A Dutch anti-Islamic party's win can be devastating

A seismic shift in European politics is indicated by the stunning win of far-right leader Geert Wilders in the recent Dutch election. However, the main reason behind his victory is the mass protests of Muslim immigrants across Europe, including the Netherlands, in support of Hamas after October 7, 2023. There was a kind of victory frenzy in these mass protests, which could awaken hope among the minority to become a majority in the future.

Currently, the most discussed issue in Europe is the uncontrollable population of immigrants there. Meanwhile, migrant marches in support of Hamas have raised concerns among Westerners. Wilders' party managed to convince the voters that mainstream parties have failed to declare irregular immigration as one of the problems of the entire continent. Even a few months ago the immigration issue was seen as a tool for political expediency, but public concern in Europe has increased after migrants marched in support of Hamas. As a result, the popularity of Wilders, known for his anti-immigration and anti-Muslim sentiments, increased.

European citizens are losing interest in the war in Ukraine. Europe's right-wing parties, long derided as extremists, are now the last bastions of conventional wisdom. Their nationalism has more in common with the ideals of Charles de Gaulle than Marine Le Pen. Their views on immigration, Russia, China and the US are considered reasonable and considered. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is an ideologue of the New European Right. His popularity increased after the attacks by Hamas. Several potential leaders are also emerging in some of these European countries.

Wilders has presented his country's Muslims as a problem to the nation. He has proposed banning the Koran and closing down mosques in his country. These are more political rhetoric than policy statements. But whether legal or illegal, immigration is changing the character of European society. Officially, about 7 percent of the population of France, Britain, and Germany are Muslim immigrants, but the actual number is much higher. According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Institute, 8.8 percent of France's population is Muslim, and by 2050 this number will rise to 18 percent. More than half of all schoolchildren in Hamburg, Germany are from immigrant families. These surveys are worrying European citizens.

Before the October 7 Hamas attack, Wilders received only 10 percent of the total vote; But he won 35 percent of the seats after European Muslims staged mass protests in support of Hamas in most major European cities. A u.gov poll found that 59 percent of Germans fear a major terrorist attack in their country after the October 7 Hamas attack. The survey found that only 27 percent of Germans think there is no threat of terrorist attacks. Europe's right-wing has successfully instilled in ordinary citizens the suspicion that Muslims immigrating to Europe will pose a threat to Europeans. The more this idea spreads, the more right-wing parties become popular. As a result, the far right has won in the Netherlands.

If you look at Europe at present, you will see - North, South, East, West, there is a rise of radical right-wing parties everywhere. Some of them are nostalgic or nostalgic nationalists, some are populist or populist nationalists, some are radical conservative parties with neo-fascist roots. In the 20th century Europe fought a massive war against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Then there was a feeling in the minds of most voters that the extreme right could never be voted in again. Mainstream political parties refused to cooperate with extreme right-wing parties. But those old 'taboos' are slowly disappearing now. In 2000, Vienna first formed a coalition with a center-right party and a far-right party called the Freedom Party. At the time, it made headlines across the world.

The European Union even imposed a diplomatic embargo on Vienna. And now Giorgia Meloni is in power in Italy, the country with the third largest economy in the European Union. He heads a party rooted in neo-fascist movements. After three months of debate in Finland, a far-right nationalist party called 'The Finns' recently joined the ruling coalition government. The anti-immigration and anti-multiculturalist Sweden Democrats are now the second-largest party in Sweden's parliament. They are important supporters of the right-wing coalition government. Three far-right parties won enough seats to enter parliament in Greece's election. On the other hand, a controversial nationalist party called the Vox Party did so well in recent regional elections in Spain that it proved all calculations wrong. It was the first successful far-right party in Spain after the death of fascist dictator General Franco in 1975. Poland and Hungary now have staunchly conservative, authoritarian governments. This list is getting longer. Even in Germany, far-right parties are emerging - a country very sensitive about its Nazi past. Opinion polls there now show the far-right AFD either tied with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), or slightly ahead. This is the first time an AFD candidate has won a local leadership position in Germany. The SPD is calling it a breaking of political barriers. So, the question is, what is happening in Europe? Are millions of European voters turning to the extreme right? Or are they expressing their protest through it?

The question can also be asked, is there a kind of polarization between urban liberal voters and leftist conservative voters in Europe? If you listen to a mainstream politician talk about immigration, especially before an election, you'll see how bigoted they can sound. Take center-right Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, for example. Or listen to Emmanuel Macron, a self-proclaimed moderate on security. Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, says the issue is full of serious contradictions. On the one hand, it appears that several mainstream politicians have recently adopted the slogans or positions of the far-right. They hope that the supporters of those parties will come to his side.

As a result, they are helping to make the far-right seem like a party in the mainstream of politics. At the same time, several far-right parties in Europe are deliberately moving their politics closer to the middle of the spectrum—hoping to win the support of more moderate voters. Taking their stance on Russia, for example, far-right parties such as Italy's The League, France's Marine Le Pen and Austria's Freedom Party have traditionally been close to Moscow, but their leaders have changed their rhetoric after Russia's offensive in Ukraine. Mark Leonardo was talking about the EU's relationship with far-right parties. After Britain's Brexit vote in 2016, there was a fear in Brussels that France, Denmark and Italy might want to leave the EU.

Many European leaders have deep skepticism about the EU. But for most European voters, ideas like leaving the EU or leaving the euro were too revolutionary. That is why far-right parties are no longer talking about leaving the EU or the Euro. According to opinion polls, the idea of staying in the EU is now more popular among Europeans. That is why far-right parties are now talking about reforming the EU - not leaving the EU. The survey shows that these parties will do well in the European Parliament elections. Georgina Wright, director of the Europe program at the Paris-based Institut Montaigne, says she thinks the resurgence of the far-right is due to dissatisfaction with mainstream politics. She says many voters in Europe like the straight talk of the far-right.

Apart from that, in three cases, traditional politicians are not able to answer their questions - they are also disappointed. These areas are: identity issues fear of open borders, erosion of national identity and traditional values. They are angry about the mentality of rejecting globalization and not guaranteeing a better future for voters' children and grandchildren. In addition, the lack of control of national governments over the norms that govern the lives of citizens is evident in the area of social justice. In France, Emmanuel Macron has faced protests from far-right groups and so-called yellow-vest protesters when he tried to raise petrol prices. On the other hand, in Germany, the Green Party has not been able to implement the environmental reforms it promised due to budget and public anger.

Martin Rosema, a political scientist and professor at the University of Twente, said the immigration issue of the previous government was one of the few issues that gave Wilder an advantage. "From international examples, we see that far-right parties do worse when they are out of power," said Professor Martin Rosema. Wilder said in his speech that he would stop the tsunami of refugees and immigration. Immigration to the Netherlands doubled last year to 220,000. A major reason for this is that refugees have fled Ukraine after Russia attacked it. The situation worsened in the Netherlands with a shortage of nearly 400,000 homes. The Freedom Party leader has called out political opponents, now that the campaign is over. Now is the time to work together and the Freedom Party will do just that. Experts believe a victory for the Freedom Party led by Wilder will be a major shock across Europe. Because the Netherlands is one of the founding countries of the European Union. However, time and circumstances will tell where this EU journey takes the world.

Author: Researcher and columnist.