The Freedom party’s first ever victory is the latest in a string of far-right triumphs in Europe. Business as usual is not a credible mainstream response
The sequence has become dismally familiar. Piling up votes in provincial and rural areas at the expense of mainstream parties, a far-right movement celebrates an outstanding election result in a European Union member state. Its leader proclaims “a new era” and delightedly receives congratulations from Marine Le Pen, Viktor Orbán and Geert Wilders. Minority ethnic groups, and Muslims in particular, feel less safe and less at home in a country where many of them were born.
And repeat. A clear first-place finish for the Austrian Freedom party (FPÖ) in Sunday’s election follows a similar performance by Ms Le Pen’s Rassemblement National in the recent snap election in France. Last month, across Austria’s northern border, a far-right party won a German state election for the first time since the second world war. In Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the Czech Republic, the authoritarian right either governs or wields significant influence.
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