The Nazi salute as spectacle: why has the fear of raising the arm been lost?

BarcelonaFootball fans, economic elites –like the case of the richest man in the world, Elon Musk–, and markedly ultra formations have taken a liking to raising their right arm high in tribute to the pure Nazi and Italian fascism of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. And they are not the only ones. For years, we have also heard the famous phrase "life was better under Franco" or "this wouldn't have happened under Franco", assertions that, often paradoxically, come from young people whose image of the "caudillo" is that of a bald, old man who could barely walk and who, therefore, could not have been very dangerous either.

Jordi Mir, a professor of humanities at the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and author of the book Our Fascism (Ara Llibres, 2026), points out that, apart from the groups that have always done so, there is now a greater media presence because a second group is emerging: people or groups who have begun to adopt these approaches when, historically or traditionally, they had not done so before.

Musk and dog whistles

Here figures like Musk's take on relevance, who by making this gesture publicly play with ambiguity. "In the Anglo-Saxon world they talk about dog whistles," explains Mir, "expressions made in such a way that they cannot openly be identified with certain ideas, but which those who are affiliated quickly recognize." In this way, one enters a territory where "we care very little about what lies behind what Nazism was and the thing is about playing with emotions, with feelings, and knowing how to connect with people in a very primary way," warns the expert. "There is a process of normalization and even joking about this type of symbology," adds Mònica Clua, a professor of political science at the UPF, "elements that the digital far-right has been using for some time in forums and memes to trivialize fascism".

In this way, when referents such as the American businessman do it, a third sociological sphere emerges: people who see this "as a fun and transgressive way to confront sectors with whom they do not share political approaches", states Mir. The expert indicates that, in the face of this, the arm is raised not to defend Nazi barbarism, but "as a rejection of what is often presented as woke culture or left-wing culture".

A current trend

But why now? The underlying reason, according to Mir's reflection, is that far-right ideas rise reactively in response to previous decades of liberation and diversity. They are symbols that serve to articulate criticism of, for example, immigration or feminism, since, in the humanist's words, "political ideas also become fashionable." "We are facing a truly global wave," explains Clua, citing as examples "India under Narendra Modi, Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro, or Argentina under Javier Milei." In this way, the professor highlights that, beyond Germany in the thirties, "all of them are linked to a wave of global white supremacism and dynamics like apartheid."

The snowball effect

Another key element is gregariousness, which Mir illustrates with a footballing simile: "When Messi did a new greeting when scoring a goal [...], this was easily found hours later in schoolyards." The function of imitation is dizzying: "That the president of your government or public figures in society in general have certain behaviors helps you to have them too," he assures. In this way, a snowball effect is generated where "suddenly this makes us think that things can be done that until now we had decided not to do," reveals Mir.

Clua complements this idea by underlining the technological role: the social network algorithm is designed to amplify precisely this. These channels "give much more strength and visibility to messages that everyone is supposed to be seeing and supporting," details the political scientist, and warns that many users reproduce them simply to scandalize, "without even knowing the deep meaning of the gesture they are normalizing".

The groundbreaking drive of young people

This wave penetrates especially among young people. "As happens historically, when young people start to get politicized, they have a certain tendency to identify with ideas that are against what is established," states Mir. "Before it meant joining Podem and now it means approaching groups that are quite far from that." Many raise their arms solely because "it is groundbreaking and affirming of their own will," highlights Mir: "I am not very clear, in many cases, that they have a clear awareness of what this situation means and what it implies from the perspective, for example, of extermination".

Clua also shows particular skepticism about the idea that all young people are turning towards fascism. The professor is convinced that fascism only captures a "small percentage," albeit a very polarized one. Furthermore, the expert issues a final warning: constantly repeating the headline that "young people are all becoming fascists" can end up being counterproductive and convincing young people themselves to do so just to fit in with the supposed trend.