Best of Q: How neo-Nazis are using hipster culture to stay relevant
From swastikas and shaved heads to New Balance sneakers and skinny jeans -- these days, it's not so easy to spot a neo-Nazi in Germany.
In a conversation from the Best of Q, Berlin-based Canadian journalist Thomas Rogers joins guest host Piya Chattopadhyay to explain how facists are using hipster culture to attract younger members, and to skirt laws banning Nazi symbolism.
Harder to spot a problem
In a story for Rolling Stone, Rogers profiles charismatic young men trying to make their extreme views more palatable for a new generation. One pair of neo-Nazis who teach vegan cooking on YouTube, for instance, will show you how to make tofu scramble, while also speaking casually on Nazi ideology.
The German media has dubbed this group Nazi hipsters or "nipsters" for short.
Rogers says that while his article, and the nipster moniker, has attracted many cheeky remarks, the underlying trend is no joke. He also notes that a less visible community is harder to root out.
"If there's someone you think might be at risk of falling into the scene, you'd be able to see what they look like and potentially be able to identify them as being at risk," notes Rogers, using teachers as an example.
"Now everything is so subtle and so hard to define that that's no longer as easy to do."