The danger posed by the far right is convincingly outlined in a gripping Channel Four documentary, finds Jamal Elaheebocus

The far right has once again emerged as a significant threat over the last few years, winning elections across Europe, including in Italy and the Netherlands, and being bolstered in the US by Trump’s victory. The release of Undercover: Exposing the Far Right this October was therefore quite timely, and it is a very interesting look at the activities of far-right activists and groups.

The documentary, directed by Havana Marking, follows the work of anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate and their efforts monitoring and reporting the activities of the far right. Hope Not Hate as an organisation has significant flaws, given its participation in the persecution of Jeremy Corbyn while he was leader of the Labour Party. That notwithstanding, the investigations shown in the documentary are extremely revealing.

The majority of the documentary follows Hope Not Hate investigators Patrik Hermansson and Harry Shukman, who goes undercover in a far-right organisation known as the Human Diversity Foundation (HDF).

Opening in Tallinn, where an important far-right conference is being held, the documentary follows the journalist as he uncovers the key figures involved in the HDF, an organisation which publishes racist pseudoscience and eugenics ideas.

Having developed a rapport with those at the top of the HDF and after pitching himself as a potential investor, Shukman is presented with the whole structure of the organisation. Several key individuals are named to Shukman, including a staff member at the German far-right party the AfD.

As the film progresses, it becomes really quite gripping. The team start to push for more information about who is funding the organisation and who else is involved. In a tense final part, Shukman is told the name of the businessman who had given $1.3 million to the organisation: Andrew Conru, an American internet CEO.

When the documentary was released in October, Conru was forced to cut ties with the HDF, which, alongside its journal for ‘scientific’ racism, Aporia, appears to have been since shut down.

The other parts of the documentary follow the organisation’s investigations into key figures in the British far-right movement, including Tommy Robinson and leaders of the Britain First party. The violent threats made by far-right activists and Tommy Robinson supporters to Hope Not Hate leaders are quite terrifying and reinforce the serious threat these organisations can pose.

Later parts of the documentary cover the large demo in London led by Tommy Robinson, just before he fled the country, and the far-right riots that followed across the country this summer. This, combined with investigations into the more academic side of the far right, encapsulates its multifaceted threat.

Channel 4’s investigative reporting has often been very strong, having recently uncovered some of the horrific treatment allegedly committed by Russell Brand towards women. This documentary lives up to that and is well worth watching.