In the post-World War II period, European states kept the extreme right-leaning parties in the background and received support from their people in this regard. However, since the 1990s, parties formed by extreme-right groups in various parts of Europe have come to the fore. Nowadays, it is seen that the number of such parties has been increasing. It is witnessed that governments are established with the partnership of extreme right-wing groups or by these parties themselves. Moreover, due to reasons such as the Arab Spring, terrorist attacks, and economic problems, there has been a wave of migration to Europe and an increase in the foreign population on the continent. Parallel to this, strengthening groups with extreme-right views in Europe has gained a visible dimension.
There are several arguments cause the extreme-right parties to gradually become stronger in Europe. It can be said that the first of these is the change in the population caused by the employing non-national workers, which started in the 1960s under the leadership of Germany. Despite the aforementioned changes, the majority of citizens in European countries preferred social democratic parties instead of extreme-right formations and continued this tendency for many years.
The strengthening of the European Union (EU) and the adoption of the region as a target or initial choice for migrants have begun to change the current situation. Especially in the process that took place after the Arab Spring and resulted in great migration waves, Europe faced some new political realities.
Currently, it is claimed that the increase in the number of migrants in Europe negatively affects the welfare of the people. In this context, anti-foreign organizations have started to become more evident. Although the social support received by individuals in economic terms does not decrease, it is advocated that the economy is adversely affected because the number of people that the state is responsible for increases. Right-wing groups, which ignore the negative impact of the war in Ukraine, try to present migrants as a burden.
In addition to this, another factor is the conflict that Europeans experience with migrants in terms of identity and culture. In this regard, factors such as Islam, anti-migrant, and anti-foreigner factors draw attention. The burning of the Qur’an, the religious book of Muslims, which has been on the agenda recently, attacks on mosques, and pressure on Muslims could be seen as indicators of anti-Islamizm. These situations do not remain at the individual level and it is seen that various extreme-right organizations adopt a similar manner throughout Europe.
Another factor used by extreme-right groups as an argument is the population problem.. Opposition to foreigners and migrants emerges in right-wing groups that see the declining population of Europeans as a problem. In this connection, social democratic governments acted jointly with the EU, protecting their borders as much as possible and showing sensitivity to accepting qualified migrants into their countries. Despite this, people who adopt this view continue their radical activities because of the rising extreme-right movements in Europe. It can be said that increasing extreme-right movements have the potential to bring about violence.
Finally, another factor that has been decisive in the political rise of the far right is populism.
Politicians’ anti-refugee policies, securitization of migrants, and discourse on issues of public opinion cause extreme-right parties to broaden their base. Populism is also effective at this point. This is because, the increase in votes, which emerged through populist discourses, makes the influence and power of liberal and social democratic parties in Europe controversial. For instance, in Italy, an extreme right-wing group came to power with Giorgia Meloni won the election. It can be said that the coming to power of the extreme-right parties, which was scarce after the Second World War, will intensify even more. The basis of this situation is the increase in populist discourses and the migration issue.
As could be expected, the extreme-right groups that have become stronger bring about various divisions within the EU. The EU aspires to gather its citizens under a single roof and tries to bring them together as European citizens regardless of religion, language, or race. Nevertheless, the growing extreme right threatens the EU in this respect.
As a result, rising extreme-right groups and populist discourses in Europe occupy the agenda more. The strengthening of extreme-right groups is a result of political, social, and economic factors. For this reason, Europe, which tries to present itself as the center of democracy and tolerance and to be accepted, is turning into one of the main centers where extreme-right groups operate.Spot:
