Are all those who raise their arm Nazis?

BarcelonaFootball fans, economic elites –like the richest man in the world, Elon Musk– and markedly ultra-right formations have developed a taste for raising their right arm high in tribute to the Nazi and Italian fascism of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. And they are not the only ones. For years, the famous phrases "Life was better under Franco" and "This didn't happen under Franco" have also been heard, assertions that, often and paradoxically, come from young people for whom the image of Franco is that of a bald, old man who could barely walk and who, therefore, couldn't have been very dangerous.

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

Musk and the 'dog whistles'

Here figures like Musk take on relevance, who by making this gesture publicly play with ambiguity. “In the Anglo-Saxon world they speak of dog whistles –explains Mir–, which are expressions that cannot be openly identified with certain ideas but which those in the know quickly recognize”. In this way, one enters a territory where “it matters very little 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 of this type of symbology –adds Mònica Clua, professor of political science at UPF–, which the digital far-right has been using for some time in forums and memes to trivialize fascism”.

So, when referents like the American businessman act in this way, a third sociological sphere emerges: people who come to consider it “a fun and transgressive way to confront sectors with which they do not share ideas,” 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

So, when role models like the American businessman act in this way, a third sociological sphere emerges: people who come to consider it “a fun and transgressive way to confront sectors with which they do not share ideas,” 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 or left-wing culture.”

The snowball effect

Another key element is gregariousness, which Mir illustrates with a football simile: “When Messi made a new greeting after scoring a goal, within a few hours you could see it 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 end up adopting them too,” he assures. In this way, a snowball effect is generated that “makes us think that things can be done that we had previously decided not to do,” says Mir.

Clua complements this idea with the importance of the technological field: the social media algorithm is designed to amplify these phenomena. These channels “give much more strength and visibility to messages that everyone is supposed to be seeing,” explains the political scientist, adding that many users reproduce them simply to shock, “without even knowing the deep meaning of the gesture they are normalizing”.

Young people's desire to break boundaries

This wave penetrates especially among young people. “As has historically happened, when young people start to politicize they tend to identify with ideas that are contrary to what is established –says Mir–. Before it could mean joining Podem, and now it means approaching groups that are quite far from the purples.” Many raise their arm solely because “it is groundbreaking and to reaffirm themselves in their own will,” says Mir: “In many cases I don’t think they have a clear consciousness of what this situation means or what it implies from the perspective, for example, of extermination”.

Clua also expresses particular skepticism about the idea that all young people are looking 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 end up convincing them just to fit in with the supposed trend.