Tendencies in Europe

In recent years mutual conflicts and violent clashes between rightwing and leftwing extremists have become an ever-increasing problem in Europe. Examples of these are the annual rightwing extremists' Salem march in Sweden, marking of the anniversary of the bombing of Dresden in Germany and the European Social Forum held in different countries, which are accompanied by violent demonstrations.

Violent demonstrations accompanied also the G8 summit in Heilingendamm, Germany, in 2007 with 30 000 anti-globalisation demonstrators participating in the protests within one week and the NATO Summit in Strasbourg-Kehl in 2009 where approximately 25 000 leftwing demonstrators protested against the event.

The aim of leftwing and rightwing extremists is often to seek or provoke mutual conflicts, not so much to defend or disseminate their ideas. The situation where leftists attempt to hinder the demonstrations of rightists have become commonplace and vice versa. In most instances these events are marked by violence so that law enforcement agencies are forced to use extensive resources to protect the life and health of people and maintain public order.

More active adherents of rightwing extremist context are generally interested in being engaged in politics to use it as a channel for better advocating their views and executing ideas. In some European countries rightwing extremist parties are also represented in national parliaments and in the elected bodies of local governments. The basis of their some degree of success is populist message and offering of the so-called simple solutions in election campaigns. In most cases the message is anti-immigrant and anti-Islam as well as eurosceptic. Rightwing extremists of several European countries are also represented in the European Parliament.