Far-right politicians want to form an anti-EU alliance in the European parliament. But similar populism is rife among more centrist conservative politicians, says EU parliamentarian Jan Philipp Albrecht.
The National Front of France, under leader Marine Le Pen, has anti-Semitic and far-right roots, though it distances itself from fascist parties, like Greece's Golden Dawn, or Hungary's Jobbik. The Dutch Party for Freedom, led by Geert Wilders, is openly Islamophobic, but pro-Israeli. Wilders has already held talks with Filip Dewinter, parliamentary head of the Belgian party Vlaams Belang, as well as Hans-Christian Strache, leader of the Freedom Party of Austria, as well as representatives from similar parties in Sweden. Their common denominator is their opposition to the European Union. Isn't it a contradiction for them to want to work together to change Europe, when they also want to scrap the euro and leave the European Union?
Jan Philipp Albrecht: "In the past it took a long time for far-right, or radical anti-globalists, to create pan-European networks. Both Le Pen's National Front and Wilders' Party for Freedom have opposed working together with other states. At the same time they want to generate sympathies in other countries for their anti-EU policies. Now, they have started to work together in practical partnerships. They know they barely have a chance of exerting any influence on decisions in Brussels or Strasbourg."
The representatives of far-right parties currently sit in the EU parliament as independents. In order to form a parliamentary faction, they must have at least 25 representatives from seven EU countries. They haven't managed this yet. Do you think that Wilders and Le Pen can clear this hurdle in the future?
"I think that the politically-experienced Wilders and Le Pen now practice politics much more strategically than earlier European alliances did. The first attempt at a far-right faction in the EU Parliament in 2007, under the leadership of Alexandra Mussolini, granddaughter of the dictator, failed because she baited her own representatives from Romania and Bulgaria. These parties won't make that kind of mistake again. That's why it will be even more important to make clear what they believe. That's what our brochure "Europe on the Far Right" is hoping to do. With quotations and actions, it unmasks some politicians."
Read more: 'A warning for Europe and Germany' | Europe | DW.DE | 14.11.2013
The National Front of France, under leader Marine Le Pen, has anti-Semitic and far-right roots, though it distances itself from fascist parties, like Greece's Golden Dawn, or Hungary's Jobbik. The Dutch Party for Freedom, led by Geert Wilders, is openly Islamophobic, but pro-Israeli. Wilders has already held talks with Filip Dewinter, parliamentary head of the Belgian party Vlaams Belang, as well as Hans-Christian Strache, leader of the Freedom Party of Austria, as well as representatives from similar parties in Sweden. Their common denominator is their opposition to the European Union. Isn't it a contradiction for them to want to work together to change Europe, when they also want to scrap the euro and leave the European Union?
Jan Philipp Albrecht: "In the past it took a long time for far-right, or radical anti-globalists, to create pan-European networks. Both Le Pen's National Front and Wilders' Party for Freedom have opposed working together with other states. At the same time they want to generate sympathies in other countries for their anti-EU policies. Now, they have started to work together in practical partnerships. They know they barely have a chance of exerting any influence on decisions in Brussels or Strasbourg."
The representatives of far-right parties currently sit in the EU parliament as independents. In order to form a parliamentary faction, they must have at least 25 representatives from seven EU countries. They haven't managed this yet. Do you think that Wilders and Le Pen can clear this hurdle in the future?
"I think that the politically-experienced Wilders and Le Pen now practice politics much more strategically than earlier European alliances did. The first attempt at a far-right faction in the EU Parliament in 2007, under the leadership of Alexandra Mussolini, granddaughter of the dictator, failed because she baited her own representatives from Romania and Bulgaria. These parties won't make that kind of mistake again. That's why it will be even more important to make clear what they believe. That's what our brochure "Europe on the Far Right" is hoping to do. With quotations and actions, it unmasks some politicians."
Read more: 'A warning for Europe and Germany' | Europe | DW.DE | 14.11.2013
No comments:
Post a Comment