Patrik Hermansson spent nearly a year infiltrating the extreme right for the British anti-racist watchdog group Hope Not Hate. His findings were shared in an Op-Ed article by Jesse Singal, “Undercover with the Alt-Right,” as well as a report by the group.



Here, Mr. Hermansson answers readers’ questions, which have been edited for clarity and length.

Jim Cricket: Have you ever tried to debate the alt-right? If so, with any success? How do you present facts/counterfacts to these types of people?

Patrik Hermansson: While inside, I couldn’t debate them; otherwise my cover would have been blown. This was one of the hardest things about the whole project. People would say the most hateful things and I couldn’t challenge them, I just had to nod and agree. This was extremely frustrating and at times upsetting. At those times I had to think of the purpose of the whole project rather than what would feel good right then and there.

Part of the problem with challenging these people’s views is that often they are not arrived at logically, so it is hard to reason them out of them. Their worldview is deeply conspiratorial, so straight facts often won’t work. Some of them reach their views because of fear or anger, so we need to find a way to speak to them on an emotional level, not merely a rational and factual level. However, by the time people get that far into these movements, it is extremely hard to change their minds. It is better to try to discourage people before they get involved.