Kampfgefuehl E01 Martin Bissinger — Leaving the Far-Right Scene

Christian meets his first guest on the monthly Kampfgefuehl podcast: Martin Bissinger talks about his far-right past, the lengthy process of leaving an increasingly differentiated scene and the joy of martial arts. What does the positive feeling ‘on the mat’ have to do with self-reflection? How can gyms and civil society help carefully and mindfully? Here, too, there are no easy answers of the kind promised elsewhere. Listen closely and all the nuances emerge in Martin’s story: it takes a courageous society that takes a stand and acts, that pays attention, says no to group-focused hostility and opens spaces for new encounters.

Warning: This episode quotes slogans used by far-right organisations. These include, for example, ‘Systemopposition’ (‘opposition to the system’) and ‘historischer Nationalsozialismus’ (‘historical National Socialism’). In far-right media strategy, they serve to trivialise, disguise and reinterpret an ideology that devalues human beings. It is worth listening closely to the nuances, here and elsewhere, and developing an awareness of crude neologisms. For a vivid demonstration of supposedly socially progressive engagement with a distinctly National Socialist back door, Christian recommends the ‘Schottys Kampf’ episode of ‘Tatortreiniger’. An additional overview of the scene’s codes and ciphers is available, among other sources, from the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung.

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