Europe | Too sizeable to shun

Hard-right populists are pushing their way into the mainstream

Their latest victory came in the Netherlands

Alternative For Germany (AfD) Launches European Parliamentary Elections Campaign
Photograph: Getty Images
|AMSTERDAM

FIVE YEARS ago right-wing populist parties held office in only a couple of EU member countries. Today they have a share of power in eight, and expect to make gains in the European Parliament elections between June 6th and 9th. Some of these hard-right outfits have been banging away for decades. Others are relative newcomers. What unites them are the things they hate: immigration, Islam, climate-change regulations and the power of the EU over its member states. Most also dislike feminism, and gay and trans rights. Each adjusts the message to suit its circumstances.

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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Too sizeable to shun”

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