Far Right Parties on the Rise in Europe

The last few years have seen a rise of far right parties in Europe. These right-wing parties often have Christian values and follow nationalist movements in their countries. They are against immigration and some of them are anti-EU.

Europe's far right parties have their own section inside the European Parliament. Among the most prominent are France's National Front, led by Marine Le Pen, Italy's Lega Nord , The Dutch Party of Freedom and Austria's Freedom Party.

Recently, Austria's Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer almost became the country's first far right president, but lost narrowly to a green candidate. The Freedom Party was already in government once , between 2000 and 2006.

Many other countries in Europe are witnessing the rise of far right parties. Sweden, for example, has taken a liberal stance on immigration and allowed more refugees per capita into the country than any other European nation. As a result polls show that support for the right wing Sweden Democrats has risen to 25%.

One of the strongest right-wing movements is in Hungary, where conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been forced to move more and more to the right, under the pressure of the extreme Jobbik Party. Last year, he dealt with the refugee problem in his own way by building a much-criticised fence around Hungary's borders.

Many political experts see German chancellor Angela Merkel as one of the reasons for a rise in support for the far right. Last year she announced that the country would welcome all refugees that wanted to come to Germany. She is strongly criticized by the Alternative for Germany, a new right-wing party that almost made it into parliament in 2013.

Many people in Europe are attracted right wing movements across the continent. As refugees from the Middle East and Northern Africa are coming to Europe in masses, citizens feel their countries threatened and jobs taken away from them. There is growing concern that the EU does not have a solution for the refugee problem , thus leading to increasing Euro-scepticism in almost all EU countries.