Right-wing terrorism and violence in Western Europe after 1990: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Why have some West European countries experienced considerably more right-wing terrorism and violence (RTV) than others have over the past 25 years? What combinations of conditions favour or discourage RTV in Western Europe? Using new and unique RTV data in a fuzzy set (fs) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) research design, this paper addresses these questions by exploring the relationships between the extent of RTV in all West European countries and six macro conditions commonly assumed to stimulate RTV: (1) authoritarian legacies, (2) ethnic diversity (or diversification), (3) widespread anti-immigrant sentiment, (4) absence of radical right influence, (5) youth stagnation, and (6) low social cohesion. The analysis shows that few if any combination of these six conditions offers any consistent explanation of RTV across Western Europe. It does however identify two so-called “outcome enabling contexts” (QCA terminology) from which RTV is more likely to emerge: First, the combination of having an authoritarian legacy, growing ethnic diversity, and low social cohesion. Second, the combination of growing ethnic diversity, absence of radical right influence, and surprisingly, low scores on anti-immigrant sentiments. The latter context is theorized to reflect a situation in which concerns over growing ethnic diversity are generally associated with racism and extremism, thus leaving little room for radical right opinions and actors in the public arena, and pushing the most ardent and frustrated activists towards more extreme positions and measures, including violence and terrorism.