European radical right vote share quadrupled from 1985 to 2006

Evidence

The rise of radical right parties in Europe has gone hand in hand with the migration and immigration of Muslims in the postwar era. Particularly since the 1980s, the presence and visibility of Muslims and Islam have increased dramatically, which has contributed to some of the changing political fortunes of radical right parties. One study indicates that the radical right more than quadrupled its support in two decades. They moved from an average of 2 percent of the popular vote in 1985 to 8.5 percent of the vote by 2006. In the past fifteen years, they have constituted the second- or third-largest party in the parliaments of the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark. In Switzerland, the Swiss People’s Party, a radical right party, has the largest representation in parliament. In other countries, including Belgium, Germany, France, and Austria, radical right parties have had a strong presence in both local and national politics. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 454

Categorization

• XREF: This maps onto the reader’s question about how Muslim visibility tracks political fortunes; connects to the ‘people vs. religion’ distinction the reader seeks. — connects to: Anti-Muslim parties now hold significant political weight across European parliaments — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 532

Broader Connections

• Anti-Muslim parties now hold significant political weight across European parliaments #expands (0.50) — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 532