- Far-right rhetoric blaming problems on migrants thrives on racism rather than facts, says UN special rapporteur Balakrishnan Rajagopal
- Instead of offering solutions, mainstream parties are acting ‘like they’re the B-team of the far right,’ Rajagopal, special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, tells Anadolu
- ‘The wrong belief that housing is a commodity and not a right is, unfortunately, mainstreamed by leading political parties,’ says expert
ISTANBUL
From Berlin to Athens, Europe is grappling with a worsening housing crisis, with rents up nearly 30% in the past 15 years and many households now spending close to half their income on shelter.
Over the same period, far-right parties have shifted from the political margins to mainstream politics, joining parliaments and coalitions in countries such as Italy and the Netherlands.
Recent research has shown a direct link between rising housing costs and greater support for far-right parties, particularly among low-income residents in cities where rents are climbing fastest.
In an interview with Anadolu, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, called housing “the biggest domestic political issue” in Europe. While the broader cost-of-living crisis alone cannot explain the far-right’s rise, he said it “definitely gives a boost” to its appeal.
This is especially true for those hit hardest. A recent study found that low-income residents in German cities were more likely to support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) if they lived in areas where rents were rising fastest.
‘Blaming economic problems on outsiders’
Far-right leaders have gained popularity by linking housing shortages to migration.
“A migrant a minute has entered the UK for the last two years. That means we need to build a new home every two minutes,” Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s far-right Reform UK party, said during a TV debate last year. Earlier this week, Farage unveiled a plan that includes deporting up to 600,000 people if his party – currently leading opinion polls – comes to power.
In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally argues that French nationals should be prioritized over migrants for social housing. In reality, undocumented migrants cannot access such housing in many European countries, including France.
“They’re not eligible at all because of their legal status and residence and income requirements,” Rajagopal said.
The UN expert emphasized that the success of the far right’s narrative lies less in facts and more in racial anxieties.
“There is a deeper sense of racism that has nothing to do with the cost-of-living crisis. It’s an anxiety. The anxiety that they are going to overtake us in our own country,” Rajagopal said.
“That anxiety is getting exploited by far-right party politicians.”
Failures of mainstream parties
He also tied the rise of the far-right to mainstream parties’ failures to address the housing crisis.
In Germany, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats promised 400,000 new homes annually, a target never met. In the UK, Labour pledged 1.5 million homes over five years, though experts doubt the figure is achievable.
Now increasingly, instead of offering solutions, mainstream parties are mirroring far-right rhetoric.
“Very often, mainstream parties try to pretend to come out like they’re the B-team of the far right,” Rajagopal said. “They often use the same talking points, and they are trying to analyze their problems using the same framework.”
This convergence extends into policymaking. This January, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) pushed through a migration law tightening asylum rules with the support of the AfD.
AfD whip Bernd Baumann hailed it as a “historic moment” and Merz called the measure “necessary to combat crimes committed by asylum seekers,” while critics said it violated both German and EU asylum standards.
Housing as a human right
While racism is complex and difficult to uproot, solving the housing crisis may be more straightforward, Rajagopal said.
He highlighted two central issues: a lack of land and weak legal protections.
“Land is missing, especially in more dense urban areas. Land is not in the hands of housing authorities,” he said.
He also urged European countries to enshrine housing as a constitutional right and to establish dedicated housing ministries.
“In too many European countries, housing is stated as a policy goal of the state, but not as a constitutional right of citizens,” he said. “There is a deficit in terms of institutional frameworks, including the dismantling of ministries of housing.”
Beyond legal reforms, Rajagopal calls for a shift in mentality. Mainstream parties, he argued, have failed by reinforcing the idea of land and housing as mere market assets – paving the way for the far-right to exploit the issue.
“The wrong belief that housing is a commodity and not a right is, unfortunately, mainstreamed by leading political parties,” he said.