On 27 January 1945, Soviet troops marched in and liberated the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau, situated in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Holocaust represented a civilizational rupture, with 1.3 million people being deported and 1.1 million murdered in this camp between 1941 and 1945. Auschwitz and its horrors have become a symbol of hatred, racism, and antisemitism, reflecting Nazi Germany’s genocide of 6 million European Jews. As the world marks the 80th anniversary of this dark chapter in history, it is important to take stock of Europe’s political reality today, in which the rise of far-right politics in the continent underlines a strategic realignment of their Nazi and fascist past. Is history repeating itself with the growing threat of genocidal violence in Europe?
Although far-right parties have repeatedly paid their respect to Holocaust survivors, Europe cannot ignore that their ideologies retain and propagate the ideas of white supremacy, manifested in their sentiments towards the ‘outsider’ or the ‘other’—be it the migrants, Muslims, Jews, or the LGBTQ+. Part of the ‘developed’ or ‘first’ world, it is surprising how Europe’s far-right has openly embraced antisemitism for decades. Leaders like Jean Marie Le Pen, founder of the National Front in France, and Jörg Haider, founder of the Freedom Party in Austria, have defended the violent rhetoric of the Holocaust in the aftermath of World War II. It may be simpler to forgive the toxic past, but what is disturbing for Europe is that the seeds of this fascist legacy continue to grow today. Direct imitators include many of the populist European leaders, including Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Herbert Kickl, leader of the Freedom Party, on the verge of leading Austria, and not the least, Le Pen’s daughter Marine, who stands a good chance of winning France’s next presidential election.
The rise of far-right parties in Europe—seen in the cases of France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Italy, the Netherlands, and elsewhere—is a clear indication of a threat to democracy and the rule of law. Through demonization of immigrants and Islamophobic propagation, these parties are garnering support for the anti-establishment rhetoric. With the start of the US-led ‘War on Terror’ in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the far-right have portrayed themselves as new defenders of Western civilization, openly banning all political forms of Islam, united against a common enemy. The politics of fear introduced through the populist discourse is so intense that hatred against the other is being significantly normalized. Not only are these ideologies cozying up to Russia and condemning EU support to Ukraine, but their Euroscepticism poses a big challenge to the EU integration project itself. It’s the xenophobic nature of the populist parties that creates genocidal intent in the heart of Europe.
The political landscape of Europe from 2022 to 2024 represents this intent. With Georgia Meloni and her post-fascist Brothers of Italy winning the Italy elections in 2022 and Wilder’s Party for Freedom forming the coalition government in the Netherlands in 2023, 2024 saw the rise of National Rally in France, the Freedom Party in Austria, Reform UK in the UK, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany. Even at the level of the EU, the “Patriots of Europe” were able to form the third-largest group in the European Parliament elections last year. The return of Donald Trump to the White House in 2025 and his close ally and billionaire backer Elon Musk’s open support for the far-right in Europe with the slogan “Make Europe Great Again” is not helping the cause.
Although growing dissatisfaction with mainstream politics and the declining global standing of Europe are considered factors for the rise of such parties, it is the aggressive nationalism that is driving the agenda of the hard right. In the context of minorities, this development is problematic, progressively leading to the erosion of human rights across Europe. Present-day populist politics poses a huge threat to contemporary society. The liberal order in Europe, which forms the cornerstone of the normative power, is being visibly upturned. The antisemitic and racist ideologies, which are the core of the far right in Europe today, continue to represent the terrifying incidents of Auschwitz, exposing the hollowness of the European commitment to “never again.”
Today, the far-right in Europe is the strongest it has been since World War II. Eight decades later, Europe is once again overshadowed by suspicion, fear, prejudice, and extremism. While some survivors of the Holocaust still live on, the lessons learned seem to have already been forgotten. The extreme polarization of society and the increasing support for the far-right make us question how different the reality of today’s Europe is from that of 80 years ago. The comparison is dangerous and should not be silenced.
