The far-right in Europe

Résumé du document

The far-right in Europe has been a permanent feature in the European countries since the fifties. But for some years the far-right movement, most of the time a mix of populism and nationalism, has an increasing audience among the European population. Earlier it was indeed seen as a marginalized and weird movement; nowadays all these parties have electoral pretensions. In the main European countries, such as in France, Germany, Italy or Belgium the far-right obtains on average 20% of the valid votes in local, legislatives, European and…even in presidential elections sometimes! The far-right is currently a political force which can come to power. Across Europe these parties have been modernized: they have erased the most racist and xenophobic parts in their platforms; they became more respectable. J-M Le Pen in France, Christoph Blöcher in Switzerland, Jörg Haider in Austria, Pim Fortuyn in the Netherlands, the Norwish Progress Party, the North League in Italy, the Vlaams Belang in Belgium. No country seems to spare the far-right movement.

Extraits

[...] What is worrying is that the current government has applied the Fortuyn's ideas. The former coalition composed of liberals, social-democrats and centrists reduced such the welcome of the asylum seekers that the number decreased from 43,000 persons in 2000 to 13,400 in 2003. People who ask for the nationality must now pass knowledge's test of the Dutch language and culture, included for people living there for years. CASE OF FRANCE The National Front has in France a real important audience. [...]

[...] The far-right is based on people; all is done for the people on the contrary of the other political parties; these leaders feel very concerned by the people's interests. The far-right movement it is also a charismatic leader, who is a brilliant speaker able to harangue mobs. The ideas developed are simple and punchy; the ideas must appear as obvious. Most of the time the far-right has a an enemy responsible of all the problems of the people: the European Union or the immigrants, the globalisation, the national elites in fact other”. [...]

[...] During my presentation I will try to answer these questions and to present some examples of far-right parties (II). The far-right in Europe: some keys to understand. In this part of my presentation I want to develop 5 arguments to explain and understand the soaring rising of the far-right tendency. the end of workers' movement The working-class is not the biggest class any more in Europe. There was a transformation and a withdrawal of the working-class struggle; this is the end of a unity among the working-class. Besides, they do not recognise them in the current left-wing parties. [...]

[...] The working- class feels misunderstood and turns to the far-right parties. the EU and the inertia of the political community The ECB is highly independent whereas she takes very important decisions; the European Commission since the mid-eighties has passed a lot of laws without a huge control from the countries' Parliaments. With the transfer of competences to Brussels the citizens have the feeling they have lose the power to control their future. The nationalism of the far-right has an echo for them; people believe that the far-right is the only one which defends their interests. [...]

[...] The EU has for the moment said anything but she should do something. I have not time enough to speak of other countries, such as Italy or Austria where the far-right parties are also very strong. In Austria this was the first shock for Europe in 2001 because the far-right party of Jörg Haider entered in the government. I just want to add one example from Denmark where the conservative government forbade for people under 24 to marry a foreigner; as a consequence 2,000 couples went into exile on the other side of the Öresund, in Sweden. [...]