State and Civil Society Responses to the Radical Right

Responding to political radicalism has been a salient issue in European politics. Right-wing radicalism in particular has been the object of renewed interest in the political agenda of some countries whereas others have maintained their traditional responses (sporadic bans, monitoring of radical activists). In this regard, research in political science has shown growing interest in understanding how states organise themselves to deliver responses to the radical right, which includes right-wing political parties but also social movements and informal groups.

This paper gives insight about the process of decision making against the radical right: which historical and legal legacies influence the current formulation of responses against the radical right? This paper will draw its conclusions from the French and German examples. First, there have been two different expressions of the radical right in both countries: whereas a hegemon party has dominated the French radical right, the German case has traditionally been scattered in a myriad of right-wing groups and parties. Secondly, the legal arsenal ruling the repression and the prevention of the radical right has historically been different in France and Germany.

Political and administrative actors have strongly influenced the arsenal of measures currently used against the radical right. The German system still relies on an anti-extremist frame. In contrast, French legislation against the radical right has been fed by three different traditions: a limited anti-fascist frame, the maintenance of public order, and an anti-racist frame.