This past Saturday, February 8th, Europe’s far-right came together to applaud Donald Trump at the “Patriots” summit in Madrid which reunited members of a far-right bloc in the European Parliament. The summit was organized by Spain’s Vox party, and those in attendance included Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Italy’s Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini, and the French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, among others. The summit marks the beginning of a frightening intercontinental extremist alliance that could hinder human rights progress, immigration, and climate change regulation across regions.

The summit took place under the banner of “Make Europe Great Again,” a slogan inspired by President Trump’s symbolic campaign slogan. The far-right presented a united front, highlighting the favorable transformation that comes with the new Trump administration, and placing themselves as the heralds of change. “We are the only ones that can talk with the new Trump administration,” Le Pen said. Orbán echoed the sentiment and praised Trump for their newly found influence: “the Trump tornado has changed the world in just a few weeks […] yesterday we were heretics, today we’re mainstream,” he said. The topics discussed at the summit mirrored Trump’s policy agenda, Geert Wilders, a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands seemed to mimic Mr. Trump’s language as he said voters were asking them to “expel illegal aliens and criminals.”

The summit presents a very worrying vision of the future in Europe, especially with the unanimity with which the European Union was disparaged. The far-right leaders blamed the E.U. for the increasing “wokeism” and “progressive” domination over policymaking, especially concerning climate and migration policy. Xenophobia and exclusion dominated these narratives, as calls for a new Reconquista, a reference to the Medieval re-conquest of Muslim-controlled parts of the Iberian Peninsula by Christian kingdoms, were echoed by attendees. Furthermore, when discussing how to “make Europe great again,” most participants discussed uplifting individual nations, regaining their dignity and identity, and making Europe a beacon for Christianity. All of the above discussions could have very tangible consequences in the European political arena, as the wave of extremism materializes throughout the continent. Moreover, if they are followed by policy, they will have dire consequences for immigrants, the environment, and vulnerable groups in the continent.

The summit follows the chronology of increasing extremism over the past few years. Although what many had expected to be a surge of support for far-right parties did not completely materialize in the European Parliament elections last summer, many of these parties have a chance to run for office again in the upcoming elections. Some believe that Donald Trump’s victory foreshadows their own. Furthermore, the discussion of immigration was perfectly in context with the recent deportations from the United States and the crackdown on illegal immigration that is the foundation of Mr. Trump’s policy agenda. With this in mind, radical policy initiatives in the European future are not far-fetched.

Europe has a difficult road ahead, its outcome depends on the strength of antifascism and the handling of diplomatic relations with the United States. Center and leftist parties must band together to prevent the spread of extremist misinformation that has begun to dominate mainstream political narratives. Without this, the European Union could face dissolution, and the path to Mr. Trump’s political agenda would be well paved.