The “refugee crisis” and the transformation of the far right and the political mainstream: the extreme case of the Czech Republic

Abstract

The effects of the so-called “refugee crisis” seem to be particularly pronounced in Central and Eastern Europe. However, its impact has rarely been systematically analyzed in this particular region. I argue that the “crisis” has radically increased the salience of immigration and, related, Islamophobia in the region. This, in turn, has led to (1) the radicalisation of the mainstream, even in cases where it was not previously radicalised, and (2) the transformation of far-right parties, thus creating a “renewed” far right in terms of issues. These arguments are evaluated on the extreme case of the Czech Republic.