Sawt Falasteen - 'We are the future': European far right makes show of force

Patriots for Europe has realigned extreme-right forces in the European Union. It became the European Parliament's third-largest force after Orban helped launch it last year to pull the bloc towards the far right.

"Yesterday we were the heretics. Today we are the mainstream... We are the future," proclaimed Orban, sharing the stage with other leading extreme-right nationalists including Dutch anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and former Czech premier Andrej Babis.

Both Orban and Le Pen hailed Trump's "tornado" as showing the way forward for the EU, which the parties had condemned in a joint statement as riven with "climate fanaticism", "illegal immigration" and "excessive regulation".

"We're facing a truly global tipping point. Hurricane Trump is sweeping across the United States," Le Pen said.

"For its part, the European Union seems to be in a state of shock."

Spanish party Vox, who hosted the rally, said around 2,000 people attended the event, following a dinner on Friday for Patriots leaders and Kevin Roberts, head of ultra-conservative US think tank The Heritage Foundation.

- 'Make Europe Great Again' -

The summit in the Spanish capital has adopted the slogan "Make Europe Great Again", a nod to Trump's rallying cry "Make America Great Again".

Orban is seen as one of Trump's closest EU allies, while Vox leader Santiago Abascal has highlighted the ideological affinity between the group and Trump, especially on immigration.

"President Trump, to us, is like a brother in arms," said Wilders, who called for a "reconquista" of Europe, like the wars waged by Spanish Christian monarchs to retake the Iberian peninsula from Muslim kingdoms between the eighth and 15th centuries.

But Trump's threats, from slapping prohibitive tariffs on European goods to annexing Denmark's gigantic Arctic territory of Greenland, could embarrass nationalist parties in Europe.

"Liking Donald Trump's patriotism does not mean being the vassal of the United States," Jordan Bardella, leader of France's National Rally (NR), said last month.

The NR, whose figurehead is Le Pen, leads the Patriots group in the European Parliament.

- 'Show of force' -

After last year's European Parliament elections, in which far-right parties performed strongly in several countries, Saturday's gathering was designed to be "a show of force", said Steven Forti, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

It would also serve to promote the Patriots turf war with other far-right groups in the EU assembly, he said.

The European elections saw the Patriots win 86 of the parliament's 720 seats.

It overtook the European Conservatives and Reformists group, led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's neo-Fascist Brothers of Italy party, which won 80 seats.

Patriots for Europe is seeking to "show its central place in the competition" with rival extreme-right groups, Forti told AFP.

Neither Meloni, nor AfD representatives attended Saturday's rally.

Forti said the Patriots wanted "to take advantage of the wave triggered by Trump's victory and the shock in the European Union" his measures have caused in order to reshape the balance in Europe.

They shared with Trump a wish to weaken the EU, Forti said.

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