How Europe's far right weaponizes protests to push a 'law and order' agenda

European far-right leaders are exploiting recent urban violence to push a "law and order" agenda, framing the unrest as a consequence of failed liberal governance and open-border policies ahead of key elections in Spain, France, and Italy. The riots, which began as peaceful protests over living costs and public services, were overshadowed by violent episodes. In France, Marine Le Pen's National Rally blamed the government's incompetence, linking the chaos to "uncontrolled immigration." Similar narratives emerged in Germany, Portugal, and Belgium, where far-right figures connected the unrest to migration and integration failures. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in power for four years, has instead enacted emergency decrees targeting violent protesters, while also highlighting the migrant background of many arrested. Far-right figures like Eric Zemmour framed the violence as an "ethnic war," a narrative echoed by US leaders Donald Trump and JD Vance.