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How has the COVID-19 crisis affected right-wing populists in Europe? A report series with contributions from Cyprus, Finland, Sweden, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Germany.
In many countries the COVID-19 crisis initially led to increased trust in government. The restrictions to personal freedoms, curfews, restrictions on social contacts, the closure of large segments of the economy as well as the widening of executive powers in many countries was largely accepted and supported by the public. However, frustration and distrust of government have been increasing the longer the restrictions have been in place. Some countries, such as Germany, witnessed large demonstrations against the counter measures. Moreover, the wide dissemination of fake news and conspiracy theories are influencing the public debate on how to handle the pandemic. The project provides reports from Cyprus, Sweden, Finland, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Romaina and Germany – all countries with large or growing right-wing populist movements and parties. The reports explore the question, if right-wing populism in Europe has been able to benefit from the Corona-crisis. A synopsis will interpret and classify the developments in the individual countries in a comparative perspective. For the German project site, with information and all reports in German, go to: www.fes.de/c19rex.
The COVID-19 crisis led to increased confidence in governments in many European countries. Restrictions of personal liberties, contact bans and curfews, the lockdown of large sectors of the economy, and the expansion of executive powers in many places imposed to combat the pandemic were widely welcomed and accepted, especially at the beginning of the crisis. However, as the restrictions stretched over weeks, an in-creasing trend appeared towards a fresh increase of discontent and mistrust towards the governments; in some countries – such as Germany – protests ensued. Moreover, fake news and conspiracy ideologies were not without influence in the public debate.Analyses from Sweden, Finland, Italy, France, Greece, Spain and Germany, all countries with strong or growing right-wing populist movements and parties, explore the ques-tion of whether right-wing populism in Europe has been able to benefit from the coro-na crisis. This summary categorises the trends and developments from a comparative perspective.
About the author
Verena Stern M.A. is pursuing her doctorate at the Faculty of Sociology at Bielefeld University and at the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS) on coalitions of right-wing movements in protests against refugees. She is also a re-search associate in the DFG project “Willkommen oder beschimpft? Eine ver-gleichende Studie der Reaktionen auf Unterkünfte für Asylsuchende“ (Welcome or Reviled? A Comparative Study of Reactions to Accommodation for Asylum Seek-ers”) and deals with the topics of right-wing extremism, migration, and protest and social movements.
Publications for download:
The profiteers of fear? Europe
Die Profiteure der Angst? Europa
Pandemic politics in Cyprus have not had a decisive impact on party competition, at least yet. When the elections took place in May 2021 harsh restrictions (lockdowns) were lifted and the public opinion viewed rather favourably the measures adopted by the government. No party expressed principled opposition to these measures; criticism targeted mostly some inconsistencies in their application. Unlike other far-right parties in Europe, the Greek Cypriot far-right party, the National Popular Front (ELAM), avoided stating a clear position whether they do accept the scientific consensus or side with conspiracy theories. Instead, ELAM focused on criticizing the policies of the government and emphasized individual liberties/rights arguing against mandatory vaccination. Their electoral share in the elections increased, compared to the previous elections, but this was rather related to their overall populist and anti-systemic appeal than pandemic politics alone.
About the authors
Yiannos Katsourides is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nicosia, Department of Politics and Governance.
Leandros Savvides (PhD) is currently an independent researcher.
The Profiteers of Fear? Cyprus (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Zypern (German)
In many countries the Covid-19 crisis had initially led to increased trust in government. The restrictions to personal freedoms, curfews, restrictions on social contacts, the closure of large segments of the economy as well as the widening of executive powers in many countries was largely accepted and supported by the public. However, frustration and distrust of government have been increasing the longer the restrictions have been in place. Some countries witnessed large demonstrations against the counter measures. Moreover, the wide dissemination of fake news and conspiracy theories are influencing the public debate on how to handle the pandemic. All over Europe, right-wing populist parties and movements have tried to derive political benefit from this situation of growing resentment but also fear. Axel Salheiser and Christoph Richter take a preliminary stock of the situation in Germany.
Axel Salheiser and Christoph Richter are researchers at the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society in Jena (Institut für Demokratie und Zivil-gesellschaft).
The Profiteers of Fear? Germany (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Deutschland (German)
The Swedish country report, written by Ann-Cathrine Jungar, explains that Sweden chose voluntary measures rather than mandatory “lockdown” restrictions to combat Covid-19. By November 2020 there had been more than 6,000 deaths. In the early phase of the pandemic there was an informal truce between the government and the opposition. Political friction grew with the increased number of deaths. The right-wing populist party the Sweden Democrats (SD) have voiced strong criticism of the Public Health Agency, the government and the nursing homes, particularly for not protecting the elderly. The public support for the SD decreased initially, but is now back to pre-pandemic levels.
Ann-Cathrin Jungar is an associate professor in political science at the Department of Social Sciences at Södertörn University in Stockholm. She has a PhD from the Department of Government at Uppsala University.
The Profiteers of Fear? Sweden (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Schweden (German)
The Finnish country report, written by Niko Hatakka, analyses how the Finnish far right has reacted to the government’s handling of COVID-19 and the economic consequences of the virus during its first wave. It explains, how the populist radical right Finns Party has remained reasonably reserved in its criticism, and how the party has attempted to avoid affiliation with the Finnish online far right. Instead of uniting Finnish far right actors, COVID-19 has reinvigorated coalition building potential especially between the centre right and the populist radical right.
