The right-wing populists doing well across Europe, from Marine Le Pen to Viktor Orban

Far right-politicians are gaining strength across the continent

Jon Stone

Europe Correspondent

Monday 04 June 2018 12:32 EDT

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Many far-right politicians across Europe target Muslims (REUTERS)

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From Hungary to France, far-right nationalists are winning elections or gaining new ground across Europe.

Here is a quick primer on some of the populist leaders from across the continent, what they believe, and what they have done or want to do.

Viktor Orban – Hungary, Fidesz

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban addresses supporters after declaring victory in the country's parliamentary elections (Reuters)

Prime Minister of Hungary

• Threatening to shut down NGOs that help refugees

• Running state backed hate campaign against George Soros

• Removing constitutional checks and balances

We have replaced a shipwrecked liberal democracy with a 21st-century Christian democracy

Viktor Orban

Matteo Salvini – Italy, Lega

League party leader Matteo Salvini talks during a news conference the day after Italy’s parliamentary elections (Reuters)

Leader of Italy’s junior governing party

• Has pledged to deport 500,000 irregular migrants

• Says joining the euro was a mistake

• Wants to end sanctions against Russia

The only antidote to racism is to control, regulate and limit immigration

Matteo Salvini

Heinz-Christian Strache – Austria, FPO

Heinz-Christian Strache of the FPO and his coalition partner Sebastian Kurz of the OVP (Getty)

Deputy prime minister of Austria

• Wants to drive Islam out of public life Austria

• Threatening mosque closures

• Wants to end sanctions against Russia

Let us put an end to this policy of Islamisation as soon as possible

Heinz-Christian Strache

Marine Le Pen – France, Front National

Marine Le Pen talks to journalists (Getty)

Runner-up in French presidential election

• Wants policies to favour ‘native’ French

• Says she would hold an EU referendum

• Wants to deport irregular migrants

I’m not offended when I hear President Donald Trump say ‘America first’. In fact, I want America first for the American people, I want Britain first for the British people and I want France first for the French people

Marine Le Pen

Janez Janša – Slovenia, Slovenian Democratic Party

Janez Jansa, leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), speaks to the media and supporters after the general election in Ljubljana (REUTERS) (Reuters)

Leader of Slovenia’s largest party

• Says country is run by secretive former Communist cabal

• Appointed political allies to press agencies

• Sent to prison for alleged corruption but overturned by Constitutional Court

Our party puts Slovenia, Slovenians first

Janez Janša

Alexander Gauland – Germany, AfD

Mr Gauland, co-lead candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) at an election count (Getty)

Leader of first far-right party in the Bundestag in decades

• Says Islam is not a part of Germany

• Wants ban on public Islamic symbols

• Wants to leave the euro

A German or English football team hasn’t been German or English in the classical sense for a long time

Alexander Gauland

Jarosław Kaczyński – Poland, Law and Justice

Leader of Law and Justice party Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the power behind the scenes in the Polish government (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Chairman of Poland’s governing party

• Says migrants spread infectious diseases

• Wants to ban gay people from being teachers

• Constitutional changes to give government more power over courts

It is absolutely clear a homosexual should not be a teacher

Jarosław Kaczyński

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