Europe is moving fast.
Photo: Shutterstock
Europe is moving fast. Political currents that oppose migrants and overly generous social benefits, until recently, were considered extremely marginal in the Old World. But now they are taking power in many EU countries.
Another poll showed that Europeans see the main reason for the rise in popularity of right-wing movements in “empty promises that have not been fulfilled by current politicians.” By the way, the Cuban revolutionary and leftist Fidel Castro predicted back in 2010: “The fascist right will quickly win back positions in Europe from reformist movements.”
And so it happened. The population of European countries is fed up with the colossal economic and migration problems that have arisen in the Old World. In many parts of the West, anti-government protests are taking place: people are demanding that the authorities immediately reduce the prices of gasoline, electricity and food, as well as take measures to get national economies out of a protracted peak.
ITALY
In September last year, early parliamentary elections were held in Italy, as a result of which a coalition of right-wing parties came to power. The leader of the coalition is the far-right Brothers of Italy, led by 46-year-old George Meloni, whose party has its roots in the Italian Social Movement formed by Mussolini supporters after the end of World War II.
Over the years, the movement has changed its name and symbolism more than once, but has always indicated its negative attitude towards immigrants. Meloni’s party was founded 11 years ago and, in addition to anti-immigration policies, is known for Euroscepticism and the desire to ban abortion.
SWEDEN
At the end of last year, following the results of elections to the local parliament, the right-wing opposition led by the Swedish Democrats won. The party was formed in the late 1980s from neo-fascists, although its current chairman, Jimmy Åkesson, tried in every possible way to smooth over the sins of his predecessors in order to enlist the support of voters.
Now the nationalists are counting on clearing the country of migrants, thereby creating an “ethnically pure society.” They even launched the “Repatriation Express” in the subway, writing on the party’s social media page: “Welcome on board with a one-way ticket. Next stop is Kabul. If earlier such views seemed overly radical, now the Scandinavians have become more loyal to such initiatives.
NETHERLANDS
In March, a protest farmers’ party achieved success in the country’s regional elections. The radical “Movement of Farmers and Citizens” was created in the Netherlands in 2019 after large-scale rural protests. In the last elections, the party won about 20% of all votes, securing 15 seats in the Senate out of 75 possible.
The main political thesis of the movement was to fight government plans to reduce nitrogen emissions by drastically reducing the number of livestock and buying out thousands of farms. But the appeal of “farmers” has quickly moved beyond the countryside to a populist platform that represents traditional conservative social and moral values. In many world media, the party sounded precisely thanks to loud and radical protests – burning hay along major highways, blocking roads and pouring manure in central city squares.
FRANCE
In early April, the French institute Elabe conducted a public opinion poll and made sure that if the presidential elections were held right now, then Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, would win them. The main provisions of the political program of the Le Pen party are the protection of France’s sovereignty until the exit from the EU, the strict restriction of immigration and the return of the franc as a national currency. Marin herself also opposes budget austerity, condemns labor reform and calls for rapprochement with Russia.
It seems that Macron’s pension reform will have the most direct impact on the alignment of political forces in this country in the near future. The series of general strikes and demonstrations organized in France since mid-January by trade union leaders continues to this day. Protests have long escalated into riots, and the French police have begun to abuse their power, using physical violence even against journalists covering events in the country.
Expert comments
“The pandemic and the energy crisis have undermined the credibility of European governments”
– The growing popularity of right-wing parties in the West can be explained both by the populist rhetoric of their leaders around the macroeconomic indicators of European countries, and as the reaction of the nationalist-minded electorate to the growth in the number of migrants against the backdrop of a long-term demographic crisis within these countries, – commented on the situation for KP political scientist at Moscow State University M.V. Lomonosov Artem Kosorukov. – However, if in Central and Western Europe the nationalists take a neutral position towards Russia, then the right-wing parties in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe enjoy the support of the United States, being a tool to draw these states into a confrontation with our country.
“Westerners are becoming increasingly tired of dubious government actions during the energy crisis and pandemic. That is why Europeans support more radical opposition parties, – commented on the situation for “KP” Member of the Board of Young Political Scientists of the Russian Association of Political Science Kirill Kazakov. – The interest in the right-wing parties is due to the presence in their ideology of the ideas of the revival of the “great country” and Euroskepticism. Such a set of slogans creates in the eyes of voters an idea of a bright future in which there is sustainable economic growth, social norms meet the needs of the majority, and the state has sovereignty in both domestic and foreign policy.
