oxymoron wrote:Why are far-right groups so popular in Europe?
Extremist groups tend to do well in the wake of economic crisis. The world is still hot on the heels of the Great Recession, and many nations have not recovered or fared worse than others. When such events happen, people look to blame whatever they can: immigration, economic policy, government, etc. They're easy targets, and fringe groups can easily build off this emotional outburst to garner new membership.
It's also worth it to keep in mind that the last true totalitarian power in Europe was left-wing, the USSR, which may bias people against that end of the spectrum.