizing police vehicles.
But even when the target isn’t human, the consequences can be. A recent Berlin attack on electrical infrastructure left elderly residents without power; one 92-year-old woman fell, was hospitalized, and now struggles to walk. So even “object-only” sabotage can harm people.
Dominic Bowen: How sophisticated are the attacks?
Felix Neumann: Attacks on police are simple — physical force, thrown objects, typical protest-related violence. Infrastructure attacks are far more complex. Perpetrators plan carefully, avoid detection, leave no traceable material, and choose times and locations well. Intelligence officers say identifying culprits is extremely difficult.
Dominic Bowen: Before we talk resilience, a reminder to listeners that most of our content is now available on YouTube.
Felix, how resilient is German critical infrastructure to ideologically motivated sabotage?
Felix Neumann: It’s not very safe. Germany ignored the threat of infrastructure sabotage — from both far-left groups and state actors like Russia — for years. We’re catching up now, and a new government initiative is being implemented. But infrastructure can never be 100% secure. You cannot monitor everything. Still, improvements are underway.
Dominic Bowen: What challenges do police and intelligence services face in countering far-left extremism?
Felix Neumann: One challenge is public sympathy. Many people say far-left extremists “mean well but use the wrong tools.” Criticism is sometimes muted. When police take action, they’re accused of being too harsh.
Another problem is the lack of academic research. There are many experts on far-right extremism — far fewer on the far-left. You can count the specialists on one hand. Police and intelligence are often on their own in analyzing trends.
Dominic Bowen: What should business leaders understand about their risk exposure, especially in real estate or infrastructure?
Felix Neumann: Two things. First, companies — especially those involved in infrastructure — must invest in their own security. The state can’t protect everything.
Second, public dialogue matters. Many far-left groups rely on broader left-wing support, even indirectly. If companies engage constructively with left-leaning communities — without abandoning their positions — they may lose their symbolic role as “capitalist enemies,” reducing the far-left’s justification for attacks.
Dominic Bowen: And what about prevention or disengagement programs? Are any effective?
Felix Neumann: There’s a joke that once people finish university, they leave the far-left scene — but that aside, Germany lacks robust prevention or deradicalization programs for the far-left. The national intelligence service has a hotline for those wanting to leave, but we don’t know how effective it is.
The far-left scene is growing, not shrinking. So prevention is critical — especially general pro-democracy programs, which help counter far-left, far-right, conspiracy-driven, and religious extremism alike.
Dominic Bowen: During the 2024 U.S. election cycle, we analyzed alt-right conspiracy networks. Many of the theories were surprisingly persuasive. What about far-left conspiracy narratives? Which ones stand out?
Felix Neumann: The far-left doesn’t rely on large invented conspiracies the way the far-right does. Their focus is usually on real-world issues — climate change, environmental destruction, far-right political gains. They construct narratives around actual developments, arguing that immediate action is necessary.
Their “enemy images” often center on individuals — for example, Elon Musk is a widely hated figure. The attack on the Tesla factory near Berlin, which caused major financial losses and disrupted a nearby hospital, is an example of how these narratives translate into action.
Dominic Bowen: Predictions are always difficult, but what do you expect in the next three to five years?
Felix Neumann: We may soon see German authorities classify some climate-motivated sabotage campaigns as far-left terrorism. These groups have carried out multiple, significant, long-term operations — meeting Germany’s definition of terrorism, even if they don’t aim to kill.
Secondly, I expect the far-left to increasingly adopt online strategies. They currently lack strong digital organizing, but the potential is huge.
Dominic Bowen: When you look globally, what international risks concern you most?
Felix Neumann: A growing trend is nihilistic extremism — a niche but global phenomenon affecting young people. It’s emerging online, especially on platforms like Discord and Telegram. These groups operate with a misanthropic worldview, seeing no hope, and encourage members to commit crimes to gain status — beginning with harming pets and escalating to violence against people.
One case involved a 21-year-old in Hamburg known as “White Tiger,” who allegedly encouraged a 13-year-old in the U.S. to livestream his own suicide. This trend is deeply concerning and expanding.
Dominic Bowen: That’s incredibly disturbing — and difficult to comprehend. Unlike ideological extremism, nihilistic extremism lacks a political or religious project; it’s simply about destruction. That makes prevention extremely challenging. I hope you’re wrong about its trajectory, but thank you for raising it — and thank you for joining us today.
Felix Neumann: Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure.
Dominic Bowen: That was a great conversation with Felix Neumann, an expert on extremism and terrorist movements. I appreciated his insights on German far-left extremism and the broader international risks. Please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts — it’s critical to our success.
Today’s podcast was produced by Alyssa Garel, with video content by Stephen Penny. I’m Dominic Bowen. Thanks for listening; we’ll speak again in the next couple of days.
Elisa Garbil: Thank you for listening to this episode of the International Risk Podcast. For more episodes and articles, visit internationalriskpodcast.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, BlueSky, and Instagram for updates and to submit questions to our host, Dominic Bowen. See you next time.
