Fascism rises again, especially in Germany, where the numbers have increased significantly in the last three years.

Most right-wing extremists (80%) are male, between 20-39 years old; the typical entry age is 12-15 years. The ultimate gateway into the scene: Music. Hundreds of fascist bands spread their propaganda on music platforms while the streaming services watch idly.

Even worse, the algorithms actively recommend these songs to anyone listening to similar music. We had to stop that. And along with "Laut gegen Nazis", an acclaimed organisation fighting fascism in every form, we aimed to get as many Nazi listeners as possible through the platforms' tools and algorithms.

We wanted to prove how easy it is to spread fascist songs via streaming services and how little the providers control the content they offer. This proof would help create awareness for the problem and activate people to put pressure on the streaming services.

We used the streaming algorithms against fascism by designing a band and a fascist music piece they would be eager to share with fans of real fascist bands. To do so, we optimised band and teaser to streaming algorithms' four main parameters: audio, content, behaviour, and external data.

The teaser’s musical style was matched to typical fascist rock. We analysed popular fascist songs to use their buzzwords and syntax in our lyrics. Visually, we also followed the scene’s codes. And with the help of Artist Affinity Targeting, we sneaked our song directly into the streams and playlists of real Nazis.

To trigger the algorithms’ external data parameter, we infiltrated Telegram groups and made the Nazis mention and link our teaser on social media.

Finally, we released the entire song on Hitler's seizure of power anniversary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMkDWMR-rfk) and proved that the platforms support the spread of fascism. Press and social media pressured the services, and finally, unconstitutional fascist songs are being removed.

"Laut gegen Nazis" proved how little the platforms control what they offer and also activated over 200,000 supporters that liked, shared and commented all over social media and put pressure on the platforms.

We created 1.7B earned media impressions and increased the topic awareness by 500% in Germany. The story was covered in 28 countries. The social media reach of “Laut gegen Nazis“ increased by 771%, and engagement with the brand by a remarkable 1400%.

Famous German musicians are joining our cause, and a petition for the platforms to regulate bigot songs collects thousands of signatories on change.org. But most importantly, we got the platforms to finally act against fascist content. In the first weeks alone, more than 700 unconstitutional songs and Nazi bands have already been removed from the platforms.