In recent years, the tools of Emirati influence have gone beyond regional political money and local militia financing. Abu Dhabi has extended its reach deep into Europe through investments in far-right movements and the promotion of Islamophobic narratives.
One of the clearest examples is the media platform Visegrád 24, notorious for fuelling hate speech against Muslims and offering unconditional defence of Israel. This platform has become a prime model of how Mohammed bin Zayed leverages extremist discourse as part of his regional and international battles.
Visegrád 24 not only entrenched negative stereotypes of Muslims in Europe but also amplified the narrative of the so-called “Islamic threat.” This narrative feeds a populist far-right mood, serving political circles that thrive on fear-mongering and mobilisation against the “other.”
Today, this same machine is being redirected toward a new target: undermining the reputation of the Sudanese army in Europe, distorting its international relations, and simultaneously attacking Turkey and its defence sector, which has shifted balances of power across multiple conflict zones.
UAE and the Financing of European Extremism
The UAE’s sponsorship of Europe’s far-right is not new.
Reports previously exposed Abu Dhabi’s direct financing of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, funnelling around €8 million in an attempt to influence French politics in favour of anti-Muslim and anti-refugee agendas.
Today, that same approach is being repeated but in more sophisticated ways to avoid the scandals that once tarnished Le Pen’s image.
The Emirati financing of extremist platforms no longer relies on simple transfers. Instead, it operates through convoluted channels, including:
- PR firms linked to Zionist lobbies, producing and distributing content under the guise of “professional media.”
- Front organisations and NGOs, funding “research projects” while outsourcing publication to far-right platforms.
- Advertising campaigns and sponsorships, presented as ordinary marketing activity across digital networks.
- Financial intermediaries, such as loans or transfers routed through third-party banks and financial companies in Russia and elsewhere.
Sudan: A Proxy Battleground
This media campaign cannot be separated from developments in Sudan. Since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Abu Dhabi has been repeatedly accused of funding and arming the RSF, a militia notorious for massacres against civilians and the destruction of Sudan’s fragile infrastructure.
The strategy is two-fold:
- Support a militia with money and weapons on the ground.
- Use media platforms abroad to tarnish the image of its rivals—the Sudanese army—and justify the militia’s crimes.
By framing the Sudanese military as “Islamist” or portraying Sudan as a front for “Turkish influence,” Emirati-backed platforms seek to mask atrocities and redirect attention away from the RSF’s war crimes.
In this way, the conflict becomes as much a battle of narratives in European capitals as it is a bloody struggle inside Sudan itself.
Turkey in the Crosshairs
A core target of this Emirati media offensive is Turkey. Ankara’s achievements in developing its defence industries—especially armed drones that shifted outcomes in Libya, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine—have alarmed the UAE–Israel axis.
For far-right platforms, attacking Turkey serves two purposes: advancing Abu Dhabi’s agenda and feeding Islamophobia, which is already central to their ideology.
This reveals a dangerous trend: extremist media is no longer just about propaganda but has become a weapon of proxy warfare. It is a systematic investment in political discourse designed to weaken the UAE’s rivals, both regionally and internationally.
Thus, the Sudanese army is falsely branded as “Islamist,” while the RSF’s crimes are whitewashed with foreign media cover.
Islamophobia as a Political Tool
This model reflects a mindset built on:
- Exporting battles to Western public opinion platforms.
- Weaponising Islamophobia as a versatile political instrument.
- Forging an unspoken alliance between Abu Dhabi and Europe’s far-right, united around two core goals: hostility towards Muslims and shielding Israel from criticism.
The UAE’s entanglement in funding far-right media like Visegrád 24 is not an isolated event. It is part of a broader strategy of proxy warfare: financing militias on the battlefield, while empowering extremist media abroad to delegitimise opponents and legitimise allies.
Sudan has thus become a testing ground for this new formula: where bloodshed on the ground is reinforced by manipulative narratives in Brussels, Paris, and Berlin.
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