Slides from a talk I gave at the Holocaus Museum at Montreal during Action Week Against Racism

1. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Intro
Katy Blackwood [CC BY-SA
4.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia
Commons
Is Europe reverting to the 1930s?
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (1/10)

2. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Intro
Katy Blackwood [CC BY-SA
4.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia
Commons
Is Europe reverting to the 1930s?
Electoral successes of far-right parties, UK
first ever country to leave EU, a bloc
designed to bring peace, stability &
prosperity to post-war Europe
Increase in hate crimes against Jews,
Muslims, minorities
Prominence of right-wing populist rhetoric
in social media and traditional public
sphere
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (1/10)

3. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Intro
Katy Blackwood [CC BY-SA
4.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia
Commons
Is Europe reverting to the 1930s?
Electoral successes of far-right parties, UK
first ever country to leave EU, a bloc
designed to bring peace, stability &
prosperity to post-war Europe
Increase in hate crimes against Jews,
Muslims, minorities
Prominence of right-wing populist rhetoric
in social media and traditional public
sphere
It’s complicated: parties,
movements/groups, attitudes
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (1/10)

4. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
New-ish Radical Right parties
Interwar period: extremist parties/movements openly fighting
democracy
Post-1980, old-style extremist parties mostly marginalised
New/revamped parties
Authoritarian and populist, focus on (alleged) majorities:
illiberal democrats
Nativists: Claim to represent/protect “native” population but
avoid (open) biological racism
Most shrewd ones claim to defend female, gay & Jewish rights
(PVV)
Sometimes linked to openly extremist groups/content, but more
often not (really)
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (2/10)

5. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
From strength to strength?
Well established since 1980s, Germany a latecomer
Variation over time/countries, seems to top-out in high 20s
(parliamentary)
2017 Austria 26
France 13 (1st round)
Germany 13
Netherlands 13
Norway 15
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (3/10)

6. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
From strength to strength?
Well established since 1980s, Germany a latecomer
Variation over time/countries, seems to top-out in high 20s
(parliamentary)
2017 Austria 26
France 13 (1st round)
Germany 13
Netherlands 13
Norway 15
Enough to disrupt normal coalition-building processes (NL, DE)
Government participation/toleration still exception (AT, DK,
NO)
Spillover & very populist/authoritarian mainstream right parties
(PL, HU)
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (3/10)

7. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Main targets
Refugees
Muslims from Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
background + Mosques
Jewish institutions
(Visible) minorities
Eastern Europeans
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (4/10)

8. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Main targets
Refugees
Muslims from Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
background + Mosques
Jewish institutions
(Visible) minorities
Eastern Europeans
Marches + violence
Sometimes openly extremist/neo-nazi, more
often normal, “concerned” citizens
By Kalispera Dell (https://www.panoramio.com/photo/116227104) [CC BY 3.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By https://www.flickr.com/photos/lionheartphotography/ [CC BY 2.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (4/10)

9. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Attacks on shared accommodation for asylum seekers in
Germany since 2015
dark blue: all crime; light blue: violent attacks. Source: Federal Criminal Police Office
https://twitter.com/bka/status/854222084234506240
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (5/10)

10. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Increase in hate crimes after Brexit referendum 2016
Source NCPP / International Business Times https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/
brexit-met-commissioner-sir-bernard-hogan-howe-says-spike-hate-crime-since-eu-referendum-1583837
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (6/10)

11. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Why?
Higher salience & more potential targets (Germany)
Paradoxically, more awareness; people & police more willing to
report, recognise & record hate crimes
But still not enough awareness
Took German authorities more than a decade to recognise
right-wing extremist motives behind “NSU” killing spree
(2001-2006)
Federal Prosecutor had to intervene in Freital Group case
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (7/10)

12. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Why?
Higher salience & more potential targets (Germany)
Paradoxically, more awareness; people & police more willing to
report, recognise & record hate crimes
But still not enough awareness
Took German authorities more than a decade to recognise
right-wing extremist motives behind “NSU” killing spree
(2001-2006)
Federal Prosecutor had to intervene in Freital Group case
Similar problems elsewhere
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (7/10)

13. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Why?
Higher salience & more potential targets (Germany)
Paradoxically, more awareness; people & police more willing to
report, recognise & record hate crimes
But still not enough awareness
Took German authorities more than a decade to recognise
right-wing extremist motives behind “NSU” killing spree
(2001-2006)
Federal Prosecutor had to intervene in Freital Group case
Similar problems elsewhere
Attitude polarisation
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (7/10)

14. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
How have attitudes changed?
By and large, European societies have become more open and
tolerant over last three decades
Especially in younger (and more educated) generations
Immigration and minority rights much more salient than ever
before
Racists out of the closet
Much can be explained as backlash against more liberal
attitudes and rules
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (8/10)

15. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
Hegemony lost
Right-wingers of all shades very noisy but . . .
48% voted against Brexit, would be more today
In EU-27, support for European integration increased after
Brexit
13% voted AfD, but ≈ 25% volunteered to help refugees
Even in Greece, more than 80% don’t vote for far right
No viable far right parties in Spain, Portugal
In essence, European societies more open/tolerant and more
internally divided
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (9/10)

16. Intro
Parties
Extra-paliamentary groups
Attitudes
So . . .
What now?
History may not repeat itself, but no time for complacency
Recognise immigration as a fact & solve existing problems with
integration
Raise awareness, expose links to racist content & extremist
groups
Where they exist . . .
. . . but don’t fall into anti-fascist trap
Many radical right actors crave publicity
Don’t overestimate their importance &
Don’t give them more attention than necessary
Kai Arzheimer Right-wing groups in Europe/Germany (10/10)