Italian far-right leader Salvini goes nuts at Nutella

Even though we are spoilt for choice, these days, award for the most outlandish right-wing populist stunt of the week has to be given to Matteo Salvini, leader of the Italian far-right anti-immigration party Northern League. Salvini had become famous for his enthusiastic devotion to world-famous Italian chocolate spread Nutella. However, Salvini now declared that he had abandoned Nutella after finding out that the hazelnuts used in Nutella spread are actually imported from Turkey.

Read the full story on Financial Times:

https://www.ft.com/content/a6f9d0e8-1824-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385

Spanish far-right party Vox and the changing right-wing politics in Spain

Spanish Social Democratic Party PSOE was the clear winner of Sunday’s general election in Spain. PSOE won 28.7 % of the votes and 123 parliamentary seats, an increase of 38 seats. However, the left-wing coalition Unidas Podemos won 14.3 % of the votes and 42 seats, a loss of 29 seats. (1, 2)

A more significant upheaval seems to be taking place amid Spanish right-wing parties. The conservative party Partido Popular PP suffered historic defeat by losing over half of its seats (loss of 71 seats) and by winning 16.7 % of the votes. Ciudadanos won 15.9 % of the votes and 57 seats, an increase of 25 seats. (1) There have been indications that Ciudadanos is becoming more right-wing and the success of the party in this election will make it challenger of the PP. (2, 3, 4, 5)

The biggest shock was the success of far-right party Vox. The party won 24 seats and 10.3 % of the votes and it became the first far-right party to enter the Spanish parliament after decades (6). Vox has become known for its strong, aggressive rhetoric and its stance against multiculturalism, mass immigration, Muslims and women’s rights. Vox has drawn inspiration from French, British and American hard-line right-win populists. Members of the party have shown their admiration for President Trump and his policies and they like to use slogans that are similar to the ones used by Trump. (7)

Vox has quite interesting connections to neoconservatives and other right-wing politicians in the U.S. camp. Leading Spanish neoconservative and former Prime Minister of Spain, José María Aznar, is seen as influencer or “tsar” of the three Spanish right-wing parties Vox, PP and Ciudadanos (8). Aznar has spoken favorably about Santiago Abascal, current leader of Vox and former member of PP. Aznar said in October that Abascal is a “boy full of good qualities.” (9) Rafael Bardají, another leading Spanish neoconservative and former advisor of Aznar, is now strategist of Vox. Bardají is well-known for his strong support for Israel and for his anti-Muslim stance. Bardají is founder and former director of Madrid-based right-wing think-tank Strategic Studies Group GEES and he is also Executive Director of the Friends of Israel Initiative. (10, 11) Steve Bannon, former advisor of President Trump, endorsed Vox after meeting Bardají, last year. Bannon has wanted Vox to be part of his European far-right alliance The Movement. (7, 10)

Even though Vox is now known for its Islamophobia, the party has actually received funding from Iranian dissident groups. When Vox was founded as a splinter group of PP in 2013, one of the founders of Vox, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, arranged funding for the new party from exiled Iranian group National Council of Resistance of Iran NCRI. According to a spokesperson for the NCRI, the organization gave funding without knowing that Vox would become a far-right party. The NCRI is now considered to be a “front organization” of Iranian terrorist cult Mojahedin-e-Khalq MEK. Several American politicians have shown their support for MEK. President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and National Security Advisor John Bolton consider MEK to be a legitimate opposition to the current Iranian government. (12)

References:

1) “Analysis: How did Sunday’s elections change Spain’s political landscape?” El País 29.4.2019

https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/04/29/inenglish/1556519911_184823.html

2) Elecciones generales 2019 – Resultados El País 29.4.2019

https://resultados.elpais.com/elecciones/generales.html

3) “Everyone against Ciudadanos” El País 30.11.2017

https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/11/30/inenglish/1512056948_465189.html

4) “Spain’s Albert Rivera shifts party rightward ahead of vote” Financial Times 24.3.2019

https://www.ft.com/content/1774e27e-4a29-11e9-8b7f-d49067e0f50d

5) “Ciudadanos disputa al PP el liderazgo de la derecha” El País 29.4.2019

https://elpais.com/politica/2019/04/28/actualidad/1556462369_564500.html

6) “Spanish election: socialists win amid far-right gains for Vox party” The Guardian 29.4.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/28/spain-election-socialists-to-win-most-seats-far-right-vox-resurgent

7) “Vox: Who are the Trump-inspired far-right Spanish nationalist party and what do they stand for?” The Independent 11.1.2019

