According to Alexis Tsipras who talked last Tuesday in front of the European parliament, the economic crisis is responsible for the rise of populism today in Europe. Whatever the cause, one can observe that these movements extend even to the states traditionally open to immigration.
On September 8, in Chemnitz (Saxony), a demonstration took place against Angela Merkel’s migration policy. It was not the first one and those march have been initiated in response to the death of a German man probably killed by an asylum seeker. The german extreme-right took up this minor news item to make the link between the rise of criminality and the presence of migrants. Many neo-Nazis even use the phrase of “racial war” on social networks. Though it is stronger in Saxony, this extreme-right uprising affects the whole Germany.
Farthest North, in Sweden, the extreme-right gained less votes than expected by the polls. The first results have been published on the website of the Swedish electoral authority. Apparently, none of the main parties, the left party and the center-right party, wish to make an alliance with SD[1]. But even though, this is a historical score for the extreme right that confirms the rise of populism in Europe. We note that Sweden has opened its doors to approximately 450 000 asylum seekers since 2010. For the populists, the problem comes from abroad (migrants, multinational compagnies) but paradoxically, the targeted problems are on such a scale that they require the intervention of supranational structures.
To understand the mechanisms of rising populism and nationalism in Europe, we invite you to participate in our 45th Ipse Meeting which will take place in Brussels on 22 and 23 November. The presence of Jean-François Serres, National Referent of MONALISA, will show, among other things, how strengthening social bonds can constitute a bulwark against the rise of nationalisms.
[1] The Swedish Democrats (Swedish: Sverigedemokraterna, SD) are a Swedish nationalist and anti-immigration political party