Far-right tendencies are on the rise worldwide and Luxembourg is no exception. For vulnerable individuals, radicalisation can be a downward spiral, pulling them further and further toward extremist views and milieus.
What should you do if you suspect someone in your own circle drifting towards far-right ideologies?
“What people often do instinctively is to engage in discussion,” said Karin Weyer, director of Respect.lu, Luxembourg’s Centre Against Radicalisation, in an interview. “If you have a good relationship, you can withstand heated arguments,” she added.
More importantly, though, Weyer suggests keeping in touch. “If the friendship is important you should – if you think you can – keep in contact,” she said, even if that might require seeking outside support.
Karin Weyer: “Sometimes it makes more sense to say: ‘We used to go and watch football together – let’s do that again!’” © Photo credit: Marc Wilwert / LW-Archiv
Having a stable social circle is incredibly important, Weyer said. She recalled the experience of a speaker at a conference who had drifted into extremism and said one friend had stuck with him through it all – before, during and after. Friends from the extremist milieu, however, had fallen by the wayside when he stopped sharing their ideology. “There was only this one friend,” Weyer said.
Not every discussion needs to be had
It is precisely this anchor that can be crucial when people break away from extremist ideologies. “It is important that they have something to come back to. That can be a friend,” Weyer said.
Sometimes it makes more sense to say: ‘We used to go and watch football together – let’s do that again!’
Karin Weyer
Director, Respect.lu
In everyday life, this doesn’t necessarily mean debating every issue. These discussions often quickly become unbearable. “Sometimes it makes more sense to say: ‘We used to go and watch football together – let’s do that again!’.” Political debates can be deliberately left out of the conversation, along the lines of: “I don’t want to risk the friendship over this.”
Everyone has to assess which strategy to pursue. “You have to assess on a case-by-case basis what is possible for you personally,” Weyer said. Discussions remain important, but can be guided: “We offer support on how to discuss things in a way that doesn’t lead to a breakdown in the relationship.”
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Self-protection
At the same time, self-protection takes priority, Weyer said. “It is absolutely legitimate to cut off contact if you need to protect yourself – especially if you yourself belong to a group that is being disparaged.”
However, if it is possible to maintain contact, that can make all the difference. “You need a connection to society, to the mainstream – and thus also a corrective,” said Weyer about the need for a firm foothold outside extremist circles.
Respect.lu
Since 2017, Respect.lu supports people who are affected by extremism or violent radicalisation. The organisation has three core tasks:
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Prevention: recognising radical tendencies early on to combat them.
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Support: for radicalised individuals as well as their friends and family, offering support and guidance.
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Deradicalisation: measures to support individuals to re-integrate into society and leave behind extremist ideologies
Anyone concerned about a friend, acquaintance or family member can contact Respect.lu, free of charge and anonymously.
Even if someone is already deeply entrenched in an ideology, this counterbalance can remain crucial. “Even if I am a right-wing extremist and know that my friend is not – even if we no longer discuss it – I know: this other world still exists,” Weyer explained.
This connection can provide stability: “There are people there whom I like, with whom I am friends. That reality remains.”
Creating alternatives to extremism
Mira Sorrentino, a staff member at Respect.lu, also sees a key approach in deliberately creating alternatives, particularly to the digital world: “Perhaps one can try to fill this void – that is, the space occupied by social media where one spends so much time caught up in algorithms.”
The aim is to consciously promote other activities, she said.
Social engagement can play a role in deradicalisation, says Mira Sorrentino. © Photo credit: Marc Wilwert / LW-Archiv
In practical terms, this could mean spending more time in real life again: “Instead of being online for hours on end, perhaps I go to the cinema with a friend and gain different perspectives there,” Sorrentino said. Social engagement could also play a role, for example, in a community garden.
It is also crucial to maintain a certain distance from the constant digital bombardment: “If I’m consuming content all day long, that’s not healthy either,” she said.
Social media consumption plays a central role: those who become radicalised often find themselves in a closed bubble, which is reinforced by algorithms on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
The need to be heard
At the same time, radicalised people often have a strong need to explain themselves and be heard – a potential starting point for conversation. The tone is crucial, however, Weyer said: “Discussing is always better than taking a confrontational approach. Otherwise, you risk the other person also becoming confrontational and the positions hardening.”
We are relentlessly compassionate
Karin Weyer
Director, Respect.lu
Instead, she recommends using questions: “Asking things like: What makes you think that? Are you sure? Aren’t there other perspectives too?” This helps to stimulate critical thinking whilst also pointing out potential contradictions.
The work of the counselling centre follows a clear principle: “We are relentlessly compassionate towards the person, but not towards their ideology,” Weyer said. The latter is clearly identified and also confronted. However, the focus is on the person: “Who are you? Why have you ended up where you are now?”
59 cases in 2025
The aim is to build a relationship through genuine interest. “Sometimes this can happen surprisingly quickly, but sometimes it can take a very long time.” In individual cases, it does not succeed, she said. “But these are truly exceptions.”
In 2025, Respect.lu dealt with 59 cases. “This means either that a person contacted us, or that someone came to us for support,” Sorrentino said.
Of these, 16 people were classified as right-wing extremists, 16 as religious extremists and one as undefined. The remaining 26 cases are classified as unspecified. Among them are 10 people who are taking part in the “Dialogue Instead of Hate” programme due to hate messages they posted – in some cases as an alternative to criminal prosecution.
(This story was first published in the Luxemburger Wort. Translated using AI, edited by Cordula Schnuer.)
