The Movement (right-wing populist group)

Last updated
The Movement
Formation2017 (registration), 2019 (relaunch)
Founder Steve Bannon
Type Nonprofit organization
Location
Region
Europe
Leader Steve Bannon
Key people

The Movement is a Brussels-based right-wing populist organization founded by Steve Bannon of the United States to promote right-wing populist and economic nationalist groups in Europe that are opposed to the European Union governments and political structures of Europe. [3] [4] The organization was expected to hire 10 full-time staff in Brussels before the 2019 European Parliament election. [5] [6] In January 2017, Mischaël Modrikamen, leader of the People's Party in Belgium, officially registered the group. [7] [8]

Contents

Background

Bannon initially discussed his plans for the organization with The Daily Beast , saying he wanted to create a populist "supergroup" bloc that could win up to a third of all 700+ Members of the European Parliament seats. He said he thought of the idea when he was invited to speak at an event hosted by Marine Le Pen. [9] Bannon also believes that Sweden's 2018 elections created the perfect timing to launch The Movement. [10]

The Movement stands as a counterpoint to George Soros' Open Society Foundations. Bannon has referred to Soros as "evil but brilliant", and expressed a desire to promote nationalism instead of globalism. [9]

Interest and support

In July 2018, Bannon and other staff of Donald Trump met with Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska, Željka Cvijanović, in Washington, D.C., attempting to expand influence in the Balkans. [11] [12]

The Movement has attracted the attention of Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, who spoke positively of the group. [13] In September 2018, then Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Salvini, joined Bannon's new Eurosceptic network. [14] The UK Independence Party also stated they would work with the group. [15]

Since then, The Movement has also attracted the attention of Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, an Eurosceptic opposition party in the Netherlands. Wilders said he arranged to meet Bannon in the Netherlands to discuss the group. [10] Another such contact is Thierry Baudet, leader of another Eurosceptic opposition party in the Netherlands Forum for Democracy.[ citation needed ]

Their first meeting in July 2018 was organized and attended by Nigel Farage. [16] In September 2018, it was reported that France's National Rally party (formerly National Front), led by Marine Le Pen, would be joining The Movement. [17]

In September 2018, Luigi Di Maio, then leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S), met with Bannon and spoke positively of The Movement, although he remained ambivalent on whether he would join. [18] On 6 September 2019, the M5S formed a pro-European, centre-left government with the Democratic Party, significantly reducing the chances of its joining The Movement.[ citation needed ]

After launching The Movement, Mischaël Modrikamen promised a January 2019 summit with 20 to 30 groups involved. It did not happen and as of March 2019 there were only three official members, two from Italy: the Brothers of Italy and the coalition party League, and Modrikamen's People's Party in Belgium. [19] [20] This lack of enthusiasm was possibly due to the perceived outside influence of Bannon, or to disagreements over views between the various groups. [21]

In February 2019, it was reported that Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of Jair Bolsonaro, the then President of Brazil, would be its representative in South America. [22] [23]

In Belgium, the People's Party was dissolved on 18 June 2019, thus ending its affiliation to The Movement. [24]

Criticism

Despite gains made by the group, the co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alexander Gauland, rejected The Movement as an American conception and criticized its projections. He stated that "Mr Bannon will not succeed in forging an alliance of the like-minded for the European elections", citing what he believes to be their diverging viewpoints. [25] The next day, the Freedom Party of Austria's secretary general Harald Vilimsky stated his party, like Gauland's, is also unwilling to cooperate with Bannon, reiterating the party's independence and rejecting American influence in the populist movements of Europe. [26]

In September 2018, UKIP leader Gerard Batten stated that his party has no intentions of joining The Movement, saying UKIP "doesn't fit" into what Bannon proposes across Europe, and the party will instead pursue aims "for the British people". [27] In October 2018, Marine Le Pen, president of National Rally (RN), downplayed Bannon's plans for The Movement, saying that only Europeans would be "the political force behind the EU elections ... to save Europe." [28]

Speaking to the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna in September 2017, Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Karol Karski said that this was not an offer for his party. Karski states that PiS would never support European parties working with Russia, such as AfD or RN. According to Karski, Bannon's offer is "for those who want to smash the EU." [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euroscepticism</span> Body of criticism of the European Union

Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek reform, to those who oppose EU membership and see the EU as unreformable. The opposite of Euroscepticism is known as pro-Europeanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK Independence Party</span> British political party

