Numerous far-right European leaders, including Viktor Orbán and Marine Le Pen, gathered in Madrid on Saturday to advocate for a “180-degree turn” in the European Union, following the Trump-inspired wave.
Under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again,” a nod to former US President Donald Trump’s campaign, the leaders of the “Patriots for Europe” parliamentary group met at a hotel near Madrid airport.
The summit, organised by the Spanish far-right party Vox, featured speeches from Hungary’s Prime Minister, the leader of France’s National Rally (RN), Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini (The League), former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO), and Dutch politician Geert Wilders, whose Freedom Party won the November legislative elections.
Germany’s AfD and Italy’s Brothers of Italy, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, are not attending as they belong to different European parliamentary groups.
According to Vox, the gathering attracted around 2,000 attendees. The event followed a dinner meeting between the “Patriots for Europe” leaders and Kevin Roberts, president of the US ultraconservative think tank The Heritage Foundation.
In a joint statement, the parliamentary members declared, “The era of the Brussels elite is over,” condemning the European Commission for “climate fanaticism,” “illegal immigration,” and “overregulation.” They called for a “180-degree turn.”
Amid repeated fiery proclamations over recent weeks, Viktor Orbán, considered one of Donald Trump’s closest allies in Europe, asserted that the far-right is now “the new mainstream” in Europe, rallying members with the cry, “It’s our turn to take Brussels!”
Donald Trump, since returning to the political scene, has escalated his critiques of Europe, including tariff threats and suggestions of annexing Greenland, a Danish territory. These actions have caused discomfort among EU nationalist parties.
In Madrid, Marine Le Pen aims to balance her stance with that of Donald Trump, according to her team. Le Pen’s close associates have criticised the summit’s slogan, “Make Europe Great Again,” as “grotesque.”
