Gerald Fleischmann — the spokesperson for two former Austrian leaders — warns that democracy is at risk from online influencers covertly spreading disinformation.
Gerald Fleischmann, former spokesperson of Austrian chancellors Sebastian Kurz and Karl Nehammer, has published a new book, Codes of Extremists, that explores disinformation and the impact of extremism on Europe’s stability.
The communications manager has worked for the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) since 2007 — becoming a key advisor and the lead spokesperson for chancellors Kurz and Nehammer.
His new book explores the techniques and rhetoric of extremists across the political spectrum to understand how extreme ideologies threaten European democracy.
In an interview with Euronews, Fleischmann discussed how Germany and Austria could strengthen democracy, the danger of online influencers in spreading extreme ideas and what left-wing and right-wing extremists have in common with Islamists.
Euronews: What should Germany and Austria do to protect democracy?
Gerald Fleischmann: First of all, I think it’s important to continue the effort that this book undertakes — to bring transparency, educate people, and highlight that many of these influencers are actually members or so-called “voting agents” working for foreign forces.
At the same time, I believe it is crucial to strengthen traditional media in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and across Europe. So far, traditional media has played an essential role in upholding democracy by creating a shared public space with common rules and a form of collective identity.
With the decline of traditional media — partly driven by these radical groups — this shared public space is being lost. Keywords here are “echo chambers” and “filter bubbles.”
Young people are becoming detached from traditional media, and many no longer consume it at all. There are two key issues here. Firstly, it is striking that all social media platforms originate from America, Russia, or Asia (such as China), but not a single one comes from Europe.
This is a political issue. Secondly, traditional media faces the challenge of transitioning into modern, digital formats — social media with video-based content. This is known as “social journalism.”
Euronews: What danger comes from influencers within extreme movements?
Fleischmann: Many of these influencers target young people, presenting themselves as advisors or mentors. It’s not immediately apparent, sometimes for a long time, that they are actually members of organisations or so-called “writing” or “meeting agents.”
In fact, many of these influencers operate using intelligence agency methods — some even dating back to the KGB era.
One of these methods, known in intelligence jargon as the “Firehose of Falsehood,” works by flooding a society with misinformation. In a Western, liberal society, people consume media in a certain way.
Intelligence agencies refer to the general population as “sleepwalkers.” These sleepwalkers are trained through constant exposure to false information, so that in the end, society no longer knows what is true and what is false.
This is the goal of foreign forces — in this case, primarily Russia, but also radical movements from the Arab world. The overall aim is to influence a new generation of young people and, through that, destabilise Western democracy.
Euronews: What do left-wing extremists, right-wing extremists, and Islamists have in common?
Fleischmann: So, in the book that we are discussing — the one I wrote — I explain at least seven commonalities. The first is antisemitism. Both right-wing extremists and Islamists share this.
We have seen this recently in the context of Palestinian demonstrations, where they have joined forces with demonstrations supporting the terrorist organisation Hamas. Antisemitism exists in many different forms and affects all three groups — not all members, but certain segments within these groups.
Then there is a form of anti-imperialism directed against Europe and the United States, as well as a general anti-globalisation stance.
They speak of a global conspiracy, of “globalists,” and similar narratives. Another key characteristic is subversion — these actors operate covertly, without people noticing. Additionally, they all exhibit a certain phobia towards their opponents — they portray their adversaries as having some kind of “disease.”
For example, they talk about “Russophobia” for anyone critical of Putin, “Islamophobia” for anyone who opposes Islamist ideologies, and similar labels in other areas. There are also shared elements of what some call “gender madness” and other divisive narratives. A few more common traits include polarisation — fostering division instead of dialogue —radical rhetoric and actions, sometimes bordering on violence, and resistance to laws.
These are some of the shared characteristics. Right-wing extremists, left-wing extremists, and Islamists all have these in common, and their actions are directed against Western liberal democracy.
Euronews: Russian disinformation campaigns promote the AfD, which has also been endorsed by Elon Musk. How do you view this campaign?
Fleischmann: Russian disinformation campaigns clearly aim to destabilise Europe. They use the method I mentioned earlier — the “Firehose of Falsehood.”
This strategy follows a principle known as “fuzzy logic,” which is specifically designed to undermine the democratic fabric of Europe. It is done subversively, meaning covertly, without people realising it. Influencers pretend to be someone they are not.
Nobody is supposed to notice. This is a method of subversion. In contrast, there is no subversion coming from the United States. One cannot accuse elected US presidents or eccentric billionaires of acting subversively — they do everything openly.
Everyone sees it. They play with open cards. This book explicitly deals with subversive forces that operate covertly, without people realising it.
And the goal of the book is to make this transparent — to show: Who are these people? Who is behind them? And what methods do they use to reach our younger generation? Russia is not only using right-wing extremists but also left-wing extremists.
The Codes of Extremists by Gerald Fleischmann was released on 1 February 2025.
