Wednesday, December 5, 2018 - 11:30 Leo Olivero

On Sunday Spain, unsurprisingly, became the latest European nation to make a far-right surge joining the extreme right wing political movements sweeping through Europe over the past few years.

The wave of right-wing resurgence that has flooded Europe following the refugee crisis has particularly affected this part of Spain with at least two refugee camps only a short drive away from Gibraltar. This obviously influenced many Spanish voters giving way for the upstart of the Spanish ‘VOX anti-immigrant party who have now entered the Andalucía parliament and will try to make its mark, if they are allowed to.

Though the election on Sunday was technically won by the PSOE socialist party, who have governed down this end of Spain for almost 40 years, however it is the success of the right-wing VOX that has grabbed the headlines both in Spain and here in Gibraltar and around the world.

Local Hysteria with Some after Far Right in Spain Gains Seats in Regional Election

Back on the Rock, reading related items and talking with people including a few so-called political commentators I cannot understand for the life of me why the news of a Spanish far-right political party winning a dozen seats in the regional elections has caused so much hysteria and ‘emotional frenzy’ with quite a number of people in Gibraltar.

With Brexit having dominated most of what you read, talk and dream about politics, at least for the last couple of years, especially these last few months. Suddenly overnight, the local political focus with many people has turned to the arrival of far right wing Spanish politics and group who have emerged, with some local ‘expert’ analysts already predicting a disastrous future for Gibraltar. Where have these people been?

What are these people on? Have they not been following European politics and those of Spain in particular? They should have expected the high probability of this right-wing fascist group managing to get its first foothold in Spanish politics with the real probability that it won’t be the last.

For those people who did know or were unaware there is and has been little difference between the previous PP administration and this new one now part of the Spanish political scene, a far right party already described as a political force.