Babiš, Le Pen, the antigypsyist Salvini, Wilders, Orbán and Filip Turek. The flower of the European far-right comes together in the new EP group Patriots for Europe

The group has 84 members from 12 countries and has therefore become the third-largest political group in the EP. “An historical moment! Patriots for Europe has officially become the new right-wing political group in the European Parliament,” Zoltán Kovács, spokesperson for the Government of Hungary, posted to the X social media site.

“With 84 representatives from 12 countries, our alliance of European patriots will fight for the future and the sovereignty of the European people,” Kovács posted to X. The group includes 30 MEPs from the French RN, led by Marine Le Pen; 11 MEPs from Hungary’s Fidesz party, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; eight MEPs from Italy’s Liga, led by Matteo Salvini; six MEPs from the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ); six from Spain’s Vox party; six from the Party for Freedom (PVV) in the Netherlands, led by Geert Wilders; three from the Belgian party Flemish Interest (Vlaams Belang); and two from the Portuguese party Enough! (Chega).

One MEP each from Denmark, Greece and Latvia are also members of Patriots for Europe. According to a press release from the new group, Czech MEPs representing the joint ticket of the Motorists Unite and Oath parties, Nikola Bartůšek and Filip Turek, have also joined.

Together with seven MEPs from the Czech ANO movement of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, there are nine Czechs total in the new European Parliament political group.

Andrej Babiš: The establishment of this group is an enormous success

The chair of the Czech opposition movement ANO, Andrej Babiš, said he considers it an enormous success that 84 MEPs have joined Patriots for Europe. He told journalists in Prague that ANO has joined the group to fulfil its own program.

The movement says it wants to focus on defending the sovereignty of the European Union Member States, to address migration, and to revise the Green Deal for Europe. The first vice-chair of ANO, Karel Havlíček, said the movement sought partners with whom it shares the same opinion on the issue of the EU.

ANO’s opinion of the conflict in Ukraine, including its criticism of Russian aggression, will not change, the ANO vice-chair claimed. He condemned the recent air attack on Ukraine targeting a children’s hospital, among other targets.

Their political competition, on the other hand, sees the Patriots as a continuation of the extreme right Identity and Democracy (ID) group, in which Liga and the RN have been active until now. “The ultra-right has rebranded. But their mission remains the same – to destroy European values,” the liberal group in the EP, Renew Europe – where ANO MEPs were members during the previous parliament – posted to X.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, whose party, Forza Italia, belongs to the European People’s Party, disputed the new group’s claims that its mission is actually to be patriots who care about Europe.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala: Patriots for Europe serves Russian interests

According to Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (Civic Democratic Party – ODS), the new Patriots for Europe group serves the interests of Russia, whether its members are aware of it or not, and is endangering Europe’s freedom and security by doing so. He posted those remarks to the X social media site.

Speaking at a press conference, Babiš objected to those remarks and called Fiala a pathological liar. Fiala’s remarks in full were: “Let’s call things by their real names. Patriots for Europe serves the interests of Russia. Whether consciously or unconsciously. By doing so, they endanger the security and freedom of Europe.”

Babiš responded by saying that ANO, unlike politicians from the current parties in government, has never “concluded any pacts” with the Kremlin. Havlíček said Fiala’s degree of “confusion” had reached a new high.

The ANO chair called Fiala’s statement absurd. “It’s the same old song that even the Prime Minister himself can’t believe,” Babiš said.

The head of the opposition said he believes Fiala seeks Russia’s defeat. “I’d like that also, so he should arrange for it,” Babiš said.

ANO’s priority is “peace” and the fastest possible end to the fighting, the chair said. Havlíček said ANO’s categorical objections to Russia are apparently not enough to satisfy Fiala.

The ANO vice-chair mentioned that Fiala had expressed appreciation for the expulsion of Russian diplomats during the previous government of ANO and the Czech Social Democratic Party (now called SOCDEM). “If he says that and claims at the same time that we are pro-Russian, consciously or unconsciously, then the level of his confusion has reached a new high. He has to realize what he’s saying and what the facts are,” Havlíček said.