The European Union elects a new parliament on May 26. We talked with European journalists and NGOs from different European countries to get a picture of the European right wing. We asked them how their local right wing parties want to change the European Union and which marginalized group is hated the most.
Our questions were answered by Morgan Finnsiö, journalist at the anti-racist Expo Magazine.
What right-wing parties are active in your country/participating in the European elections?
- Sweden Democrats (SD) – Sverigedemokraterna
- Alternativ för Sverige (AfS)
What are they campaigning for/what is their political agenda?
- SD: renegotiating the basic treaties of the EU to weaken the Union’s power in almost every respect and to strengthen national autonomy; promoting internal and external free trade, especially with the United States; reducing Swedish fees to the EU; refusing to join the eurozone; strengthening the EU’s external borders with an Australia-style “stop the boats” policy on the Mediterranean; opposing the right of the EU to distribute responsibility among member states for accepting refugees; enabling member states to close their borders even to each other; limiting the freedom of movement; enabling the expulsion of EU citizens from a given member state; making aid to foreign states conditional on their accepting their nationals who are deported from the EU; strengthening counter-terrorism; “forceful measures against islamism”; opposing an EU carbon tax; opposing a common EU military; maintaining sanctions against Russia; restricting any further EU expansion; opposing Turkey’s membership candidacy to the EU; active political support for Israel.
- AfS: leaving the EU (“Swexit”).
What is their main topic for the European elections?
- SD: “taking back control from Brussels”; weakening and reducing the EU from within.
- AfS: leaving the EU.
What marginalised groups does their campaign oppose the most?
- SD: refugees, Muslims, Roma.
- AfS: migrants from outside Europe; “foreign criminals; foreign beggars”.
How do they propose to change the EU?
- SD: working together with “conservative friends” across Europe.
- AfS: bringing about a Swedish national referendum on leaving the Union.
How good do you think their chances are in the elections?
- SD: They are expected to gain around 13-18 % of the vote.
- AfS: They are not expected to make it into the EU parliament.
All english texts on the European Election 2019:
Text in German:
Europawahl 2019: Die Parteienlandschaft rechtsaußen in Schweden
