The European far right displays its ambitions in Lisbon
The recent victory of the Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders in the Dutch general elections has given a boost to the European far right, which hopes to capitalize on the growing discontent with the EU and the mainstream parties. On Saturday, November 25, several leaders of the far-right parties gathered in Lisbon, Portugal, for a summit organized by the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom (MENF), a political group in the European Parliament.
The summit was attended by Marine Le Pen, the president of the National Rally (RN) in France, Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League (Lega) in Italy, Santiago Abascal, the head of Vox in Spain, and Giorgia Meloni, the president of Brothers of Italy (FdI), among others. They all expressed their support for Wilders and his anti-immigration, anti-Islam and anti-EU agenda, and called for a “patriotic spring” in Europe ahead of the next European elections in 2024.
The far-right leaders also criticized the EU’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the migration crisis, and the climate change issue, accusing the bloc of being “inefficient”, “authoritarian” and “globalist”. They claimed that they represented the “real Europe” of the peoples and the nations, and that they wanted to defend the “European civilization” from the threats of “Islamization”, “multiculturalism” and “leftism”.
The summit was hosted by the Portuguese party Chega (Enough), which was founded in 2019 by André Ventura, a former TV commentator and football club manager. Chega is the first far-right party to enter the Portuguese parliament, with one seat out of 230. Ventura, who has been compared to Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, has stirred controversy with his provocative statements against minorities, women, LGBT people and the political establishment. He has also expressed his admiration for Wilders, Le Pen and Salvini, and his desire to join the MENF group.
The Lisbon summit was seen as a sign of the growing influence and coordination of the European far right, which has been on the rise in recent years, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. According to some analysts, the far-right parties have managed to exploit the social and economic grievances of many voters, who feel disillusioned with the traditional parties and the EU institutions. The far-right parties have also adopted a populist rhetoric, appealing to the emotions and fears of the people, and presenting themselves as the defenders of the national sovereignty, identity and security.
However, the European far right is not a homogeneous bloc, and there are significant differences and divisions among the various parties, regarding their ideologies, strategies and alliances. For instance, some parties, such as the PVV, the Lega and Vox, are more focused on the perceived threat from Islam and immigration, while others, such as the FdI, the Finns Party and the Sweden Democrats, are more concerned with the preservation of the national culture and identity.
The European far right also faces several challenges and obstacles, such as the legal and media scrutiny, the social and political opposition, the internal conflicts and scandals, and the changing political and economic context. The Covid-19 pandemic, for example, has posed new difficulties and opportunities for the far-right parties, as they have had to adapt their discourse and agenda to the health crisis and its consequences. The next European elections in 2024 will be a crucial test for the European far right, as they will try to increase their representation and influence in the European Parliament, and to challenge the dominance of the mainstream parties and the EU establishment.
