Leaders of far-right parties from the “Patriots for Europe” bloc in the European Parliament gathered in Madrid today to celebrate Donald Trump’s return to power. The event, held under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again,” featured Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, and leaders of France’s National Rally (RN) and the Netherlands’ PVV, Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders.
“Tornado Trump changed the world in just a few weeks… Yesterday, we were heretics; today, we are mainstream,” Orban said to an audience of around 2,000 supporters, most waving Spanish flags.
The speeches were marked by strong criticism of immigration, with most leaders calling for a “new Reconquista,” referring to the medieval Christian reconquest of parts of the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule.
Earlier, former Estonian Finance Minister Martin Helme began the rally after a video message from Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. His speech, which targeted “leftists,” was interrupted by a topless feminist activist from the group Femen, who shouted “No step back against fascism” in Spanish before being removed.
Other topics discussed included frequent far-right targets such as “wokeism,” a term used pejoratively to describe leftist political views on race, gender, and sexuality, as well as non-governmental organizations aiding migrants, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose names were met with loud mockery.
The Patriots bloc, founded after the 2024 European elections, consists of 86 MEPs from 14 countries, representing 19 million votes. Madrid was chosen for their first official summit, with the host being Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s far-right party Vox.
The Spanish Socialist Party, in power, condemned the event as a “far-right rally,” stating, “They will not succeed in making their black-and-white worldview prevail in this country.”
Vox, which has seen steady growth in recent polls, particularly among young men, military, and police, continues to gain traction in Spain.
Despite the Patriots’ goal of uniting European nationalist conservatives, some of the most influential EU parties from this camp, such as Italy’s Brothers of Italy, Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD), and Poland’s Law and Justice Party, have declined to join.
