Europe’s Resurgent Far-Right Seeks To Capitalise on Paris Terror

Europe’s Resurgent Far-Right Seeks To Capitalise on Paris Terror

Germany’s nascent anti-Islamisation movement has called on sympathisers to wear black arms bands at its next rally to mourn victims of the Paris terror attack in a sign of how Europe’s resurgent rightwing is trying to capitalise on the tragedy.

 

“The Islamists have . . . shown in Paris that they are not at all ready for democracy but seek answers in violence and death,” the Pegida group said on Thursday, as it prepared for a demonstration in Dresden on Monday and pushed to spread its movement to other German cities and even Scandinavia.

Pegida’s words were echoed by similar far-right and anti-immigrant movements across the continent.  In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam Freedom Party, criticised Dutch premier Mark Rutte and other western leaders for their allegedly conciliatory approach to radical Islam.  “When will Rutte and other western government leaders finally get the message?”
Mr Wilders said.   “It’s war.”

 

In France, where the nation was plunged into mourning, Marine Le Pen, leader of the surging National Front, called for an end to “hypocrisy” in addressing Islamism.  

“We must not be scared of saying the words:  this is a terrorist attack carried out in the name of radical Islam,” she said.

 

In Italy, Matteo Salvini, head of the anti-immigrant Northern League, said that for Europeans “to respond with tolerance and political correctness is suicide”. 

In an unusual criticism of the Vatican for an Italian politician, Mr Salvini added that the reformist Pope Francis “wasn’t doing a good service” to Catholics by “promoting dialogue with Islam”.

Meanwhile, the head of the Danish People’s party called for the closure of a controversial mosque in the country’s second-largest city.  Kristian Thulesen Dahl said Denmark needed to take a “much more aggressive approach” to Muslims expressing sympathy for extremism.

Even before Wednesday’s attack, rightwing and populist political groups were surging in Europe, helped by resentment over globalisation, faltering economies and rising immigration — from within the EU as well as several war-torn Muslim lands, including Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

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