Ukip joins forces with Far Right groups across Europe

Seeing the rise of Far Right parties across Europe was frightening enough, however it gets worse. Last month, Ukip’s Leader, Nigel Farage pledged that he would avoid alliances with far-right parties in the European Parliament, however merely weeks later, he has not stuck to his words.

To try and promote his cause further, Farage has joined forces with a number of far-right parties including two MEPs from the Swedish Democrats, to re-form the ‘Europe of Freedom and Democracy group (EFD)’. These two Swedish MEP’s however come from a party with a distorted history. The Swedish Democrats were founded by white supremacists, which included a former member of the Waffen SS. Farage has also been joined by former French National Front MEP Joelle Bergeron, who left the party two days after the election.

Whilst Ukip has said that both Swedish MEP’s have been obliged to write a letter to the Ukip leader distancing themselves from their party's past, it still causes a concern to many on what the group’s motives are, especially after having access to large funds. With members from parties with a blood shedding past, it makes one wonder how far Farage would go in order to gain greater power.

A spokesperson from the EFD has said that the party has changed over time and has acknowledged their mistakes, however with the party having such a strong past, many would wonder why Nigel Farage allowed them to join.

Many have questioned Farage’s motives, with a senior Liberal Democrat saying:

Regardless of your views on Europe, it is hard to see how British MEPs hanging around the European Parliament with the dregs of the far right is going to be of any benefit to British jobs and growth." How does forming an alliance with these right-wing parties help the British People?

Pundits have still questioned how this relationship between the number of groups will last, with many of the parties wanting different things, Ukip wanting to leave the EU, Italy’s Five-Star Movement not wanting to leave the EU, many conflicting interests.

The think tank Open Europe has published figures showing that the new EFD could claim about €3.8m a year to fund the group, a large some of funds that has stirred up a storm. A political analyst from Open Europe said:

With millions of subsidies on offer, the European Parliament's rules create strong incentives for parties to form groups, even when these parties are not natural bedfellows”.

While Farage struggled to form this group with great opposition, he somehow succeeded. With funding and resources at the palm of his hands, the message he wishes to promote across Europe has worried many. What’s to come from Ukip is unknown, but with him not sticking to his own words, some may say, ‘he is clearly filling the shoes of a politician’.

Roshni Vekereya