Europe’s Far-Right Challenges: We Are Mainstream Now, Our Time Has Come

Sedat Laciner, 10 February 2025 

The far-right, if not neo-Nazi, “Patriots Europe” (PfE) movement is positioning itself as the new political force and “new normal” in Brussels and across the European Union, vowing to overturn the traditional power structures of the Socialists, Liberals and European People’s Party. At a two-day summit in Madrid, PfE leaders laid out their strategy for reshaping European politics, borrowing heavily from US President Donald Trump’s playbook.

Under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again,” the group aims to mimic Trump’s nationalist rhetoric and policies and adapt them to EU member states. The movement’s leaders argue that Trump’s return to the White House signals a global shift that they believe should be reflected in Europe.

“We are living in a historical era and my message to all former leaders, from Macron to Scholz to your Pedro Sánchez, is: Your time is up. They are history,” Geert Wilders, the leader of the Dutch PVV party, told an audience of around 2,000 on Saturday.

Wilders, a fierce Islamophobic and anti-immigration figure whose party has been part of the Dutch government since May, told the Spanish audience: “People are fed up with illegal immigration. And I ask you, isn’t there enough crime in Spain? Isn’t there too much Islamic immigration in Spain? Isn’t there enough of the Woke nonsense?” The audience of more than 2,000, mostly from the Spanish far right, shouted “yes” and then added “Viva España.”

Wilder continued:

“You were the first to push Islam back, to force it to retreat and to revive the rich heritage of Christianity in your country. That’s why we are such great fans of Spain.”

All speakers opposed immigration, and most called for a new “Reconquista.”

The Madrid meeting represented the first summit since Spain’s Santiago Abascal was appointed PfE leader in November.

André Ventura, leader of Portugal’s far-right Chega party, echoed the group’s combative stance. “We must do what Trump tells us: war, war, war. We must take back a Europe that belongs to us. A Christian Europe,” he claimed.

Anti-immigration and Islamophobia are cornerstones of European far-right thought. Anti-immigration and anti-Muslim sentiment have replaced the anti-Semitism and racist strain of Nazi ideology.

Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s Rassemblement National, framed Trump’s revival as a historic shift rather than a routine political transition. “We are facing a truly global turning point (...) Everyone understands that things have changed. Meanwhile, the European Union seems to be in shock,” she said.

The PfE coalition defends national sovereignty, traditional values ​​and what it calls the defence of freedom of expression and security. It includes Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (France), Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz (Hungary), Matteo Salvini’s Lega (Italy), Geert Wilders’ PVV (Netherlands) and Andrej Babiš’s ANO (Czechia), among others.

“We need to return to realistic policies based on free markets and strong nation states,” said Petr Macinka of the Czech Motorists for Themselves party. “Not liberals, not progressives, not socialists; only patriots can make Europe great again.”

Andrej Babiš has joined the chorus of criticism of the EU’s current leadership. “They tell us that Europe should be competitive, but they are introducing regulations that stifle businesses and citizens,” he said.

During the summit, PfE leaders also outlined their strategy to scrap the EU’s Green Deal, roll back LGBTQ+ rights policies, and implement their own traditionalist social agenda focused on family values ​​and a two-gender framework. The event featured guest speakers including Kevin Roberts, president of the American conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, and video messages from Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and Argentine President Javier Milei.

“The Patriots are a transatlantic party, but we are also open. This is not just an alliance with the North—with the United States—but also with the South,” explained Jorge Buxadé, a Spanish MEP from the far-right VOX party. “This is where VOX plays a key role, bridging the gap with Milei and [Paraguayan President Santiago] Pena.”

Buxadé emphasized that under Abascal’s leadership, PfE is focused on electoral victories across the continent. “We are no longer just the future, we are the real, immediate future,” he declared.

The European far-right has gained tremendous self-confidence since Trump became president in the US. They see themselves as the new mainstream and new normal of European politics. Their targets are Muslims and immigrants.

Sedat Laciner, 10 February 2025