Angelique Geray & Sally Lisa Starken - Harbour Front Literaturfestival

Reading and Moderated Discussion

The far right is no longer a fringe movement when it shifts the terms of debate, recruits young people, attacks institutions, and begins to shape governments in Europe and the U.S. How does this movement function from the inside? And what can we learn from countries where democracies are already under massive pressure?

This evening brings together two authors who approach the same topic from very different perspectives. Angelique Geray conducted undercover research in the far-right scene. She attended demonstrations, rallies, and clandestine meetings, delving into codes, networks, social media strategies, and the mechanisms used to target and radicalize young people. Her book *Undercover Among Nazis: A Woman at the Heart of the Far-Right Scene* is an investigation into the propensity for violence within a scene that often presents itself differently in public than it operates internally.

In “When the Far Right Rules: The U.S., Italy, Poland—Germany: Democracies at a Tipping Point? — What We Must Do Now for Our Future,” she examines democracies in which authoritarian forces have long since become a political reality or are dangerously close to taking hold. Her question is not only how democracies collapse, but also what is still holding them together.

Two book presentations and a discussion: on the question of how to talk about right-wing extremism without making it seem bigger—and without underestimating it.

Angelique Geray works as an investigative journalist for RTL; her undercover reports also appear in STERN. Previously, she worked for SPIEGEL, NDR, and BILD, among others.

Sally Lisa Starken is a journalist, author, podcaster, and one of the most influential voices in political education on social media. Her book *Zu Besuch am rechten Rand* reached No. 1 on the SPIEGEL bestseller list.