Global Project Against Hate and Extremism

Global Project Against Hate and Extremism

Abbreviation	GPAHE
Formation	2020
Founders	Heidi Beirich, Wendy Via
Type	Nonprofit organization
Purpose	Combating hate and extremism
Location	Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Method	Research, advocacy, education
Key people	Heidi Beirich (Co-founder)
Website	Official website

The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to studying and denouncing initiatives of extremism and hate worldwide. Founded in 2020 by Heidi Beirich and Wendy Via, GPAHE utilizes research, advocacy, and education to expose extremist movements, their tactics, and their impacts.

History and mission statement

GPAHE was established in response to a growing international threat of extremism and hate speech. Recognizing the transnational nature of these movements, its stated goal is to create a global network to monitor, analyze, and counter extremist activities.

The organization's mission is to strengthen and educate a diverse global community committed to exposing and countering racism, bigotry, and hate, and associated violence; and to promote the human rights values that support flourishing, inclusive societies and democracies.

Activities

GPAHE's work focuses on several key areas:

• Research: GPAHE conducts in-depth research on extremist groups, their ideologies, and their online activities.
• Advocacy: The organization advocates for policy changes to address the root causes of extremism and to protect vulnerable communities.
• Education: GPAHE provides educational resources and training to raise awareness about the dangers of extremism and to promote tolerance and understanding.

Reports

Extremist groups in social media in Brazil

The GPAHE issued, in 2024, a report identifying over 20 active extremist groups in Brazil, many of which utilize social media platforms to spread hate speech. The report highlighted the lack of regulation and moderation on these platforms as a contributing factor to the growth of these groups. It specifically named groups like the Instituto Conservador-Liberal and the Liberal Party (PL) for promoting harmful content. It also detailed how these groups target vulnerable communities, particularly the LGBTQIA+ community, with hate speech and disinformation. The report further identified various extremist groups across different states in Brazil, detailing their online activities, ideologies, and the platforms they use to spread their messages. Additionally, it questioned the moderation policies of platforms like Meta, Google, and YouTube, raising concerns about their lack of action against these extremist groups.

Far-eight extremism in Portugal

A 2023 report by GPAHE identifies the Chega party as a central force in radical far-right movements in Portugal. The report compares Chega to groups like the Proud Boys and Hammerskins, highlighting its role in fostering a rhetoric of racism, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, anti-immigration, anti-Islam and anti-Roma discrimination. Chega, under the leadership of André Ventura, has increasingly dominated the far-right landscape, drawing comparisons to other European populist parties while aligning with nationalist, identitarian, and conspiratorial movements.

The report notes a rise in conspiracy and anti-government movements during the pandemic, which later aligned with Chega and similar groups. It highlights a significant increase in hate speech and far-right street mobilization accompanying Chega's rise, with a concerning level of racially motivated hate crimes and violence against women in Portugal. Additionally, the report points to the internationalization of Portuguese far-right extremism, influenced by neofascist and supremacist ideologies from other countries.

Chega's structure is described as highly centralized around Ventura, with the party's youth wing being even more radical, supporting white supremacy, misogyny, and fascism. The GPAHE emphasizes that Chega's rapid growth serves as a warning of the potential for far-right parties to quickly expand their influence.

Report on Antisemitism and Extremism on X

A 2023 report from GPAHE highlights the role of major figures like Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson in mainstreaming antisemitic conspiracy theories, particularly the "great replacement" theory, on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). This theory falsely claims a covert effort to replace white populations, often attributing this to Jewish people.

Despite Musk's aggressive responses to critics, including suspending and reinstating extremist accounts, white nationalists and other far-right extremists have celebrated Musk's role in shifting the Overton Window on antisemitism. The GPAHE report underscores the significant increase in hate content and the alignment of prominent personalities with extremist views, further demonstrating the platform's growing role in fostering such narratives.

The GPAHE, co-founded by extremism expert Heidi Beirich, emphasizes the failure of X's moderation policies under Musk's ownership, noting that the platform has become one of the largest sites for hate content globally. This trend reflects the broader rise of rightwing extremism in the US, facilitated by influential social media platforms.