TikTok fuelling rise of fascist youth movement in the Philippines, experts warn
The far-right Philippine Falangist Front seeks to evoke nostalgia for Spanish rule while calling for Catholic authoritarianism
Another video, more ominous still, flashes the phrase “Fight them before they kill you” over symbols of Muslims, Jews, communists, Freemasons and the LGBTQ community – each struck through by a sword.
They are just a few examples of an increasingly visible fringe movement brewing in the Philippines’ online underworld, where a new generation of far-right extremists is using social media platforms such as TikTok and Discord to recruit, radicalise and rally disaffected youth.
The movement, known as the Philippine Falangist Front (PFF), is part of a small but growing network of digital communities promoting fascist ideology in Southeast Asia, according to a recent study by the Global Network on Extremism and Technology.
Their message is incendiary: the Philippines is a nation in crisis, and only a return to authoritarian Catholic rule can restore order.
“They commonly produce content or engage in discussions lamenting the Philippines’ and the world’s descent into a so-called godless society,” said Saddiq Basha, the report’s author and a research analyst at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.