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 ...