Right-wing extremism and right-wing populism in Europe

348 Pages·2011·2.23 MB·English

Nora Langenbacher, Britta Schellenberg (ed.)
IS EUROPE ON THE
“RIGHT” PATH?
Right-wing extremism and
right-wing populism in Europe
FFEESS
GGEEGGEENN
RREECCHHTTSS
EEXXTTRREEMMIISSMMUUSS
Forum Berlin

Nora Langenbacher, Britta Schellenberg (ed.)
IS EUROPE ON THE
“RIGHT” PATH?
Right-wing extremism and
right-wing populism in Europe
ISBN 978-3-86872-617-6
Published by
Nora Langenbacher and Britta Schellenberg
on behalf of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Forum Berlin
Project “Combating right-wing extremism“
Hiroshimastr. 17
10785 Berlin
Edited by (German and English)
Nora Langenbacher
Britta Schellenberg
Edited by (English)
Karen Margolis
Translated by (German --> English)
Karen Margolis
Julia Maté
Translated by (English --> German)
Harald Franzen
Markus Seibel
Julia Maté
Translated by (Italian --> German)
Peter Schlaffer
Proofread by (English)
Jennifer Snodgrass
Proofread by (German)
Barbara Hoffmann
Designed by
Pellens Kommunikationsdesign GmbH
Printed by
bub Bonner Universitäts-Buchdruckerei
Copyright © 2011 by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Contents
Preface ........................................................................................................7
RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM AND POPULISMUS IN EUROPE
Nora Langenbacher & Britta Schellenberg
Introduction: An anthology about the manifestations
and development of the radical right in Europe ..................................11
Martin Schulz, MEP ................................................................................27
Combating right-wing extremism as a task for European
policy making
Michael Minkenberg ...............................................................................37
The radical right in Europe today: Trends and patterns
in East and West
WESTERN EUROPE
Germany | Britta Schellenberg ................................................................57
The radical right in Germany: Its prohibition and reinvention
France | Jean-Yves Camus .......................................................................83
The extreme right in France: Redrawing of the map to be expected
Great Britain | Christopher T. Husbands .............................................101
The situation of the extreme right in Great Britain
The Netherlands | Ronald Eissens & Suzette Bronkhorst ...................123
Right-wing extremism and populism in the Netherlands:
Lessons not learned
IS EUROPE ON THE “RIGHT” PATH?
SOUTHERN EUROPE
Italy | Roberto Chiarini .........................................................................141
The extreme right in Italy
Switzerland | Damir Skenderovic.........................................................159
Transformations and “direct” successes on the right-wing fringe:
Switzerland as a model for Europe?
Spain | Frauke Büttner ..........................................................................181
Right-wing extremism in Spain: Between parliamentary
insignifi cance, far-right populism and racist violence
EASTERN EUROPE
Bulgaria | Kristian Vigenin, MEP ..........................................................197
The radical right in Bulgaria: ATAKA – rise, fall and aftermath
Poland | Rafal Pankowski ......................................................................205
Identity and bigotry: Nationalist populism and the
extreme right in contemporary Poland
Hungary | Pal Tamas .............................................................................221
The radical right in Hungary: A threat to democracy?
NORTHERN EUROPE
Denmark | Susi Meret ............................................................................243
From the margins to the mainstream?
The development of the radical right in Denmark
Sweden | Heléne Lööw .........................................................................267
The extreme right in Sweden: Growing slowly
Norway | Tor Bjørklund ........................................................................285
The radical right in Norway: The development of the
Progress Party
FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG
OUTLOOK: PERSPECTIVES FOR EUROPE
Britta Schellenberg ................................................................................309
Strategies against the radical right and for a pluralist,
forward-looking Europe
Nora Langenbacher ...............................................................................319
Seven theses to conclude with:
Together against right-wing extremism in Europe
APPENDIX
About the authors .............................................................................326
Selected literature and links ...............................................................333
The work of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung for democracy and
against right-wing extremism ............................................................337
Photo proofs .......................................................................................341
IS EUROPE ON THE “RIGHT” PATH? 5
6 FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG
Preface
Dear Readers,
Right-wing extremism is not a national phenomenon. Xenophobia, anti-
Semitism and racism exist in many countries and the extreme right is
continuously e xtending its cross-border networks. Attitudes towards parts
of society which are based on the premise that humans are unequal,
discriminating actions and structures, or open hatred and violence refl ect
an alarming extent of group-related enmity in many countries of Europe
and worldwide.
As shown in a recent study by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung titled “Intoler-
ance, Prejudice and Discrimination: A European Report1”, anti-democratic
attitudes are dramatically spreading in European mainstream societies.
Ac cording to this study by the University of Bielefeld, about 50 percent of
respondents from eight European countries take the view that there are
too many immigrants in their countries, and wish for an employment
prerogative for locals in times of crisis.
In many places, right-wing extremists try to use these discriminating atti-
tudes to establish themselves in politics and in society through different
strategies and structures. They organize parades and revisionist commemo-
rations, establish loose comradeships or mobilise voters to support their
parties in entering parliament – unfortunately not without success. In
recent years, Europe has rather seen a boost in right-wing extremism.

1 German: “Die Abwertung der Anderen: Eine europäische Zustandsbeschreibung zu Intoleranz,
Vorurteilen und Diskriminierung” (Zick et al., published by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2011).
Download: http://library.fes.de/pdf-fi les/do/07908-20110311.pdf
IS EUROPE ON THE “RIGHT” PATH? 7
Particularly in times of crisis, right-wing extremists and right-wing popu-
lists in many places are trying to use the fears of European citizens to pro-
mote their “cause“ by providing simple answers to complex social chal-
lenges. As a result, not only were 29 right-wing representatives elected to
the European Parliament in 2009, but in Sweden, Denmark, the Nether-
lands, Austria and Eastern Europe, too, they scored in national elections
with slogans of scapegoatism and exclusion.
What danger does the extreme right therefore pose? How does it show
and organize itself in Europe and her regions? What manifestations and
strategies can we identify and what counter-strategies can we develop?
What role do politics and civil society play in the work against right-wing
extremism and what are the next essential steps? Is Europe on the “right”
path?
These lead questions both shape and structure this anthology and form
the basis for the work against right-wing extremism which the Friedrich-
Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is deeply committed to. The central FES-Project ”Com-
bating right-wing extremism”2 has therefore continuously worked for
many years on different strategies for democracy and against right-wing
extremism, and has offered dialogue platforms for experts and a ctivists
from the fi elds of science, politics and civil society. Additionally, the pub-
lications and studies of the FES serve to inform and shape poltitical debates
on a regular basis.
Since 2009, the international dimension of right-wing extremism consti-
tutes an individual working line of this continious work of the FES. With-
in the framework of the XENOS special programme “Ausstieg zum Ein-
stieg”3, the German Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Issues, the
European Union, and the European Social Fund assist the Friedrich-Ebert-
Stiftung in its efforts for a European debate and networking building.
2 German: FES-Projekt “Auseinandersetzung mit dem Rechtsextremismus”.
3 German for “Quitting for a new start”.
8 FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG