22.10.2026

The Far Right in the Netherlands: From Breakthrough to Normalisation

DemLab International Webinar with Prof Léonie de Jonge on 22 Oktober at 2 pm local time

DemLab is pleased to announce the first session of this year’s International Webinar Series.

The thematic cycle 2 of our webinar series is titled ‘The Far Right and Democracy’, that brings together leading international scholars to explore one of the most pressing political challenges of our time. Across four sessions, our speakers will examine the rise, normalization, and impact of the far right on contemporary democracies employing case studies, comparative research and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Date: 22 October 2026
Time: 12:00–13:30 (GMT+3, Athens, Greece) / 14–15:30 Uhr (Tübingen, Germany)

The webinar will feature Prof Léonie de Jonge (University of Tübingen), who will present her research entitled ‘The Far Right in the Netherlands: From Breakthrough to Normalisation’.

The presentation will be followed by a brief discussion with Dr Katy Brown, who is Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The event is free and open to the academic community, but you need to register here: https://authgr.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZD36wEgrTOWG7ifTmkPBbg

Abstract
Once regarded internationally as a beacon of liberalism and tolerance, the Netherlands has witnessed the rapid rise and normalisation of far-right politics since the turn of the twenty-first century. Today, the Dutch parliament includes several far-right parties and factions, while far-right mobilisation and protest have also become increasingly visible. This presentation examines the rapid breakthrough, rise, and normalisation of the far right in the Netherlands, tracing how actors and ideas once considered marginal have become an increasingly established part of Dutch political life. It considers the factors behind this transformation and reflects on what the Dutch experience can tell us about the relationship between far-right politics and contemporary democracy.

Speaker
Prof Léonie de Jonge is Professor of Research on Far-Right Extremism at the University of Tübingen. Her research examines the rise and normalisation of the far right, as well as political and societal responses to far-right politics.