In the recent European Union elections, there was an unmistakable shift to the far right across several countries. Professor of International History Matt Fitzpatrick writes that the fear of the far-right that existed in previous decades is slipping, with it making gains across Europe. In the process, “views that would have ended political careers … a decade ago are now being rewarded with electoral success”.
In Germany, for example, despite the lead candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party declaring that members of the Nazi SS were not necessarily criminals, his party climbed 5% higher to outpoll all of the parties in Germany’s ruling coalition and gain six new seats in the European parliament.
In France, the situation was even more pronounced. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (previously National Front) smashed President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition, prompting the French president to call a snap election.
Much has been said about young Europeans lurching to the far right, but Fitzpatrick argues a closer look at the data reveals a more complex picture. Rather than voting as a group for far-right parties, they are instead voting for smaller parties. As part of this, the tech-savvy far-right parties, who’ve used social media to great effect, have attracted a substantial audience. Young people, who feel they’ve been “screaming into the void” for many years now, are increasingly attracted to “far-right parties peddling dangerously false solutions”.
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Amanda Dunn
Politics + Society Editor
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