The representative organizations of the security forces in Brazil and Portugal as transmission belts of the far-right parties

Abstract

The growing influence of far-right parties and their connections with security forces poses a significant threat, particularly given the security forces’ monopoly on legitimate violence and the far-right’s inherent distrust of democratic institutions. This article challenges the assumption that the trade union movement uniformly opposes far-right ideologies. Instead, we show that many representative organizations within the security forces actively support far-right initiatives, with police forces especially susceptible to such influence. Drawing on documentary evidence from Brazil and Portugal, our case studies reveal that far-right parties do not necessarily reject intermediary organizations, such as trade unions and professional associations, but rather strategically use them as ‘transmission belts’ to further their agenda. This article contributes to reconsidering the transmission belt concept and suggests pathways for future research in this area.