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The Radical Right in Europe

(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Michael Whine - The rise in radical-right social and populist movements over the past ten years has been remarkable. Once on the political fringes, they now carry political weight in the parliaments of Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Greece, Latvia, and Slovakia, as well as in the European Parliament. The radicals do not target Jews, and several even profess to be pro-Israel. The reality, though, is that their members are sometimes former neo-Nazis. What particularly distinguishes the European extreme right from its forebears is its tendency to violence. In an assessment it published at the end of 2011, EUROPOL stated that: "The threat of violent right-wing extremism has reached new levels in Europe and should not be underestimated. The threat will most likely come from lone actors but organised underground groups also have the capability and intention to carry out attacks." The writer is the Government and International Affairs Director at the Community Security Trust, and Defence and Group Relations Director at the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
2012-08-03 00:00:00
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