How Germany Is Responding to the Far-right | DW News

Feb 11, 2024 | Hundreds of thousands have come out across Germany in recent days to protest the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The far-right populist party with a strong anti-immigration focus is enjoying record highs in opinion polls. Nationwide surveys show that about one in five Germans would vote for it, and the AfD is projected to come first in elections in three eastern states later this year. So how did Germany get here? And how is society responding?

Defiance in Germany: Can Mass Protests Stop the Far Right? | To The Point

Feb 1, 2024 | Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Germany. It’s the largest social movement in the country in decades. In cities and towns large and small, protestors have been demonstrating against the far right, to advocate for an open society and to protect their democracy. And yet, supporters of Germany’s biggest far-right party seem undaunted, with more people than ever joining the organization. How dangerous is the AfD? What is causing such anger within mainstream society? And how resilient is Germany’s democracy? On To the Point we ask: Defiance in Germany: Can mass protests stop the far right?

Olaf Scholz Condemns Far-Right Plan to Deport Millions of Immigrants

THE TELERAPH: German chancellor says proposal, which would also expel German citizens, was drawn up by ‘fanatics with assimilation fantasies’

Mr Scholz warned German security services would investigate anyone 'who opposes our free democratic order' CREDIT: CLEMENS BILAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Olaf Scholz has strongly condemned a secret meeting at a mansion outside Berlin where far-Right groups drew up plans for deporting millions of immigrants, including German citizens.

The plan, revealed by the German investigative group Correctiv, has sent shockwaves across Germany given its echoes of Nazi ideology, notably the expulsion of those of non-German ethnic origin.

Mr Scholz, the German chancellor, said in response to the plan: “We protect everyone – regardless of origin, skin colour or how uncomfortable someone is for fanatics with assimilation fantasies.”

He also warned that the German security services would investigate anyone “who opposes our free democratic order,” adding that “the fact we learn from our history is not just lip service”. » | James Rothwell, Berlin Correspondent | Thursday, January 11, 2024

Geert Wilders: The Dutch Far-right Figurehead Sending a Chill across Europe

GUARDIAN EUROPE: After 20 years as a political outlier, the leader of the anti-immigration Freedom party is closer to power than ever before

Known for his distinctive platinum-blond hairstyle and his aggressive anti-Islam and anti-immigration rhetoric, Geert Wilders has been catapulted by the Dutch elections to the place he loves most to be: at the centre of attention.

In a political earthquake, Wilders’ Freedom party was on course late on Wednesday to win the most votes in the country’s parliamentary elections, opening the way for the politician to play a key role in the formation of the next government after an election dominated by debate over immigration.

From describing Islam as “an ideology of a retarded culture” and calling Moroccans “scum”, Wilders, who is often compared to former US president Donald Trump for his inflammatory rhetoric and use of social media, has long been a prominent fixture in the European far-right landscape. » | Pjotr Sauer in Amsterdam | Thursday, November 23, 2023

How Europe’s far right is marching steadily into the mainstream: Whether in Italy, Spain, France or Finland, parties that were once outcasts are fast gaining respectability – and power »

EN FRANÇAIS :

Pays-Bas : l’extrême droite de Geert Wilders remporte les législatives, selon les sondages sortie des urnes : Le PVV (Parti de la Liberté) a obtenu autour de 35 sièges et une victoire électorale confortable, selon l’institut Ipsos, contre 26 pour l’alliance de gauche. Le VVD de centre droit a remporté 23 sièges. Une coalition a besoin de 76 sièges pour gouverner. »

The Guardian View on Argentina’s New President: A Dark Day for Democracy

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The election of the far-right candidate Javier Milei reflects the seriousness of the country’s problems – and threatens to deepen them

Javier Milei and his sister, Karina Milei, react to the election results in Buenos Aires on 19 November. Photograph: Reuters
Javier Milei’s landslide election victory, with 55.7% of the vote to his rival’s 44.3%, is not only terrible news for Argentina but terrifying for many. In a country celebrating 40 years of hard-won democracy, the far-right economist threatens to turn the clock back.

