Paris: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday urged Europe to confront the rise of the far right following the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's electoral victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

According to Anadolu Agency, Barrot took to US social media company X to express his concerns, describing the result as an 'overwhelming electoral victory' for a 'neo-Nazi, anti-European and pro-Putin far right.' He emphasized that the outcome illustrates a political wave that has been gaining momentum across Europe for two decades.

Barrot accused the AfD of betraying the European spirit, highlighting their actions such as 'historical revisionism, placing foreigners in camps, the glorification of xenophobia even in school curricula, and bringing the media to heel.' He stressed the importance of resisting the normalization of far-right ideas, warning that such ideologies have historically led Europe 'to ruin and dishonor.'

The minister called for political leaders to recognize the underlying despair driving support for far-right ideas and parties, citing social decline, injustice, and a sense of dispossession as contributing factors. He warned that without addressing this 'cry of anger,' the situation could deteriorate further.

Barrot also mentioned the start of what he termed a major democratic debate in France, urging those who oppose 'the poison of extremism' to urgently respond to public anger. The far-right AfD secured around 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, more than doubling its support from the previous state election in 2021 and significantly surpassing Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union, which garnered about 17%.