European People’s Party declines to sign letter condemning far right political violence

Ursula von der Leyen restated her intention not to work with the far right. Photograph: dts News Agency Germany/REX/Shutterstock

A row has broken out among political parties in Europe after the centre right group to which Ursula von der Leyen belongs refused to sign a letter condemning the far right and a spate of recent attacks on politicians in Germany, Belgium, Spain, Sweden and Ireland.

The open letter calls on Von der Leyen to “reject any normalisation, cooperation or alliance with the far right and radical parties” and denounces a physical assault on German centre-left politician Matthias Ecke. Ecke was “seriously injured” after allegedly being attacked by four young men while putting up campaign posters.

The letter has been signed by five of the main political parties in the European parliament including the Socialists & Democrats, Renew representing the liberals, the Greens and The Left.

But the European People’s Party (EPP), the largest group in the parliament, representing conservative-leaning parties throughout Europe, declined.

French MEP Valérie Hayer, head of Renew, said her group, which is backed by Emmanuel Macron, regretted that the EPP had not signed. “This puts their commitment to the common fight against destructive, far right forces into question. We urge the EPP to reconsider and to join this pro-European commitment,” she said.

Tensions over which alliances or grand coalitions the mainstream parties are prepared to form after the European elections in June have been building since a leaders’ debate in April. There, Von der Leyen, who is running for a second term as president of the European Commission, was guarded about closing down alliances with the rightwing ECR group which includes the party of the Italian prime minister, Georgia Meloni, as well as extreme right parties such as Eric Zemmour’s Reconquête in France, Spain’s Vox and the Sweden Democrats.

Although she went on the attack against the far-right Identity and Democracy group, which unites France’s National Rally, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the Danish People’s party, condemning them as “Russian proxies”, her more equivocal position on the ECR drew fire from critics.

The EPP reacted furiously to the letter row, saying the political parties who had signed the letter were playing a “nasty” political game, and that suggestions Von der Leyen would work with the far right was “bullshit” and “fake news”.

She had frequently ruled out working with the far right, it added.

On Wednesday, Von der Leyen restated her intention not to work with the far right. In a speech in Germany she said would only work with parties that had “clear commitment to the rule of law, a clear commitment to Ukraine and against the crimes of the Kremlin and a clear commitment to our Europe.

“With the servants of the Kremlin, despisers of democracy and extremists, there is no state and no European Union either, “ she said.

Sources said that the EPP had baulked at the use of the term “far right” in the letter. It is also understood the EPP had wanted the letter to condemn the “far left” and to add a paragraph restating that the group of parties would only, as the EPP have declared, work with parties that are pro Ukraine, pro Nato and pro rule of law.

The signatories of the letter warned that “once more the far right is attempting to bring back the darkest pages of our history challenging everything we built and poisoning our democracies”.

It went on to “strongly condemn the constantly growing [number of] cases of harassment, vandalism, spread of disinformation, defamation and hate speech by far right parties” across all member states.

The EPP leader in the European parliament, MEP Manfred Weber, said: “Our principles are clear: We only cooperate with parties that are pro-European, pro-Ukrainian and pro-rule of law”.

Attacks on the politicians across Europe on social media are now common place but there is mounting concern over physical assaults and harassment at their private homes.

The motive for the attack on Ecke on Friday remains unclear. None of the teenagers has so far spoken, according to police, who have said they are being investigated for grievous bodily harm. But Nancy Faeser, the federal interior minister, has blamed the far right for stoking a climate of violence with hate-filled rhetoric, including on social media.