It would be easy to mock the former TV celebrity and tantric sex coach, who wielded a chainsaw at rallies and promised that he would take it to the state. But his election as president is no joke. Among the 53-year-old libertarian’s ideas are a referendum to overturn the legalisation of abortion, reducing gun ownership restrictions, making the trade in organs lawful, slashing social spending and abolishing the central bank. He has called the Argentina-born Pope Francis “the representative of the evil one on Earth”, smeared the victims of the military dictatorship as “terrorists” and claimed that their death toll was far smaller than the accepted 30,000 figure.

His win is bad news globally too, and not only because he dismisses climate change as a “socialist lie”. It is a filip for the far right around the world, and was welcomed as far away as Europe. Donald Trump, to whom Mr Milei has often been compared, and the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, were swift to congratulate him. » | Editorial | Monday, November 20, 2023

Another clown joins the circus! – © Mark Alexander

And if you’re wondering what ‘tantric sex’ is, I’ve googled it so you don’t have to! Here’s a link.

Far-right ‘Defends’ the Cenotaph to the Echo of Home Secretary’s Words

THE OBSERVER: Tension built all week about the Gaza march on Armistice Day. In the end, the far-right sparked violence. Then huge peaceful crowds surged through London

Never has the Cenotaph, in its 103 years of standing sentry on Whitehall, been “defended” on Armistice Day by a Port Vale fan supping a can of Stella Artois.

“I’m here in case the jihadists get past the police, who’ll probably just let them through anyway,” said Ben Neale, 22, from Tunstall, Staffordshire. “If they do come, they’ll soon wish they hadn’t.”

As it transpired, it was some of his fellow football supporters, backed aggressively by elements of the far right, who broke violently through police lines, toppling over metal barricades, throwing missiles and temporarily forcing officers back as they surged towards the Cenotaph on the anniversary of the end of the first world war. » | Mark Townsend | Saturday, November 11, 2023

Israel’s Ultra Nationalist Settlers Who Brought the Far Right to Power

Dec 8, 2022 | Now in Israel, the most far-right government in the country's history is about to take power, at the end of a year marred by soaring levels of deadly violence.

…

The new government, being brought together by four-time prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, includes ultranationalists who have advocated the annexing of the West Bank and deporting those they deem "traitors".

Bavaria' s Deputy Leader Keeps Job despite Alleged Far-right Extremist Youth | DW News

Sep 4, 2023 | An antisemitism scandal has rocked Germany's biggest state, Bavaria. Its deputy leader Hubert Aiwanger has admitted to carrying an inflammatory leaflet as a teenager - but denied writing it. He's apologised for mistakes made in his youth - and has been allowed to keep his job.

The Rise of the Right: Populism in Germany - BBC News (2019)

May 8, 2019 | A new wave of far-right politics is sweeping across Europe, promising to smash the ruling elite, end migration and shake-up the EU. But are these parties fuelling hate?

The Nine’s Europe Correspondent Jean Mackenzie travels across the continent, to find out why these movements are surging - meeting the people celebrating their rise and those fighting to stop them.

The first in this series comes from Germany, where the far-right party the AfD is now Germany’s main opposition. We ask whether their place in Parliament is emboldening more extreme groups.

Reported by Jean Mackenzie
Produced by Sara Monetta
Filmed and Edited by Andy Smythe

Germany's Troubled Economy Fuels Far-right Rise | DW News

Sept 1, 2013 | Germany's economy is struggling, and important economic indicators are pointing in the wrong direction. Ordinary Germans are worried, causing a loss of faith in the country's traditional parties.

Spain Votes on Sunday: Here’s What to Know

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The national elections could see a far-right party enter the Spanish government for the first time since the 1970s.

This past week in Barcelona, the capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, which has seen a prolonged secessionist conflict. | Maria Contreras Coll for The New York Times
Spaniards will go to the polls on Sunday to vote in an early general election that could see the right return to power and, more crucially, the far right enter the national government for the first time since the Franco dictatorship, nearly a half-century ago.

The outcome will determine whether Spain — a nation of about 48 million people and the European Union’s fourth-largest economy — follows a growing trend in Europe, where hard-right parties are surging in popularity and, in some cases, gaining power by entering governments as junior partners.

How did we get here?

Spain has succeeded in stabilizing its economy and politics after years of upheavals marked by a devastating financial crisis, a prolonged secessionist conflict in Catalonia and repeated failures to form a government.

Pedro Sánchez, the current prime minister, has been in power for five years. He leads a fragile coalition government made up of various left-wing parties, including his own, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party.

