Arne O. Holm says An Unworthy Game Exploiting the World's Refugees
The election winner: Festung Österreich.
Comment: Extreme right parties are on the rise across central parts of Europe. Most recently in Austria. What are the chances for the rest of Europe to hold off? And what happens when traditional democratic parties meet the extreme on their home court?
There is quite some distance between the Arctic and Austria, but not that far, as an Austrian-Hungarian expedition discovered Franz Josef Land, east of Svalbard, in 1873. The island was named after the emperor of Austria and the king of Hungary.
Polar expeditions
After the election in Austria at the end of September, isolationism and nationalism characterize the country that more than 150 years ago went out into the world on polar expeditions.
The political map is brown in parts of Europe, most clearly in Austria. The Freedom Party (FPÖ) emerged as the election's crystal clear winner with 28.8 percent of voters. The party, which is built on traditional fascism, with brutal xenophobia, climate change denial, and a stop in the support for Ukraine as its foremost stances, received the most votes.
And that brings us back to the Arctic. Climate change denial and a Ukraine defeated by Russia is a threat to us who live in the North and particularly in a country that borders Russia.
Exploiting the weakest in the election campaign.
Such as Norway and Finland.
It is particularly the extreme variety of anti-immigration hostility and attacks on democracy as a form of governance that lures the electors to FPÖ, just as the electors gather around the same ideology in Hungary, France, Slovakia, Poland, and Czechia.
In all these countries, the extreme right has grown and now forms part of parliamentary majorities or sits in government.
In an attempt to stop progress, traditional democratic parties have approached the same mindset, or, as mentioned, entered into unholy political alliances.
Failure
The election result in Austria is yet another example of such a failed strategy. By playing on the extreme right's home court in matters of refugees and asylum seekers, electors are not won. It legitimizes the stances and whitewashes and renders the brown harmless.
Playing on the extreme right's home court.
Even in highly democratic Norway, arguments adapted to an electorate that is turning away from social democratic thinking and over to the Progress Party (FrP) are now brought forward. FrP is also rising in the polls.
FrP cannot and should not be compared to extreme right parties in other parts of Europe. However, how the party's progress is met is comparable.
Long before the election campaign has started, central Labor representatives have demanded a more restrictive immigration policy. The government is restricting war-torn Ukrainians' access to Norway, and the number of quota refugees will be greatly reduced in next year's state budget.
A threat to us in the North.
Denial
This is how a government comprised of the Labor Party and the Center Party exploits the weakest in a national battle for voters.
Experiences from Europe show that this strategy is doomed to failure. Instead, it pushes more voters toward the alleged opponents.
Moreover, it is morally unworthy.
Especially in the wealthiest part of Europe – where the fight for democracy and humanism is strong.
