The Rising Right

On February 1st, guest speaker Dr. Alexandra Gheciu, Professor of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, gave our women's club a presentation on the rise of right-wing populism in Europe.

It’s assumed that liberal globalisation [spelled globalization in N. American English] suits everyone, she said, but not much attention is paid to those left behind. In fact liberal systems of governance don’t give much hope to some and liberals have failed to find a good way to connect with ordinary people, especially in rural areas of Europe, where the influence of the Catholic church is particularly strong. This is where the populists step in. They focus on liberal weaknesses and are organised transnationally, supporting, learning from and financing one another. Right-wing leaders like Marie Le Pen in France claim to stand up for those who feel alienated, saying that “traditional” social values and identities are being “destroyed” by global movements or by an influx of refugees or immigrants. Mid-Europe, where the majority of the population has been committed to democracy since the end of the Cold War, is a particularly interesting case of this phenomenon. In Poland and Hungary, the liberal norms are attacked. President Macron of France goes so far as to call it a European civil war, a threat to the future of Europe.

“Managerial elites” (as the right wing calls them) are being challenged. There are concerted attacks on the rule of law, on the institutions. The right reminds the people of its “Christian roots” and, using social media to spread the message, liberal projects are labelled as dangerous. To counteract internationalist ideas, right-wing leaders disseminate alternative stories about national identity, reaffirming the notion of an Empire of Christian nation states, presenting these as bulwarks of Christianity against Islam, thus contesting the liberal narrative of integration.

Women’s freedom of speech is questioned and women’s lives are impacted by right-wing attitudes. Anti-abortion campaigns are frequent, claiming to protect “the natural family as the only fundamental and sustainable unit of society.” Public health is already being affected by new legislation in Poland, for instance, where right-wing authorities have restricted access to abortion, “in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic”. The populists have created a transnational, anti-feminist coalition, vehemently denying LGBTQ rights as well. (They declare the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights to be too liberal.) The International Organization for the Family (IOF), originating in the USA (with encouragement from sociologists at Moscow State University and supported by Matteo Salvini in Italy and Viktor Orbán in Hungary), claims to offer vulnerable women protection. This movement is spreading into Asia and Africa too. Needy women are faced with the dilemma of whether or not to accept financial assistance from populist, pro-family organizations. Liberals should be aware of this and engage with communities that resist such schemes; it would be beneficial if liberal authorities and NGOs provided alternative assistance for women at risk.

We should not dismiss the far right, said Dr. Gheciu; they are stronger than we assume. Are we prepared to address the challenges they bring? "There is too much silence on this matter," she added. "We need to be vocal."