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Extremist Rightwing Parties in Europe
Compiled from information provided by Mark Potok, Editor, Intelligence Report,
Southern Poverty Law Center
(Sep 2000)
INTRODUCTION:
When the Berlin Wall crumbled in November 1989, few anticipated how quickly and how virulently the extreme right would
assert itself in Europe.
The sudden demise of soviet-bloc Communism demagnetized everyone’s compass and provided fresh opportunities for a spectrum of far-right organizations, which range from violent, neo-nazi youth groups and underground terrorist cells to sizeable electoral movements.
The rise of the Austrian Freedom Party, Italy’s National Alliance, the French National Front, Vlaam Blok in Belgium, and other mass based rightwing extremist parties, has coincided with a sharp increase in
hate Crimes against ethnic minorities throughout the continent. According to European Parliament, a racial assault occurs once every three minutes in Western Europe, where a large influx of refugees and
migrants has spawned diverse cultures and magnified tensions in societies that are neither used to, nor comfortable with pluralism.
The Continent as a whole has been going through huge economic and
demographic changes since the end of cold war, not the lease of which entails the unprecedented introduction of the “euro” a single European currency system.
In addition the collapse of communism has
triggered a mass migration from Eastern Europe toward the more prosperous West, which also has attracted refugees from the third world.
Although Western government in Europe had always condemned the Pharaohs of the Soviet bloc for refusing to let their people go, since travel has finally permitted, the welcome mat in Western Europe has been removed.
Rightwing extremists have also benefited from foraging on a political terrain where the ideological distance between the mainstream parties has shrunk. This has propelled the growth of the far right,
which appeals to disillusioned voters by assuming the mantle of the opposition and stoking resentment against remote and unresponsive governing elites.
Since the end of the cold war, far right extremist
parties have polled more than 15% nationwide in Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey, while also making significant inroads in Sweden and Denmark.
Although a 15% vote share seem
inconsequential in terms of the US two party system, it can carry great weight in a parliamentary election of multiple parties.
“Racism is a serious problem on our continent”, says Graham Watson, chairman of
the European Parliament’s citizens’ freedoms and rights committee. “Forces on the political right, playing on popular prejudice, are in the ascent”.
Globalization, Identity and Exclusion:
In
western Europe today, there are 50 million poor, 18 million without jobs, and 3 million homeless. By every measure post-communist Eastern Europe is faring much worse. Such conditions are ripe for
exploitation by neo fascist demagogues who have successfully tapped into widespread post-cold war uncertainties by scapegoating foreigners and denouncing economic globalization. Immigrants and asylum seekers
are routinely depicted as a threat to national identity and financial stability at a time when the European work force is reeling from high unemployment, stagnating wages and cutbacks in social services.
FRANCE:
French Front National (FN):
This party combines both strong state nationalist and ethnic nationalist visions. In addition to the internal homogenization they generally strive for
external exclusiveness (explain clearly) of the nation within the nation-state borders.
The party is clearly xenophobic.
This feature is particularly prominent in party propaganda, both in party election pamphlets and party papers, rather than in more ideological literature such as party programs. They reject and are fearful of anything that is alien to their own way of living and values.
Economic Policy:
In the economic field, they support protection of domestic industry from foreign competition.
They argue that the economy is to serve the nation, rather than the other way around. Therefore, national businesses and workers should be protected from foreign competition. The economic nationalism of the party also includes state subsidies, protectionist measures and even job creations by the state.
Social Policies:
Supports state welfare programs.
They extensively support the pension and social care, but they want to restrict these programs to their own people only. They all the time go after the ethnic minorities when they decide to cut benefits or any other reduction in government spending. It also affects when they want to cut taxes, the programs helping ethnic minorities will be eliminated first.
The FN has increasingly thrown off its neo liberal rhetoric and now openly admits to its protectionist program.
Political Strength:
FN is electorally most successful within the
Extremist party family in Europe. , self employed, white collar workers but it turned to Basically a labor party with most support coming from the under educated blue collar workers since 1990s. FN even became
France’s first Worker’s Party in 1995. Most of the supporters do not identify themselves with any religious group.
In 1995 Parliamentary elections over 54% of the voters said the immigration is an
important issue and the policies of FN appealed to them. Over 58% said their choice is also influenced by the unemployment.
AUSTRIA:
Freiheitliche Partei Osterreichs (FPO)
In addition to the internal homogenization they generally strive for external exclusiveness (explain clearly) of the nation within the nation-state borders.
The party is clearly xenophobic.
This feature is particularly prominent in party propaganda, both in party election pamphlets and party papers, rather than in more ideological literature such as party programs. They reject and are fearful of anything that is alien to their own way of living and values.
Supports state welfare programs.
They extensively support the pension and social care, but they want to restrict these programs to their own people only. They all the time go after the ethnic minorities when they decide to cut benefits or any other reduction in government spending. It also affects when they want to cut taxes, the programs helping ethnic minorities will be eliminated first.
1995 Parliamentary elections 50% said the immigration issue and the party’s stand on the immigration influenced their choice of candidate.
