Will far-right politics sweep Europe? Will we see a repeat of the early 20th century nightmare of the rise of fascism in Europe? After Marie Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (formerly the National Front) won the European Parliament elections against President Emmanuel Macron’s center-right coalition, Macron dissolved the French parliament and called for a vote in the Legislative Assembly. A large number of French voters reportedly participated in the vote on Sunday. There is a widespread view that the far-right National Rally will prevail in the elections. If political events in France are still a bellwether for European politics, as they were in the days of the 19th century Austrian diplomat and politician Clemens von Metternich, who famously said, “When France sneezes, the rest of Europe catches a cold,” then Europe may finally be moving to the right. Perhaps Macron will lose his political bet badly. Consider also the rise of the far-right German party Alternative for Germany (AfD). The party’s leading candidate declared that members of the SS – the black-uniformed self-styled political soldiers of Hitler’s Nazi party – were not necessarily criminals. Though it raised some eyebrows, the AfD beat all other parties in Germany’s ruling coalition in the last European elections, winning six seats.
While European politics is experiencing a sharp polarization, political language is also becoming more intolerant and violent. Not only verbal abuse, but even physical attacks on political leaders. What does this development mean? Is the era of stability after the Second World War over? Clearly, the political turmoil in Europe reflects the discontent of ordinary citizens with the parties in power. Political instability has worsened, especially after the Ukrainian war. In fact, the war has dealt a heavy blow to European industry. Cheap energy such as natural gas and fossil oil from Russia, which kept European homes warm during the winter and powered the European economy, is no longer in supply. The political right, as always, exploits public discontent to push their policies. The fear that immigrants will take all the jobs and even change the European culture is a common slogan of the political right. In addition to that, there is Islamophobia, which is also rooted in anti-immigration policies. The reason is that many of the immigrants are Arabs from the Middle East, many of whom are Muslim.
Since last October, Israel has been massacring unarmed Palestinian civilians in its bloody attacks on Gaza. However, the European political class in power has failed to persuade Israel to stop the massacre. It has also given rise to the far-right in Europe. To make matters worse, pro-Palestinian protests are being suppressed by the center-left and center-right political coalitions in power in various European capitals. Pro-Palestinian voters, who are anti-establishment by nature, thus further weakening the power base of pro-liberal parties.
However, these anti-immigrant rants from the European political right can only stoke the fears and prejudices of disgruntled masses, but they offer no solution to the economic roots of their discontent. In fact, Europe needs immigrants as workers to maintain its economy. Herein lies the contradiction of far-right politics in Europe. Far-right and populist politicians are for the most part demagogues, and are not unaware of the limitations of their political agenda. They know that even if they take power in elections, they will not be able to solve the economic problems of their constituencies. And yet, thanks to the failure of establishment politics in all areas of the economy and foreign affairs, their support base is expanding. As a result, in some cases, such as Germany, the far-right has rather managed to shake off the social stigma that has been attached to them and normalize their policies in domestic politics.
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