BRUSSELS: The EU on Friday added The Base — a neo-Nazi group founded in America and active in several other countries — to its “terrorist” list, subjecting it to immediate sanctions.
“The Base is an organization of right-wing extremists involved in terrorist acts, which was founded by Rinaldo Nazzaro in 2018,” the Council of the European Union said in a statement.
The sanctions comprise a travel ban, a freeze of any assets in Europe, and a ban on EU citizens or companies providing funds to the group.
The Base seeks “to accelerate the downfall of the United States government, incite a race war, and establish a white ethno-state,” the FBI said in court documents reported by the BBC.
Nazzaro, a US citizen, started the group in July 2018 as a network for radical right nationalists readying for armed conflict and then moved to Saint Petersburg and took up Russian citizenship, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank.
The Base members operate in the United States and several other countries, including Britain, Australia, Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands, according to think tank and news reports and parliamentary documents.
The Counter Extremism Project, an association focused on extremist groups, said Nazzaro worked for the US Department of Homeland Security between 2004 and 2006, and reportedly with US forces in the Middle East on counterterrorism — a role that gave him top-secret clearance.
Nazzaro resigned his US national security position after developing his white nationalist beliefs, the Counter Extremism Project said.
The CSIS think tank said there were concerns that “The Base poses a notable threat of attracting radicalized members from the US military” and in law enforcement.
Another think tank, the Soufan Center, started by a former FBI agent, said Nazzaro reportedly boasted of his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
EU adds neo-Nazi group The Base to its ‘terrorist’ list
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EU adds neo-Nazi group The Base to its ‘terrorist’ list
- “The Base is an organization of right-wing extremists involved in terrorist acts, which was founded by Rinaldo Nazzaro in 2018,” the Council of the European Union said
- The Base seeks “to accelerate the downfall of the United States government, incite a race war, and establish a white ethno-state,” the FBI said in court documents
Britain needs to step up defense spending faster, says Starmer
- Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30
LONDON: Britain should step up and accelerate its defense spending, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, following a report that the government was considering bringing forward its target to spend 3 percent of economic output on defense.
Britain, which has warned of the risks posed by Russia, said in February 2025 that it would lift annual defense spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP by 2027 and aim for 3 percent in the next Parliament, which is expected to begin after an election due in 2029.
The BBC reported that the government was now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029. It said no decision had been taken but the government recognized current plans would not cover rising defense costs.
HIGHLIGHT
The BBC reported that the government is now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029.
Asked whether he would bring the target forward to 2029, Starmer echoed comments he made at the Munich Security Conference, where he said Europe had united to support Ukraine with the supply of weapons and munitions and to strengthen military readiness.
“We need to step up. That means on defense spending, we need to go faster,” Starmer told reporters on Monday. “We’ve obviously made commitments already in relation to that, but it goes beyond just how much you spend.”
Latest NATO estimates show that Britain spent 2.3 percent of the GDP on defense in 2024, above the alliance’s 2 percent guideline. But like other European countries, it has faced US pressure to spend more to protect the continent. Struggling with high debt and spending commitments, the government last year cut its international aid budget to fund the hike in defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP but is yet to publish an investment plan with spending priorities, something that has frustrated the defense industry.
Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has struggled to stay on track with her plans to repair the public finances. The BBC said the Finance Ministry was believed to be cautious about the new defense spending proposals.
A government spokesperson said Britain was “delivering the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War.”
