In the run-up to the European elections, the rise of the conservative and nationalist far-right seems unstoppable, as the green and liberal-democrat movements fall by the wayside. After the elections on 9 June, a quarter of the European Parliament could be occupied by the far right. According to several polls, the far right is leading with over 20% of voting intentions in most of the major European countries: France (RN), Italy (Fratelli d’Italia), the Netherlands (PVV), Flemish Belgium (Vlaams Belang) and Austria (FPÖ). The Nordic countries and Spain still seem to be resisting this trend, and in Germany the AfD’s recent neo-Nazi excesses have undermined its credibility.
This wave of nationalism, xenophobia and climate scepticism portends a number of dangers: contempt for the (already fragile) rights of migrants, a regression on environmental issues, and cuts in aid to Ukraine. What’s more, the extreme right’s contempt for freedom of expression and human rights could jeopardise Democracy itself.
Euronews, Europeans Without Borders and Cartooning for Peace are joining forces in a campaign to raise public awareness, encourage people to vote and support freedom of expression through press cartoons: CARICARTOONS.
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