How Spain’s Growing Far Right Got Support From A Radical Iranian Dissident Group
By Julian HaydaHow Spain’s Growing Far Right Got Support From A Radical Iranian Dissident Group
By Julian HaydaAs in much of the world in recent years, a far-right political party is gaining traction in Spain. Named Vox, the party launched its 2019 election campaign this month. Vox has faced repeated criticism for racist, sexist and homophobic policy positions. Members’ statements about Islam have been particularly inflammatory, as when Javier Ortega Smith, the party’s number two official, said publicly, “Our common enemy, the enemy of Europe, the enemy of progress, the enemy of democracy, the enemy of family, the enemy of life, the enemy of the future is called the Islamist invasion.” The reality is more complicated than right-wing Islamophobia, however. Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an exiled Iranian group, are significant donors to Vox. According to the U.S. government, the NCRI is an alias of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), an organization considered an exiled opposition to the current government of Iran. Joining Worldview to help us understand the many layers of Vox is Sohail Jannessari, whose article in Foreign Policy was titled “Spain’s Vox Party Hates Muslims—Except the Ones Who Fund It.” Jannessari is a doctoral candidate in political science at Barcelona’s Pompeu Fabra University and a contributor to BBC Persian TV and other Persian-language media.