Dr Niko Hatakka is a Research Fellow at the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Birmingham and a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Parliamentary Studies at the University of Turku.
The Profiteers of Fear? Finland (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Finnland (German)
In many countries the Covid-19 crisis had initially led to increased trust in government. The restrictions to personal freedoms, curfews, restrictions on social contacts, the closure of large segments of the economy as well as the widening of executive powers in many countries was largely accepted and supported by the public. However, frustration and distrust of government have been increasing the longer the restrictions have been in place. Some countries witnessed large demonstrations against the counter measures. Moreover, the wide dissemination of fake news and conspiracy theories are influencing the public debate on how to handle the pandemic. All over Europe, right-wing populist parties and movements have tried to derive political benefit from this situation of growing resentment but also fear. Jean-Yves Camus takes a preliminary stock of the reactions of the Rassemblement National to the Covid crisis in France.
About the author Jean-Yves Camus is a political analyst and president of the Observatoire des radicalités politiques (“Observatory of political radicalism”) at the think tank Fondation Jean-Jaurès.
The Profiteers of Fear? France (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Frankreich (German)
The extreme right wing of the Lega and Fratelli d’Italia, led by Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni, today has the quasi-monopoly of the opposition. In the months of the outbreak and management of the pandemic, the management of the opposition role was ambiguous and confused: however, an attitude of noncooperation prevailed. The style and rhetoric of the two leaders often evoked populist frames and themes, particularly immigration and Europe, naturally suited for the pandemic situation, although Meloni tried to show a less extreme profile. The growing consensus of her party and the decreasing consensus of Salvini’s party leave open the question of the impact of the pandemic on the consensus of populist parties. What seems certain is that their traditional themes have lost strength.
About the author Sofia Ventura is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Bologna where she holds courses in Comparative Politics, Leadership and Political Communication, Leadership, médias et opinion publique. Since 2010 she has held courses and modules at the School of Government of Luiss University in Rome. Editorialist and commentator for the weekly magazine L’Espresso, she writes for the online publications Linkiesta and Huffington Post. Her latest book: I leader e le loro storie. Narrazione, comunicazione politica e crisi della democrazia (»The leaders and their stories. Narration, political communication and the crisis of democracy«), Il Mulino, 2019.
The Profiteers of Fear? Italy (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Italien (German)
The right-wing populist and far-right agenda in Greece has shifted from the refugee issue and the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of North Macedonia – today’s Republic of North Macedonia – to the coronavirus. However, it is unclear who will step in to claim this political space: The leadership of the Nazi Golden Dawn party is now in prison, and some key figures of the rightwing populist and far-right political spectrum who could help build support for the movement against public health measures have shifted over to the conservative New Democracy party. There are, though, anti-mask and -vaccination movements on social media. Compliance with the social distancing measures was openly undermined by a significant number of Greek Orthodox clerics. Conspiracy theories exert a strong influence, and one far-right parliamentary party is seeking to give voice to this movement, but with little effect so far.
Kostis Papaioannou is a teacher who actively defends human rights and systematically studies the phenomenon of the far right.
The Profiteers of Fear? Greece (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Griechenland (German)
The emergence of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party on the scene in Romanian parliamentary elections in December 2020 took everyone by surprise. Having developed up until then below the radar of public attention, the AUR was formed by banding together several currents (conservative, nationalist, traditional religious, etc.) under the unifying umbrella of a radically nationalist political vision. The outbreak of the pandemic and the behaviour of the mainstream parties in Romania presented a unique opportunity for this party. With its extremely aggressive political activities, a conservative revisionist agenda and a nationalist populist rhetoric based on negationism and post-truth, the AUR is raising concerns about a possible political regression in Romania.
Dr. Andrei Țăranuis a professor on the Faculty of Political Sciences at the National School for Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA) Bucharest and associate professor at University Federico II Naples, Department of Political Science. His main area of interest is political doctrines and ideologies, especially in connection with the phenomenon of populism and anti-liberal parties.
The Profiteers of Fear? Romania (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Rumänien (German)
Spain has been one of the countries hardest hit by the Covid-19 crisis in terms of both the number of victims and the economic impact. Thus, on March 13, 2020 the government of Pedro Sánchez decreed a state of alarm, giving way to one of the most restrictive confinements in Europe.Meanwhile, the Spanish right-wing party VOX has clashed hard with the govern-ment during the Covid-19 crisis and even filled a no-confidence motion last October, 21st 2020. The party has also encouraged several protests against lockdown last May and October. This study aims to analyse VOX’s behaviour during the Covid-19 crisis and see to what extent it has taken advantage (or not) of the crisis. As VOX is a quite recent political party, the paper comes back on VOX’s trajectory from its foundation in 2013 to 2018/2019, when it gets parliamentary representation. It then focuses on VOX’s actions and discourse, at the Congress and other arena. Having positioned themselves as the radical opposition to Pedro Sánchez’s govern-ment during the first wave, where it is assumed that all parties will muck in together, does not seem to have damaged them yet. However, it does not seem as if they have benefited from the situation, at least not in the short term.
About the authors José Rama, Lecturer in Comparative Politics in the Department of Political Science, Universidad Carlos III, Madrid. José Javier Olivas, Principal Investigator ICPPS, UNED & Research Associate, LSE IDEAS
The Profiteers of Fear? Spain (English)
Die Profiteure der Angst? Spanien (Deutsch)
Contact: Josefin Fürstjosefin.furst(at)fes.de
Office/Postal Address Barnhusgatan 10 111 23 Stockholm Sweden
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