“We do not hide the fact that we are against building mosques. We do not want to integrate in our culture a culture that is different than ours,” said one Northern League parliament member in a recent interview.
Northern League founder and leader Umberto Bossi
The popularity of Greece’s anti-immigrant Golden Dawn party has soared in recent months, as the Washington Post’s Anthony Faiola reports. But Greece is far from the only country in which anti-immigrant and Islamophobic sentiments have been on the rise.
Amid concerns over the economic downturn and austerity in the euro zone, as well as fears about immigration and the preservation of national culture, far-right extremist groups in Greece, the Netherlands, Hungary and other E.U. countries have gained ground.
Here’s a look at some of Europe’s far-right groups and what they stand for:
Greece | Golden Dawn
Support for the ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn, which has been linked to a rise in attacks against migrants in recent months, has risen to 14 percent, which would make the group Greece’s third-largest party.
Here’s Golden Dawn leader, Nikolaos Mihaloliakos, right after a June election in which his party won 7 percent of the vote:
Italy | Northern League
The Northern League has advocated secession of the northern regions of Italy and the creation of a new state that would be called Padania.
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