Around forty MEPs from the S&D, Greens/EFA, ALDE and GUE/NGL groups in the European Parliament sent a letter on Thursday 28 March to the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, asking him to urgently investigate any financial links between US Christian right fundamentalists and the far right in Europe before the European elections take place in May.
It was an investigation by the independent American association, openDemocracy that raised the alarm. It revealed that groups of US Christian right fundamentalists such as the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the American Center for Law and Justice have injected millions of dollars in finance to support ultra-conservative campaigns in Europe.
Many of these groups have clear links with the Trump administration, the American Tea Party movement and Russian oligarchs, emphasise the organisation.
In arriving at this conclusion, openDemocracy reviewed 990 annual financial reports published by the principal US Christian right-wing groups over the past decade and found that 12 of them reported spending funds in Europe, which is $50 million since 2008.
These financial flows have greatly contributed to the spread of their “traditional values” message throughout the EU. According to the organisation, these groups have reportedly financed campaigns and legal actions arguing against anti-discrimination laws and hate speech before the European Court of Human Rights, sent large teams of lobbyists to Brussels, supported campaigns against LGBTI rights in the Czech Republic and Romania, and financed a network of anti-abortion campaigns in Italy and Spain.
As clear evidence of the growing links between some of these US conservative groups and the extreme European right, the organisation puts the spotlight on The World Congress of Families summit to be held in Verona this weekend. Several far-right politicians from the continent are expected to attend, including Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
Just the tip of the iceberg
“With the European elections just weeks away, the fact that US ‘fundamentalist’ groups have poured $50 million of dark money into hardline conservative campaigns – boosting the far-right – should be alarming enough. But this is likely just the tip of the iceberg,” said Mary Fitzgerald, editor-in-chief of openDemocracy. According to her, numerous flaws have prevented the full extent of the flows of funds from being discovered.
And that is what worries the MEPs who signed the letter, and who are asking the Commission to take action and protect European democracy from these “harmful external influences”.
“This investigation by openDemocracy is extremely timely and shines a light on a major challenge facing democracy in Europe”, said Alyn Smith (Greens/EFA, Scotland), who coordinated the mobilisation of MEPs. The letter can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2UhfsMf. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)