Still, under Mr. Sánchez’s leadership, Spain has enjoyed a period of strong economic growth and low inflation. He is also popular in the European Union for his progressive and pro-Europe policies. » | Constant Méheut | Sunday, July 23, 2023

Finnish Far-right Finance Minister Accused of Racist Online Comments

THE GUARDIAN: Riikka Purra says she will not resign after being linked to racial slurs and threats of violence made in 2008

Finland’s new rightwing government has been plunged into fresh controversy after the discovery of racist and sometimes violent blogpost comments apparently written by the far-right Finns party leader and finance minister, Riikka Purra.

Purra, whose nationalist, anti-immigration party finished second in April’s elections and holds nine cabinet posts, has neither confirmed nor denied writing the posts, which date mostly to 2008, and said she had no intention of resigning – although on Tuesday she issued a broad apology for “stupid social media comments”.

The comments, made under the username “riikka” on the blog of Purra’s predecessor as Finns party leader, Jussi Halla-aho, included uses of the Finnish equivalent of the N-word, other racial and anti-immigrant slurs, and threats of violence. » | Jon Henley, Europe editor | Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Italy, Spain, France: The Rise of Far-right across Europe | ARTE Europe Weekly

Jul 2, 2023 | Across Europe, the firewall between the mainstream and the far right is starting to crack. From Germany’s AfD to Italy’s Fratelli d'Italia, parties that were once deemed outcasts are slowly gaining respect - after a surge in popularity. This week’s show breaks down the reasons for the shift.

Dieser Bericht ist hier auf Deutsch verfügbar.

'This Is Not Iran' | Israel's Religious and Far-right Parties Demand Law to Legitimize Gender Segregation

HAARETZ: Religious Zionism and United Torah Judaism parties want to legalize separation of men and women at ultra-Orthodox and Orthodox cultural events, education and public services to prevent what they call 'judicial persecution by the legal system'

In exchange for joining the coalition, the far-right Religious Zionism and United Torah Judaism parties have demanded legislation that gender separation at public events will not be considered discrimination. Likud has not yet decided whether to grant the demand.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in response: “While in Iran courageous women are fighting for their rights, in Israel, Smotrich and the ultra-Orthodox nationalists are trying to send women behind barriers and enshrine into law separation between men and women. Where is Likud? Why are they silent? This is not Iran." » | Michael Hauser Tov and Noa Shpigel | Sunday, November 20, 2022

France’s Far-right National Rally Elects New President to Replace Le Pen

THE GUARDIAN: ordan Bardella, 27, who joined the party as a teenager and is a protege of Marine Le Pen, replaces her as leader

Jordan Bardella, newly-elected president of the RN party, holds the hand of Marine Le Pen after the results during the National Rally party's Congress in Paris, France. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) has elected a 27-year-old from the Paris banlieue who joined the party as a teenager as its new president to replace Marine Le Pen.

The result means that for the first time since the party – originally the National Front – was created in 1972, it will not be run by a Le Pen.

Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s protege, who has been caretaker president for a year, beat Louis Aliot, 53, the mayor of Perpignan, a party heavyweight as well as Le Pen’s former partner, by 85% to 15% of party members who voted.

There were cheers and a standing ovation as Le Pen announced the result. The handover comes at a tense time for the RN after one of its MPs was suspended from parliament for a racist outburst last week. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Saturday, November 5, 2022

Marine Le Pen passe la main à Jordan Bardella pour diriger le Rassemblement national : L’eurodéputé, qui assure l’intérim de la présidence du RN depuis un an, a obtenu 84,84 % des suffrages lors du vote qui s’est déroulé dans la matinée. »

Politischer Ziehsohn von Le Pen wird neuer Parteichef : Er ist jung, stramm rechtsnational und binnen kürzester Zeit aufgestiegen: Jordan Bardella übernimmt den Vorsitz des Rassemblement National. Die größte Herausforderung erwartet ihn in der Provinz. »

Italy’s Far Right Triumphs in Election

FOREIGN POLICY: Giorgia Meloni is expected to head the country’s most right-wing government since World War II.

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy party, speaks at a press conference at the party electoral headquarters in Rome overnight on Sept. 26. ANTONIO MASIELLO/GETTY IMAGES
Far-right firebrand Giorgia Meloni is set to lead Italy after her party, Brothers of Italy, received the most votes in elections on Sunday. She is expected to head the country’s most right-wing government since the era of fascist leader Benito Mussolini.

