National Security in the Age of Anti-Politicswww.cigionline.org Western societies have met the challenge of political violence before — but never on this scale. Moreover, it is not clear what will happen to extremist or violent groups once the pandemic and associated restrictions have passed. It is possible they may dissipate as people return to their everyday lives and become less interested in the less-tangible conspiratorial aspects of these movements. But it's equally likely that far-right extremists will use their new-found connections to push other racist, xenophobic and sexist narratives in an attempt to mainstream their ideas.