"The far-right has been steadily gaining ground across Europe in the past few years, with the right-wing populist Reform UK and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) now often leading opinion polls. This comes despite or perhaps because of the fact that political leaders of the major centrist parties have attempted to win over their voters by imposing ever-tougher measures on immigration and using more anti-immigrant rhetoric."
"In Germany this week, the use of racist rhetoric has been the subject of public debate and in many quarters outrage following Chancellor Friedrich Merz's remarks about Germany's "cityscape," and the supposed impact on it by immigrants. A few days later, asked by a journalist to clarify the remark, he doubled down, saying "ask your daughters what I might have meant.""
Analysis of over 500,000 newspaper articles from six German newspapers across 26 years shows center-right and center-left parties adopt far-right issues and rhetoric. That adoption aims to shrink far-right support but instead normalizes extreme positions and broadens their appeal. Far-right parties such as Reform UK and Alternative for Germany (AfD) have gained ground and often lead opinion polls. Major centrist leaders have imposed tougher immigration measures and used anti-immigrant rhetoric. High-profile statements by political figures have provoked public debate and outrage. The overall logic of copying far-right discourse backfires by shifting the political center toward far-right agendas.
Read at www.dw.com
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