Brothers of Italy ultimately won 26 percent of votes—six times more than it received in 2018—while the right-wing coalition it was part of secured 44 percent. But the election was marked by record-low voter turnout, with just 64 percent of people participating, almost a 10 percent drop compared to the last general election.

Meloni represents the “the last, probably, available option for Italians to voice their discomfort with the political establishment and with the way the economy has been managed,” said Carlo Bastasin, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Low turnout, he added, “is another form of Italians’ discomfort with the political situation.”

Since entering politics, Meloni has experienced a meteoric rise to the top, as Giorgio Ghiglione wrote in Foreign Policy in August. Her success was largely built on “the credibility crisis of her adversaries on the left and her allies on the right, who have all become increasingly inconsistent in the eyes of the public,” he wrote.

Despite her efforts to soften her position ahead of the election, Meloni is known for her hard-line stances, famously proclaiming: “Yes to the natural family. No to the LGBT lobby. Yes to sexual identity. No to the ideology of gender.” On immigration, she has pushed for a Mediterranean “naval blockade” and previously declared that Italy’s existing policies could transform it into the “refugee camp of Europe.” » | Christina Lu, a reporter at Foreign Policy | Tuesday, September 27, 2022

A Visit to a Stronghold of Germany's Far-right Party | DW News

Oct 1, 2021 • The far-right Alternative for Germany party remains strong in the east, but has suffered small losses nationwide — and will not be involved in any coalition talks, as it remains a pariah for all other parties.

Germany's eastern state of Saxony bucked the nationwide downward trend: The Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the strongest party there in Sunday's general election, clearly ahead of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In neighboring Thuringia, the AfD also narrowly beat the Social Democrats to become the largest single party.

Why is the AfD so strong in the east? We went to the city of Görlitz to find out.

Ukrainian Police Clash with Far-Right Protesters at LGBT Event In Kyiv

Far-Right Group Was Preparing for "Day X" | "Germany's Neo-Nazis & the Far Right" | FRONTLINE

Jun 29, 2021 • Nordkreuz, a German far-right group, stockpiled weapons and prepped for violence. Its alleged leader wasn’t tried on terror charges. An excerpt from FRONTLINE's "Germany's Neo-Nazis & the Far Right."

“If you had an Islamist, a jihadi, doing the same thing, he would go to jail,” journalist Dirk Laabs tells FRONTLINE's Evan Williams of Nordkreuz's alleged leader.

The documentary includes photos found on a hard drive obtained by investigative journalist Dirk Laabs, showing members of the secret group of soldiers, police and civilians practicing military maneuvers and believed to be preparing for something they called Day X: a future moment when the German state would collapse in chaos, and the far right could step in and take control.

The documentary, which explores the rise of far-right and neo-Nazi violence in modern-day Germany and whether authorities are doing enough to stop it, is supported by "Exploring Hate," a multiplatform public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York aimed at offering an in-depth understanding of the rising tide of hatred, hate crimes, antisemitism and racism.

UK Far Right, Lifted by Trump, Now Turns to Russia

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The anti-Islam agitator Tommy Robinson struck gold in America. Keeping it might require help from Moscow, where other British far-right activists are also finding friends.

LONDON — Two days after supporters of former President Donald J. Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, but failed to reverse his election defeat, a defiant shout sounded from across the ocean. Tommy Robinson, Britain’s loudest amplifier of anti-Islam, far-right anger, insisted the fight was not over.

“You need to pick yourselves back up,” Mr. Robinson said in an online video viewed tens of thousands of times. “As Donald Trump says, it’s only just beginning.”

A former soccer hooligan and founder of the English Defence League, one of Britain’s most notorious nationalist groups, Mr. Robinson has largely been a pariah in his home country but Trump loyalists embraced him much the way they embraced many of the American extremist groups whose members would join the Capitol riot, including the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Mr. Robinson appeared on Fox News and Infowars. A right-wing U.S. research institute even bankrolled a 2018 rally in London that foreshadowed the violence at the Capitol: Mr. Robinson’s supporters attacked police officers in a street fight near Parliament. A month later, Representative Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona, flew to London to speak at a second rally for Mr. Robinson.

His message? Keep fighting. » | Jane Bradley and Michael Schwirtz | Friday, April 23, 2021