The UK Independence Party is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of parliament and was the largest party representing the UK in the European Parliament. The party is currently led by Nick Tenconi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fidesz</span> Political party in Hungary

Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Hungary led by Viktor Orbán. It has increasingly identified as illiberal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independence/Democracy</span> Former Eurosceptic political group of the European Parliament

Independence/Democracy (IND/DEM) was a Eurosceptic political group that operated in the European Parliament between 2004 and 2009. At its height in 2004, it had 37 MEPs and it only existed during the European Parliament's 6th term. It was affiliated with the Eurosceptic Europeans United for Democracy party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matteo Salvini</span> Italian politician (born 1973)

Matteo Salvini is an Italian politician who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been Federal Secretary of Italy's Lega party since December 2013 and an Italian senator since March 2018. Salvini represented Northwestern Italy in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2018.

Movement for Changes is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in Montenegro. Its current leader is Nebojša Medojević, the party's founder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Right-wing populism</span> Political ideology

Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establishment, and speaking to or for the common people. Recurring themes of right-wing populists include neo-nationalism, social conservatism, economic nationalism, and fiscal conservatism. Frequently, they aim to defend a national culture, identity, and economy against attacks by outsiders. Right-wing populism has associations with authoritarianism, while some far-right populists draw comparisons to fascism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Conservatives and Reformists Group</span> Right-wing political group of the European Parliament

The European Conservatives and Reformists Group is a soft Eurosceptic, anti-federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party European political party, but also includes MEPs from other European parties and MEPs without European party affiliation.

Neo-nationalism, or new nationalism, is an ideology and political movement built on the basic characteristics of classical nationalism. It developed to its final form by applying elements with reactionary character generated as a reaction to the political, economic and socio-cultural changes that came with globalization during the second wave of globalization in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Party (Belgium)</span> Political party in Belgium

The People's Party, abbreviated to PP, was a political party in Belgium. Primarily a French-speaking party, it considered itself to be to the right of the Reformist Movement, the main centre-right party in Francophone Belgium. It was often considered as a right-wing populist party. From 2016 onwards, it was considered as far-right by the Centre de recherche et d'information socio-politiques.

The European Alliance for Freedom (EAF) was a right-wing and Eurosceptic European political party founded 2010 and recognised by the European Parliament in 2011. In 2016, it did not seek registration as a European party with the new Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations and was dissolved.

Le Peuple was a socialist daily newspaper published in Brussels, Belgium. Publication started on 13 December 1885 and ended in March 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy</span> Former Eurosceptic political group of the European Parliament

Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy was a Eurosceptic and populist political group in the European Parliament. The EFDD group was a continuation for the Eighth European Parliament of the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group that existed during the Seventh European Parliament, with significant changes to group membership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriots.eu</span> Right-wing to far-right European political party

Patriots.eu, formerly known as the Identity and Democracy Party and the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom (MENF), is a nationalist, right-wing populist and Eurosceptic European political party founded in 2014. Its Members of the European Parliament sat in the Europe of Nations and Freedom group from 2015 to 2019, then in the Identity and Democracy group between 2019 and 2024; following the 2024 European Parliament election, most of its MEPs sit within the Patriots for Europe group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europe of Nations and Freedom</span> Former far-right political group of the European Parliament

Europe of Nations and Freedom was a far-right political group that operated in the European Parliament between 2015 and 2019. It was composed of 37 MEPs and only existed during the European Parliament's 8th term. Most of its MPs were members of the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom political party.

In political science, the terms radical right, reactionary right and populist right have been used to refer to the range of nationalist, right-wing and far-right political parties that have grown in support in Europe since the late 1970s. Populist right groups have shared a number of causes, which typically include opposition to globalisation and immigration, criticism of multiculturalism, and opposition to the European Union, with some opposing liberal democracy or rejecting democracy altogether in favor of "Illiberal democracy" or outright authoritarian dictatorship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Zanni</span> Italian politician (born 1986)

Marco Zanni is an Italian politician who has presided over the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament since 2019. He has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2014, first elected as a member of the Five Star Movement, then reelected for the League in 2019.

Populism has been a significant driver behind European politics for centuries, with a number of radical movements across the political spectrum relying on widespread working-class support for power.