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vox-andalusia-santiago-abascal-spain-steve-bannon-donald-trump-a8723121.html

8) “A Darkening Horizon” Jacobin 17.12.2018

https://jacobinmag.com/2018/12/spain-municipal-elections-vox-far-right

9) “Abascal, busting Spain’s ‘traitors’ to resurrect far-right” Yahoo Finance 29.4.2019

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/abascal-busting-spains-traitors-resurrect-far-222819746.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmZpLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMYJjsTJ3i2PaUP1Jh6mZOPRvgFACNlkpkcZ7dxqzSUZRF06chuy9BAHJ4_xb3eDp1qKBpLjTaOopzV4wuuJ0Vt8_CnFTYgweE4PSF3_H3VDr5bXtugKcJQRzoYr4iUT946T3rjKgPXVifIPB_eW73VoWyPAfOc9RigUY6L_BD40

10) “Bannon sets his eyes on Spain” European Council on Foreign Relations ECFR 24.10.2018

https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_bannon_sets_his_eyes_on_spain

11) Contributors – Rafael Bardají Octavian Report

https://octavianreport.com/contributor/rafael-bardaji/

12) “Spain’s Vox Party Hates Muslims – Except the Ones Who Fund It” Foreign Policy 27.4.2019

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/04/27/spains-vox-party-hates-muslims-except-the-ones-who-fund-it-mek-ncri-maryam-rajavi-pmoi-vidal-quadras-abascal/

Far-right populist Finns Party

The parliamentary elections in Finland on Sunday turned out to be a real cliffhanger. Social Democratic Party (SDP) won the elections with a very narrow margin. Far-right populist, anti-immigration Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset) came surprisingly close to victory. (1)

Members of the Finns Party are known for their Euroscepticism, ethno-nationalism, xenophobia, anti-immigration stance, racism and Islamophobia. In 2012, Finnish Supreme Court ordered Jussi Halla-aho, current leader of the party, to pay fines for his Islamophobic blog posts dating back to year 2008. Halla-aho is well-known in the counter-jihad circles, his comments have been published for example on Gates of Vienna website. (2, 3) Sebastian Tynkkynen, new MP of the party, was convicted of incitement against an ethnic group and breaching religious peace in 2017 because of his anti-Islamic Facebook posts during summer 2016 (4). Ano Turtiainen, also new MP of the party, was fined for inciting violence against the Red Cross in 2018 (5). Teuvo Hakkarainen, veteran MP of the party, was fined because of his anti-Muslim comments on Facebook in 2017 (6). Olli Immonen and Juho Eerola, both MPs of the party, and Jussi Halla-aho have been members of Suomen Sisu, a far-right, enthnonationalistic, Nazi-spirited organization (7, 8). Immonen caused an uproar in 2015 with his Facebook post against multiculturalism:

“I’m dreaming of a strong, brave nation that will defeat this nightmare called multiculturalism. This ugly bubble that our enemies live in, will soon burst into a million little pieces. Our lives are entwined in a very harsh times. These are the days that will forever leave a mark on our nation’s future. I have strong belief in my fellow fighters. We will fight until the end for our homeland and one true Finnish nation. The victory will be ours.” (9)

Immonen’s post was compared to the manifesto of Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Breivik and Immonen happened to publish his post around the time of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Norway (10, 11). Laura Huhtasaari, MP of the party, seems to have become Finnish poster-girl for the far right. Huhtasaari is an admirer of President Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and, alongside Jussi Halla-aho, one of the leading Islamophobes in Finland. Huhtasaari likes to imitate President Trump by using motto “Finland First.” (12, 13) When British far-right figure Katie Hopkins visited Finland with prominent counter-jihadist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff in January (14), Hopkins arranged a live interview with Huhtasaari in Helsinki. During the interview, Huhtasaari repeated her motto “Finland First” as well as her Islamophobic and anti-immigration views. When Hopkins asked, who Huhtasaari would like to meet, Huhtasaari mentioned that she had already met Jordan B Peterson (Canadian far-right academic) and that she would like to meet Paul Joseph Watson (British far-right vlogger). When Hopkins asked again, who Huhtasaari would like to invite to Finland, she said she likes Nigel Farage (British far-right Brexiteer). (15)

References:

1) “SDP takes top spot, populists rally, heavy losses for PM’s Centre in Finnish election” YLE News 15.4.2019

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/sdp_takes_top_spot_populists_rally_heavy_losses_for_pms_centre_in_finnish_election/10739392

2) “Supreme Court orders Halla-aho to pay for hate speech” YLE News 8.6.2012

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/supreme_court_orders_halla-aho_to_pay_for_hate_speech/6171739

