The New Nativists

Europe's most prominent anti-immigrant parties.

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

NATIONAL FRONT

Country: France

Founded: 1972

Leader: Marine Le Pen

Biggest electoral success: Finished second in presidential election in 2002, forcing a runoff with Jacques Chirac

Party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen helped set the mold for European far-right parties, but became infamous for his often openly racist comments and historical revisionism, such as suggesting that the Nazi occupation of France was "not particularly inhuman."

His daughter Marine, who took over the party in 2011, has toned down the rhetoric and even reached out to Jewish voters, while maintaining the party's opposition to immigration and concern over the influence of Islam, claiming, for instance, that all meat sold in the Paris region is halal. Some polls have shown Le Pen fille in second place ahead of President Nicolas Sarkozy ahead of March's presidential election.

PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images

 SUBJECTS: LAW, EUROPE
 

SPOOD

9:50 AM ET

February 27, 2012

I am Godwin'ing myself her

France, Italy, Finland, Belgium were all countries which also were some of the most gleeful collaborators with Nazi Germany during WWII

Coincidence?

The only major difference I can see between these parties and white supremacists in the US is the level of mainstream political acceptance. American nativists in the mainstream are not as blatant in their rhetoric.

 

LECHEB

12:10 PM ET

March 12, 2012

Staying European

The issue of immigrants is a bit part of politics in the US, but it is more centered around illegal immigrants, not immigrants in general. I realize being French means doing this or being Italian means doing that, but putting in laws and measures to stop natural processes is strange. While reading this on my iphone 5 4g, I really realized how different the US and Europe is on this issue.