In 1995 over 80% of the FPO voters said they support
FPO because of their distaste for other mainstream parties. FPO is viewed by them as an anti politics party – a main tactics of the extremist parties that exploit the sentiments of the prevailing political
climate in the country and advance their ulterior agenda.
BELGIUM:
Vlaams Blok (VB).
Founded in 1970s. The party was very much an ethnic party. Who founded it? Ideology of
the party? Personality of the people founded it? A short profile of its leaders? Any ties that they have with groups, organizations linked to any incidents/trials/….etc Why we call it an extremist party?
It is a Flemish oriented party dedicated to the independence of the Flemish in Belgium. It defines the nation state on the basis of ethnic criteria, mainly through blood ties.
They also accept the assimilation of members of only related nations. In the early stages they only mentioned one sentence to the immigration. They were devoted initially exclusively traditional Flemish nationalist issues. In the subsequent years when they saw the other extremist nationalist parties successfully using the immigration issues in other European countries, the xenophobic rhetoric of VB dramatically increased at the cost of non-Flemish populations in the 80s. The fall of the Berlin wall in 90s helped them advance the idea of restricting the asylum seekers, which also played into the overall ideology of keeping non-Flemish out of the population.
The party tries to produce a constant stream of populist anti-party sentiments. Their critique is directed at all established parties, opposition and the government. Though it does not cross the line
with complete rejection of all other parties, the critic go far beyond the normal political debate on ideas and policies.
Calling the established parties as Political mafia and political Banditry and taking advantage of the failures of the established parties helps them to exploit the disappointment of the masses into support by not really telling them what their party aspires to if they come to power.
In various cases, the VB argue that the established parties are part of an “old regime” out of touch with the population and with current issues, yet desperate to keep power and thereby obstructing the
development into a “new era”. Not surprisingly this is particularly strong in Belgium where the political system is increasingly characterized by corruption and stalemate which allows VB to look good in the
public as an alternate party that would give them a “clean government”. The public may not not to be bothered as to what their other agenda is?
The issue of immigration has functioned as a major catalyst of
electoral success of VB in Belgium to the extent it has. It enabled the party to link their ideological core of xenophobic nationalism and the anti pluralist democracy ideas to the increasing ‘uneasiness’ and
even resentment among the parts of electorate.
This has been particularly true for the period from the late 80s to mid 90s. The electoral success of the French FN party of 1983-84 and especially the general welcome interpretation tone in the European media as ‘racist protest’ influenced VB to focus their attention increasingly on immigration issues.
VB is generally accepted as a hardcore nationalist, xenophobic party along with FN of France are cashing in on the anti party sentiments and security, most notably socio economic policy and crime.
Supports state welfare programs. The party is clearly xenophobic. In fact the xenophobic propaganda of VB was strongly influenced by that of the FN and CP. They reject and are fearful of anything that is alien to their own way of living and values.
They extensively support the pension and social care, but they want to restrict these programs to their own people only.
They all the time go after the ethnic minorities when they decide to cut benefits or any other reduction in government spending. It also affects when they want to cut taxes, the programs helping ethnic minorities will be eliminated first.
Over two thirds of the voters in 1995 said they chose VB because of its policies to do with foreigners and foreign workers in Belgium.
SWEDEN:
Swedish Ny Demokrati (ND):
In addition to the internal homogenization they generally strive for external exclusiveness (explain clearly) of the nation within the nation-state borders.
The party is clearly xenophobic.
This feature is particularly prominent in party propaganda, both in party election pamphlets and party papers, rather than in more ideological literature such as party programs. They reject and are fearful of anything that is alien to their own way of living and values.
Predominantly supported young male Voters
Swedish Flash Party (ND):
In 1991, the Swedish flash party made a dramatic breakthrough because of their stand on the immigration issue.
The party strongly advocates blocking immigration in favor of keeping the nation from ‘foreign invasion’ into the workforce and in culture. A 19 percent of the voters mentioned is their reason to support the ND is because of their policies on immigration.
Supports state welfare programs.
They extensively support the pension and social care, but they want to restrict these programs to their own people only. They all the time go after the ethnic minorities when they decide to cut benefits or any other reduction in government spending. It also affects when they want to cut taxes, the programs helping ethnic minorities will be eliminated first.
NETHERLANDS:
Centrumpartij’86 (CP’86):
Defines the nation on the basis of ethnic criteria, mainly through blood ties.
They also accept the assimilation of members of only related nations in to their definition of the nation state. In addition to the internal homogenization they generally strive for external exclusiveness (explain clearly) of the nation within the nation-state borders.
The party is clearly xenophobic.
This feature is particularly prominent in party propaganda, both in party election pamphlets and party papers, rather than in more ideological literature such as party programs. They reject and are fearful of anything that is alien to their own way of living and values.
Supports state welfare programs.
They extensively support the pension and social care, but they want to restrict these programs to their own people only. They all the time go after the ethnic minorities when they decide to cut benefits or any other reduction in government spending. It also affects when they want to cut taxes, the programs helping ethnic minorities will be eliminated first.
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