The far right isn’t the only threat ahead of the European elections

In France, Holland, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Hungary and Austria parties described by their foes as ‘far-right’ are on course for significant gains at next month’s European elections. To the chagrin of progressive politicians, Giorgia Meloni, Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders are popular with many voters. But centrist groups in the European Parliament are determined to do everything to stop them.

‘We are facing a crucial moment in the history of our European project, where once more the far right is attempting to bring back the darkest pages of our history,’ said a communique issued by a coalition of left-wing, green and centrist outfits in the European parliament on 8 May. The timing was no coincidence: that day marked the 79th anniversary of Victory in Europe day. It warned that ‘far-right’ parties represented a threat to democracy, due to the ‘constantly growing cases of harassment, vandalism, spread of disinformation, defamation and hate speech’.