3) “Jussi Halla-aho” Gates of Vienna website

https://gatesofvienna.net/repression/jussi-hall-aho/

4) “Ex-Finns Party youth leader convicted of hate speech” YLE News 16.1.2017

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/ex-finns_party_youth_leader_convicted_of_hate_speech/9406509

5) “Finns Party pol fined for inciting violence against Red Cross” YLE News 12.9.2018

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finns_party_pol_fined_for_inciting_violence_against_red_cross/10400019

6) “Three Finns Party politicians in court over online hate speech” YLE News 4.1.2017

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/three_finns_party_politicians_in_court_over_online_hate_speech/9388039

7) “Three anti-immigration PS MPs will pay Hirvisaari’s fine for hate speech” Migrant Tales 1.3.2012

http://www.migranttales.net/three-anti-immigration-ps-mps-will-pay-hirvisaaris-fine-for-hate-speech/

8) “What is Suomen Sisu?” Varis 13.12.2018

https://varisverkosto.com/2018/12/what-is-suomen-sisu/

9) “Finns Party Member Olli Immonen Wants to End the Nightmare Called ‘Multiculturalism’” Finland Today 26.7.2015

https://finlandtoday.fi/finns-party-member-olli-immonen-wants-to-end-the-nightmare-called-multiculturalism/

10) “PM: ‘I cannot accept Immonen’s remarks'” YLE News 26.7.2015

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/pm_i_cannot_accept_immonens_remarks/8182347

11) “Norway attacks: at least 92 killed in Oslo and Utoya island” The Guardian 23.7.2011

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/23/norway-attacks

12) “WARNING: ISLAMOPHOBIC CONTENT – Laura Huhtasaari (Suomen Uutiset)” Migrant Tales 14.1.2019

http://www.migranttales.net/warning-islamophobic-content-laura-huhtasaari-suomen-uutiset/

13) “A Guide To The Far-Right Power Players Tearing Europe Apart” Huffington Post 25.8.2018

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/guide-far-right-players-europe_n_5b7bf18ee4b0a5b1febee47a

14) “With Katie Hopkins and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff in Oulu” Tundra Tabloids 14.1.2019

http://tundratabloids.com/2019/01/14/with-katie-hopkins-and-elisabeth-sabaditsch-wolff-in-oulu/

15) Katie Hopkins interviews Laura Huhtasaari

https://youtu.be/XtgGVTFkQoE

Back to 1930s-style politics

Some people said already long time ago that Muslims have now the same role Jewish people had during 1930s. That seems to become more and more obvious. Many kinds of right-wing groups and parties seem to use Muslims as a way to foster divisive politics and to strengthen their own power.

I have already written about the rising Islamophobia in Britain. Anti-Muslim hate crimes increased across Britain by 593% in the week after the Christchurch terrorist attacks (1). The British Conservative Party seems quite complacent regarding Islamophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric within the party (2). British far-right UKIP party hired notorious Islamophobe Tommy Robinson as a special adviser (3). British far-right figure Katie Hopkins has started touring in Europe and USA with prominent counter-jihadist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff (4, 5).

The developments in Britain are similar to the situation in mainland Europe, North America and Australia. Anti-Muslim rhetoric and sentiment has become commonplace within right-wing political circles and mainstream media. Therefore it is no wonder that Muslim leaders around the world have criticized mainstream media, politicians and academics for cultivating systemic and institutionalized Islamophobia (6). During his recent visit to Cairo, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres expressed his concern regarding the growing anti-Muslim sentiment and the increase of hate crimes all over the world (7).

During this spring there will be several important elections in Europe and elsewhere. European far-right populist and nationalist parties are expected to gain more votes because of their anti-immigrant and Islamophobic rhetoric (8). However, the first elections to watch for will take place today in Israel where Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to win the elections with his far-right allies (9).

References:

1) “Anti-Muslim hate crimes soar in UK after Christchurch shootings” The Guardian 22.3.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/22/anti-muslim-hate-crimes-soar-in-uk-after-christchurch-shootings

2) “The Guardian view on Tory Islamophobia: inaction speaks volumes” The Guardian 28.3.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/28/the-guardian-view-on-tory-islamophobia-inaction-speaks-volumes

3) “Brexit party leader hires prominent anti-Muslim extremist as adviser” The National 23.11.2018

https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/brexit-party-leader-hires-prominent-anti-muslim-extremist-as-adviser-1.795130

