Everyone talks about the threat of the far-right in Europe. And now the far-left have also gone on the offensive

Illustration from the website of the German Die Linke ("The Left") party (die-linke.de)

As WSJ notes, the traditional political center in Europe is gradually weakening, now forced to confront pressure from two sides at once — from both the right and the left. According to poll data and recent election results, a portion of voters is beginning to move left, allowing radical left parties to regain influence.

Analysts note that the main drivers of the process are rising housing prices, slow economic growth, and a general sense of social injustice.

As WSJ writes, many voters are also irritated by US international policy: American strikes on Iran and support for Israel in the war in Gaza are drawing criticism. All this strengthens anti-American sentiment. Simultaneously, faith in the ability of centrist parties to solve modern fundamental problems is weakening.

The leftward shift is most clearly visible among young voters and in large cities. In some countries, this leads to rising ratings and even election victories for left-wing parties. In others, such as France or Italy, where electoral support for the radical left has remained approximately at the previous level, there is a surge of violence from far-left groups.

Undoubtedly, new right and far-right parties remain a more formidable force, often leading pre-election polls in Europe's largest countries. However, the response from the left has begun to change the alignment of political forces and is forcing even traditional parties to adjust their rhetoric.

Populist Appeal

One example of such a transformation is Great Britain. Here, the Green Party has significantly risen in the polls, effectively transforming into a populist movement. As WSJ writes, the party advocates for the nationalization of utilities, drug legalization, withdrawal from NATO, openness to asylum seekers, and a significant increase in taxes for private homeowners. It also sharply criticizes Israel's military actions in Gaza.

Just a year ago, this party was considered marginal. However, its ratings have now grown substantially. One poll even placed it second, immediately after the anti-immigrant "Reform UK" party led by Nigel Farage. Moreover, the Greens recently achieved a resounding victory in elections in a working-class district in northern England — a constituency that the Labour Party had controlled for almost a hundred years.

Germany is also experiencing a revival of left-wing politics. The party Die Linke ("The Left"), considered the successor to the communist party of the former East Germany, significantly increased its support before last year's parliamentary elections.

Today, as WSJ notes, it receives more than 10% of the votes in most polls. This is slightly less than the center-left SPD and the "Greens," but higher than the result the party achieved in the 2025 elections.

Representatives of Die Linke position themselves as the main obstacle to the growth of the far-right "Alternative for Germany" (Alternative für Deutschland). However, as the party's candidate in Berlin, Elif Eralp, admits, voters are primarily concerned about economic issues. According to her, the main topics are social injustice, the rising cost of living, and especially high rental payments for housing. Eralp is considered one of the favorites for the position of Berlin's first far-left mayor in history.

The party's program includes increasing social benefits, introducing a wealth tax, lowering rental rates, and the possibility of early retirement for some categories of workers.

As Eralp herself notes, she models her election campaign on New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, focusing on personal meetings with voters and "door-to-door" canvassing.

According to recent survey data from the German Institute for Sociological Research and Statistical Analysis Forsa, among voters aged 18 to 29, "The Left" was the most popular party in last year's federal elections and remains so today. In Berlin, the party is tied with the SPD and the "Greens" ahead of regional elections in September.

Павялічыць

Photo: Andreas Arnold / picture alliance via Getty Images

Element of Violence

Along with the growth of electoral support, as WSJ notes, radical left-wing groups outside parliamentary politics are also becoming more active in Europe. In Germany, for example, authorities were forced to develop new measures against left-wing extremist organizations after the arson of electricity networks in Berlin on January 3. This act of sabotage left about 100,000 people and thousands of businesses without electricity and heating for several days in the midst of winter.

The underground left-extremist "Vulcan Group," which has claimed responsibility for acts of sabotage since 2011, stated that it carried out the attack. German special services considered this statement genuine and reported that they had no evidence of Russia's involvement in the arson.

After this, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that the authorities were "arming themselves to fight left-wing extremism." Berlin even announced a reward of 1 million euros for information about the organizers of the attack.

Similar problems are observed in France. In the snap parliamentary elections of 2024, a coalition of left-wing parties unexpectedly took first place. However, since then, the popularity of the country's leading far-left party "La France Insoumise" has begun to fall due to accusations of encouraging violence.

Last month, activists of an anti-fascist group founded by one of the deputies from this party were charged with murder and complicity in murder after the beating death of a 23-year-old right-wing activist.

Centrists Also Look Left

Despite increased activity, as WSJ notes, radical left-wing forces in Europe are currently too fragmented and lack sufficient support to join governments. Nevertheless, their influence is already felt in political discourse.

As Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics at King's College London, notes, British voters, exhausted by two decades of slow welfare growth, are increasingly open to experimenting with new political movements, especially at the local level. However, it is not at all clear whether they will support such forces in nationwide elections.

At the same time, the economic hopelessness on which the far-left builds its support is felt much more widely. After the victory of socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayoral elections in November 2025, some center-left strategists called on their parties to harness this protest potential and toughen their rhetoric.

In Great Britain, Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer is currently focusing on "law and order" policies, trying not to lose the anti-immigrant working-class electorate and to counter the Reform UK party. However, as WSJ notes, a number of his own party's MPs are already urging him to shift policy further to the left.

Similar shifts are occurring in Germany. SPD Chairwoman and Labor Minister Bärbel Bas has begun to use more left-wing rhetoric, advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy and protecting social benefits from budget cuts.

The head of the SPD youth wing, Philipp Türmer, went even further in his assessments. Speaking in November, he called Mamdani's victory "a strong signal against vague centrist gibberish and in favor of democratic socialism."

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