Slovak extremists take to the internet

"Recent trends in criminality indicate that expressions of racial discrimination and other forms of intolerance have gradually moved from the 'streets' to the 'virtual space' in recent times. They are sophisticated, it's difficult to prosecute them and they have political ambitions", reads the government's concept for fighting extremism over the next four years cited by the SME daily. The internet is a convenient place for extremist groups because they aren't given space in the media. The web is also the domain of young people. "It's difficult for the state to take action because much of the extremist content is hosted on servers in the United States, where legislation is different and the state can't reach it", said political analyst Tomas Nociar, who is an expert on right-wing extremism. He thinks that civil associations should take a more active role in combating extremism than the state. According to him, it's better to undermine and ridicule extremist rhetoric because that makes it less attractive than presenting it as a threat. Political analyst Grigorij Mesežnikov from the Public Affairs Institute complained about the stance of the current Government. "Have you noticed government representatives clearly defining their attitude towards extremism instead of simply making general declarations?" he asked.