SECURITIZATION OF MIGRATION AND THE RISING INFLUENCE OF POPULIST RADICAL RIGHT PARTIES IN EUROPEAN POLITICS

Abstract

This article addresses the role of securitization of migration as the main binding factor for the populist radical right parties after the so-called ‘migration crisis’ and their increasing influence in the 2019 European Parliament elections. Firstly the formation of new security threats after the end of the Cold War is analysed. Secondly, the role of populist radical right parties in securitization of migration and their rising influence in European politics are discussed. This claim is supported by a comparative analysis of three populist radical right parties: National Rally (NR), the League, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) by focusing on the rhetoric used by their leaders, their electoral campaigns and performance in the last European elections in 2019.