Autonome Nationalisten are German, Dutch and to a lesser degree Flemish neo-Nazis who have adopted some of the far left

Far left

Far left, also known as the revolutionary left, radical left and extreme left are terms which refer to the highest degree of leftist positions among left-wing politics...

's traditional dress (black clothing, Che Guevara

Che Guevara

Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...

 T-shirts, keffiyeh

Keffiyeh

The keffiyeh/kufiya , also known as a ghutrah , ' , mashadah , shemagh or in Persian chafiye , Kurdish cemedanî and Turkish puşi, is a traditional Arab headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men, as well as some Kurds...

s), symbolism, and tactics (black bloc

Black bloc

A black bloc is a tactic for protests and marches, whereby individuals wear black clothing, scarves, ski masks, motorcycle helmets with padding, or other face-concealing items...

). They began to appear in 2003-4 and are more violent than other members of the far right. The AN are ideologically inspired by Strasserism. Mareš writes that they are "a strategic concept, organization and subculture – all three terms are possible for the designation of this phenomenon." In 2008 Germany's Autonomous Nationalists were estimated to number approximately 400 people, 10% of the country's neo-Nazis.

Their emergence was controversial within the German far right

Far right in Germany

Following the fall of Nazi Germany and the dissolution of the Nazi Party in 1945, the far right in Germany quickly re-organized itself.The Deutsche Rechtspartei was founded in 1946, succeeded by the Deutsche Reichspartei in 1950. The Socialist Reich Party was founded in 1949...

, both because some older activists objected to their "leftist" image and because the National Democratic Party of Germany

National Democratic Party of Germany

The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...

 feared they would complicate its efforts to take part in mainstream politics.

Similar groups have also appeared in some Eastern European countries, beginning with the Czech Republic, but their impact in those areas has been limited.

Autonomous Nationalists have from time to time also aligned themselves with Islamic extremists arguing Islamic fundamentalism is anti-Semitic, homophobic, anti-imperialist as they are allegedly not under the influence of 'imperialist' America. Some Autonomous Nationalists wear shirts portraying Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...

.