Madrid (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban and France’s Marine Le Pen held a rally in Madrid, organised by EU’s largest far-right bloc, Patriots for Europe.
Among the leaders participating are Orban, Le Pen, Geert Wilders, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and ex- Czech premier Andrej Babis. In a joint statement, the parties criticised what they called “climate fanaticism”, “illegal immigration”, and “excessive regulation” in the European Union.
The European Union nations needed to make a “180-degree turn”, stated Spanish party Vox, which is hosting the event. Vox said approximately 2,000 people were regarding the event.
The Patriots for Europe aim to challenge centrist EU policies by promoting an alternative vision focused on issues like immigration control, security enhancement, and suspending parts of the EU Green Deal.
How do patriots for Europe challenge EU policies?
The rally adopted the slogan “Make Europe Great Again,” a slogan that resembles Donald Trump’s famous rallying cry.
According to the experts, this reflects the ideological alignments of the bloc and Trump, particularly on aspects such as immigration and national sovereignty. Although the bloc tries to unite far-right parties in Europe, internal tensions exist regarding their relationship with the US under Trump’s presidency.
Commenting on the trend, analysts highlighted that the protest rally reflects increased far-right support in Europe resulting from concerns and fears over high migration, sluggish economic growth, and dissatisfaction among citizens with certain EU policies.
This trend featured in the outcome of the recently held 2024 EU parliamentary elections, especially in France, Germany, and Italy, in which far-right parties recorded sweeping victories.
