The Rise of the Far-Right (Ana Núñez Milara in El Hapañol)

The strategy of labeling far-right voters as 'fascists' or 'reactionaries' has failed, producing the opposite effect desired by traditional parties.

## The Rhetoric of Antiestéticar: A Boomerang Effect

It seems that the strategy pursued by Pedro Sánchez, and many others, of presenting the rise of the far-right as an apocalyptic threat—a 'world watching us' and becoming 'fascist'—is not working as they hoped. In fact, it may be turning against them.
The idea that millions of Europeans have suddenly risen up to become abolitionists of rights or adherents of past ideologies is an oversimplification that avoids uncomfortable questions. Why are voters, even those on the socialist left, shifting toward positions they previously considered not?
The easy answer is to resort to labels: fascist, ultra, racist.
The problem is that the more you use such a descriptor, the emptier it becomes. If everything is fascism, then nothing is.

The Italian historian **Emilio Gentile** already warned against the anachronistic use of concepts. While it is true that young people are playing a significant role in the rise of protest formations in Europe, such as **Geert Wilders' PVV** in the Netherlands or the **AfD** in Germany, Gentile draws an 'abyssal' distance between interwar Europe and the current situation. The myths that fueled historical fascism, such as imperial nationalism, are not the same ones driving today's voters.

## Europe and Its Ignored Warnings

The recent history is littered with examples where external interventions or warnings about the rise of the right have had the opposite effect.

in **Greece**, in **2015**, threats from **Jean-Claude Juncker** regarding the consequences of a 'no' vote on the financial bailout conditions only served to inflame national pride and the vote against.
The Greek electorate, fed up with years of alternation between traditional parties and facing **25% unemployment**, trusted **Syriza**, which eventually negotiated with the conservative **ANEL**.

in **France**, in **2002**, the arrival of **Jean-Marie Le Pen** in the presidential runoff led to the creation of the Front National. Today, his daughter **Marine Le Pen** leads the polls, despite warnings from President **Emmanuel Macron** about France's weakening position in Europe and economic detriment.

in **Austria**, in **2000**, the EU's diplomatic sanctions against the entry of the **FPÖ** into government only reinforced the argument that foreign elites wanted to decide who governed the country. Today, the **FPÖ** remains a key political actor.

in **Italy**, in **2022**, the words of **Ursula von der Leyen** about 'tools' if things went in a 'difficult direction' did not prevent the victory of **Giorgia Meloni**, who now sees an even further right-wing party emerge.

And in **Germany**, the **AfD**, investigated by intelligence services and carrying the weight of historical legacy, has achieved a result that leaves all of Europe on edge.

## Exhaustion, Not Ideology, Drives the Vote

The rise of the **AfD** in Germany, and similar formations across Europe, is not a matter of the world suddenly becoming 'fascist.' It is a clear sign that a growing segment of citizens feels abandoned and distrusts traditional formulas.

Calling them ultras or fascists does not address the underlying problem. The key question is whether parties are fulfilling their promises regarding the welfare state: housing, cost of living, education, employment, and future expectations. Are people living better, or at least as they were promised?

This does not justify the proposals of parties capitalizing on discontent, especially when there are links to destabilizing factors like **Russia**. But it does demand self-criticism. Why has this shift even absorbed the socialist voter?

According to recent data, voting intention for **Vox** among those who supported **Pedro Sánchez** in **2023** has skyrocketed.

Have they become fascists? Or were they already there? Or have they been 'fascistified'? You can keep frightening people with anachronistic proclamations and labels, but people are no longer scared by being called ultra or fascist.

What scares them is not being able to afford housing, seeing prices rise while their salary is stagnant, watching public transport deteriorate despite taxes, or seeing public money serve private and corrupt interests.