Europe’s Femonationalism: Far Right’s Xenophobia disguised as Freedom | Global

Cologne, Germany was the setting for a disturbing event on New Year’s Eve in 2015. Dozens of women were sexually assaulted, robbed, and intimidated by a group of men of Arab and North African descent. This incident, involving refugees who entered the country under Angela Merkel’s open-door policy, sparked outrage and led to stricter asylum rules. Extreme right-wing parties capitalized on this to fuel their anti-immigrant agendas, blaming immigrants for the sexism and violence against women in Europe.

Fast forward a decade, and the ramifications are still felt in European politics. The rise of extremism has led to a phenomenon known as femonationalism, where right-wing parties exploit feminism to advance their xenophobic policies across countries like France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. This strategic manipulation of feminist ideals to promote anti-immigrant sentiments has been on the rise, with parties like Vox in Spain and Alternative for Germany in Germany pushing their agendas under the guise of defending women’s rights.

The far-right’s instrumental approach to feminism has been criticized, with figures like Marine Le Pen from National Rally in France adopting feminist rhetoric while promoting exclusionary practices against Muslim women. Despite efforts to portray a clean image with female leaders like Giorgia Meloni from Brothers of Italy and Alice Weidel from AfD, their policies remain staunchly conservative and exclusionary.

A female face

The far-right’s image makeover often includes putting women at the forefront, such as Le Pen, Meloni, and Weidel. However, this positioning does not soften their policies, as seen in the case of Alice Weidel’s AfD in Germany, which still grapples with its Nazi past. While the far-right’s appeal to women may vary, the underlying anti-immigrant sentiments remain a central theme in their agendas.

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