Identity and Democracy was a far-right political group of the European Parliament, launched on 13 June 2019 for the Ninth European Parliament term. It comprised far right, right-wing populist, Eurosceptic and nationalist national parties from six European states. It was the successor to the Europe of Nations and Freedom group formed during the eighth term and almost all of its members merged into the Patriots for Europe group formed during the tenth term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laure Ferrari</span> French politician

Laure Ferrari is a French politician who has worked for several right-wing political organisations and parties, including the French nationalist party Debout la France.

References

  1. ↑ Hines, Nico (July 20, 2018). "Inside Bannon's Plan to Hijack Europe for the Far-Right". Daily Beast. Retrieved July 25, 2018. Bannon plans to spend 50 percent of his time in Europe—mostly in the field rather than the Brussels office—once the midterm elections in the U.S. are over in November.
  2. ↑ Horowitz, Jason (7 September 2018). "Steve Bannon's 'Movement' Enlists Italy's Most Powerful Politician". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "How Steve Bannon is evangelising Trump-style politics across Europe" . The Independent. The Washington Post. 27 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18.
  4. ↑ "Bannon vows to set up 'war rooms' to boost anti-EU radical right". France 24. 23 September 2018.
  5. ↑ Stubley, Peter (22 July 2018). "Steve Bannon to set up 'The Movement' foundation to boost far-right across Europe" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  6. ↑ Goodfellow, Maya (10 August 2018). "How worried should we be about Steve Bannon's 'Movement'?". Aljazeera . Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Macdonald, Alastair (25 July 2018). "Bannon's EU project eyes government allies". Reuters. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  8. ↑ Macdonald, Alastair (24 July 2018). "Belgian lawyer launches Trump-inspired anti-EU movement". Reuters. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Steve Bannon plans Brussels-based foundation 'The Movement' for EU far-right". Deutsche Welle. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  10. 1 2 Bendeich, Mark; Balmer, Crispian (11 September 2018). "Steve Bannon hopes to unite Europe's populists under 'The Movement'". The Christian Science Monitor . Reuters. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  11. ↑ Varagur, Krithika (7 September 2018). "Why Bannon Is Meddling With Bosnia". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  12. ↑ Krauthamer, Ky (7 September 2018). "Ex-Trump Staffers Court Bosnian Serbs". Transitions Online. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "Viktor Orbán Welcomes Steve Bannon's Efforts on Behalf of the European Far Right". Hungarian Spectrum . 30 July 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  14. ↑ Tondo, Lorenzo (8 September 2018). "Italy's Matteo Salvini joins Bannon's European populist group". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  15. ↑ Stone, Jon (29 July 2018). "Ukip to team up in 'unholy alliance' with Steve Bannon's new far right European movement" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  16. ↑ "Can Steve Bannon influence EU elections?". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  17. ↑ "Marine Le Pen's far-right party to join Bannon populist project" . Financial Times. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  18. ↑ Borelli, Silvia (23 September 2018). "Steve Bannon: Italian experiment 'will change global politics'". Politico . Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  19. ↑ Tondo, Lorenzo (8 September 2018). "Italy's Matteo Salvini joins Bannon's European populist group". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  20. ↑ Jo Coburn (presenter), Greg Dawson (reporter) and Mischaël Modrikamen (guest) (8 March 2019). Item on populism in Europe (Television). Politics Live. BBC Two . Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  21. ↑ Lewis, Paul (21 November 2018). "Steve Bannon: I want to drive a stake through the Brussels vampire". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  22. ↑ Zuidijk, Daniel (2 February 2019). "Jair Bolsonaro's Son Joins Steve Bannon's Nationalist Alliance". Bloomberg. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  23. ↑ "Son of Brazil President Bolsonaro joins Steve Bannon group". France24. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  24. ↑ M.R. (19 June 2019). "Modrikamen l'a annoncé: le PP, c'est terminé". La Libre (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  25. ↑ "German far Right rebuffs Steve Bannon's effort to forge Europe-wide populist movement". The Telegraph . Agence France-Presse. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  26. ↑ "Austria's far-right unwilling to collaborate with Bannon". The Times of Israel . Agence France-Presse. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  27. ↑ James, William (21 September 2018). "UKIP will not join Steve Bannon's anti-EU movement, says leader". Reuters . Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  28. ↑ Giuffreda, Angela (8 October 2018). "Marine Le Pen: Steve Bannon has no part to play in 'saving Europe'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  29. ↑ Siemiński, Piotr (27 September 2017). "PiS will nicht an Zerschlagung der EU teilnehmen" [PiS does not want to participate in smashing the EU] (in German). Polskie Radio . Retrieved 2 February 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.