France has become the latest country to capitulate to the far-right agenda, with President Emmanuel Macron granting Marine Le Pen's party an effective veto over the new government. This shift comes after Macron previously sought a firewall against Le Pen through an electoral pact with the left in July. Critics argue that such appeasement by centre-right politicians is empowering extremist parties across Europe.
In Austria, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), founded by former SS members, is expected to form a government by the end of the month, cementing a hard-right axis with Hungary and Slovakia. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who recently met UK Labour leader Keir Starmer, is accused of taking control of the press and judiciary. Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) recently won regional elections in Thuringia and came second in Saxony, despite being classified as an extremist organisation by domestic intelligence.
Germany's centre-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz has refused coalitions with the AfD but has adopted much of its anti-immigration stance, calling for repatriation of residents. The AfD's Thuringian leader, Björn Höcke, has been convicted twice for using banned Nazi slogans. Meanwhile, the Dutch government, including a far-right health minister, refused to provide urgent mpox vaccine aid to African countries despite a stockpile of 100,000 unused doses.
The once-immutable cordon sanitaire against the far right has eroded, with seven European governments now containing hard-right parties. Slogans such as 'Breaking point' used by Nigel Farage in 2016 have been replicated across Europe, including Hungary's 'Stop', Italy's 'Stop the invasion', and Germany's 'Close the borders'. Far-right parties in Spain, Italy, Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland have adopted 'my country first' rhetoric, mirroring Donald Trump's 'America first'.
Outside Europe, similar slogans appear in Turkey, Japan, and India. Steve Bannon, former adviser to Trump, previously attempted to unite European far-right leaders. The article warns that the spectre haunting Europe is far-right extremism, and calls for a progressive fightback against the appeasement that has allowed this rise.
