Counter-mobilisation against far-right activism takes many forms, adopts many practices—but humour is one of the most persistent tactics. Time and again far-right movement organisations carry out actions laden with pretensions of gravity and solemnity: Nazis mourning Rudolf Hess on the anniversary of his suicide; Ku Klux Klan members protesting against the removal of Confederate flags from U.S. state houses; Hindu extremists ‘protecting people from immorality’ by assaulting men and women gathered together in a pub; black-clad ‘soldiers of Odin’ patrolling streets in Finland, are just a few examples.
To undermine these activities, anti-fascist activists have repeatedly turned to ‘tactical frivolity’ or calculated silliness to disrupt the attempts of far-right groups to perform dignified actions. Some examples include converting a Nazi march route into an involuntary walkathon to raise money for anti-extremism social work; ‘mooning’ KKK members and playing comical tuba music during their march; mailing pink panties to violent Hindu conservatives; and a posse of clowns ‘protecting’ right-wing vigilante patrollers exemplify the use of japes and mockery to counter the far right.
Humour can serve several purposes. In order to illustrate these, this article examines the emergence of humour as a tactic in activism in Germany and the example of the Front Deutscher Äpfel, a case which demonstrates the utility of satire among counter-mobilising activists and, specifically, against far-right groups.