4) “Finland: Katie Hopkins and Elizabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff at the Finnish House of Parliament during live sessions” Tundra Tabloids January 2019

http://tundratabloids.com/2019/01/finland-katie-hopkins-and-elizabeth-sabaditsch-wolff-at-the-finnish-house-of-parliament-during-live-sessions/

5) Katie Hopkins on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/KTHopkins/status/1105498588627521536

6) “‘Systemic Islamophobia’ fuels terror attacks, say Muslim leaders” The Guardian 18.3.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/18/uk-muslim-leaders-seek-funding-for-mosque-security

7) “UN head warns against growing anti-Muslim sentiment during Cairo visit” Middle East Eye 2.4.2019

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/un-head-warns-against-growing-anti-muslim-sentiment-during-cairo-visit

8) “Populists are whipping up a storm as Europe faces lurch to the right” The Guardian 6.4.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/06/brexit-distraction-far-right-nationalists-eu-elections

9) “Israelis prepare to go to the polls: here’s what we know” The Guardian 8.4.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/08/israelis-prepare-to-go-to-the-polls-heres-what-we-know

Far-right party’s online poll got surprising results in Czech Republic

Czech Republic has been considering relocation of Syrian orphans. Czech far-right party “Freedom and Direct Democracy” SPD opposed the proposal and decided to organize an online poll in order to get support for their stance. However, 73% of the people who joined the survey supported helping the orphans. SPD quickly erased the poll from their website.

References:

“Czech far-right supporters expose their party, back Syrian orphans” EurActiv 22.2.2019

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/the-capitals-czech-far-right-supporters-expose-their-party-back-syrian-orphans/

Tensions and hate crimes in Brexit Britain

Britain’s decision to leave the European Union has turned out to be a chaotic cliffhanger. Brexit has divided the nation, it has torn apart political parties and even families. Britain has also seen significant rise of far-right populism, xenophobia, racism and hate crimes. According to statistics published by the police in England and Wales, over 94 000 hate crime offences were recorded during 2017/18, an increase of 17 % compared to the previous year. The increase during 2016/17 was even greater, 29 %. The number of hate crimes recorded by the police has more than doubled since 2012/13. Even though the increase can be partially explained by improvements in crime recording by the police, there have been clear “spikes” in hate crime after the EU Referendum in 2016 and after the terrorist attacks in 2017 (1, 2, 3, 4).

One form of far-right populism has been the increasingly aggressive activity against politicians and other people who support the Remain option. Tory MP Anna Soubry was intimidated and abused by British far-right mobsters and supporters of Brexit on Monday. The pro-Brexit protesters called remain-backing Soubry “a Nazi”. Mrs Soubry was harassed and intimidated the same way already in December last year (5). Other people harassed on Monday were journalist Owen Jones from The Guardian and Femi Oluwole, chief spokesperson for Our Future, Our Choice. Mr. Oluwole condemned the abuse and threatening behavior of the pro-Brexit protesters. He added:

“Plenty of people around the country are frustrated with the Brexit process – and all but a tiny minority continue to engage in reasonable democratic debate. This debate is absolutely crucial given the vastly different and country-defining options the UK faces. We must be able to have it without feeling like some options are unacceptable because a tiny minority of people are willing to go further, and shout louder, than everyone else. The answer to the far right cannot be to give in. We have never, and will never, let them dictate the terms of debate. When they argue for less democracy, we must call for more.”

However, Mr. Oluwole also condemned aggressive verbal attacks of far-left activists:

“…there’s a key difference between intense political discourse and gratuitous abuse, no matter where you are on the spectrum.” (6)

References:

1) Hate crime, England and Wales, 2017 to 2018 Home Office Statistical Bulletin 20/18

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/748598/hate-crime-1718-hosb2018.pdf

2) “Hate crimes soared after EU referendum, Home Office figures confirm” The Guardian 13.10.2016

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/13/hate-crimes-eu-referendum-home-office-figures-confirm

3) “Hate-crime reports rise by almost a third in a year as Home Office figures illustrate EU-referendum spike” The Independent 17.10.2017

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/hate-crimes-eu-referendum-spike-brexit-terror-attacks-police-home-office-europeans-xenophobia-a8004716.html

4) “Hate crime surge linked to Brexit and 2017 terrorist attacks” The Guardian 16.10.2018

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/16/hate-crime-brexit-terrorist-attacks-england-wales

5) “MPs raise safety fears with police after Anna Soubry subjected to ‘Nazi’ chants” The Guardian 7.1.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/07/john-bercow-urges-police-to-do-more-after-nazi-taunts-against-anna-soubry

6) “I was harassed outside parliament. These thugs must not stifle Brexit debate” The Guardian 9.1.2019