Anders Vistisen, the face of the far-right Identity and Democracy’s European elections campaign, has boldly declared that there is “no more political divide” between the European Parliament’s two most right-wing factions than there is within other mainstream political groups. In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Vistisen expressed his confidence that the Identity and Democracy (ID) party, which includes Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National, Italy’s Lega, and Germany’s AfD, will unite with the nationalist European Reformists and Conservatives (ECR) to form a united bloc in the upcoming legislature.
Vistisen dismissed the notion of significant political differences between ID and ECR, pointing out that the rift is more about personalities than ideology. He emphasized that the divisions within the far-right ECR group are more pronounced, particularly regarding their stance on Ukraine.
However, Vistisen’s optimism was overshadowed by a crisis within his own party, as Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National announced they would no longer sit with AfD in the European Parliament due to controversial Nazi comments made by AfD’s lead candidate Maximilian Krah. Vistisen took to social media to distance himself from AfD, stating that if the party does not remove Krah, they must leave the ID group.
The latest controversy surrounding AfD involves allegations of connections to neo-Nazi groups and foreign interference within the European Parliament. Vistisen expressed concern about outside influence and pledged to take action if investigations find any wrongdoing.
Furthermore, Vistisen criticized the EU for its lack of support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion, stating that Europe has not provided adequate military aid to Kyiv. Despite the EU committing more military support than the UK, Vistisen rejected the idea of fast-tracking Ukraine’s accession to the EU, citing concerns about the country’s track record on various benchmarks.