World Immigration News

Look to Italy to see how the dangerous idea of ‘remigration’ is taking root in Europe

Release Date: 2026-02-26
Media: The Guardian
Summary: French far-right politician Éric Zemmour, in a meeting with British extremist Tommy Robinson, argued that “politics needs to defeat demographics,” warning that Europe has only “10 to 20 years” to prevent its disappearance due to rising Muslim populations. Their proposed solution is “remigration” — a policy advocating mass deportations aimed at reducing minority, especially Muslim, populations.

Originally promoted by Zemmour during France’s 2022 presidential election through a proposed “ministry of remigration,” the concept targets undocumented migrants and dual-national criminals but often blurs distinctions between criminals and non-criminals, recent arrivals and long-settled citizens. Though once confined to fringe circles, remigration has gained broader traction amid the far right’s electoral advances across Europe.

In Germany, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), currently leading national polls, embraced remigration before softening its language after court rulings deemed it unconstitutional to discriminate against citizens. In Italy, Matteo Salvini’s League became the first governing EU party to openly support remigration. Former general Roberto Vannacci has further radicalised the debate by founding a new party centered on the slogan.

Even where governing right-wing parties adopt more moderate rhetoric, their policies often align with tougher migration controls: resisting birthright citizenship, increasing deportations, limiting migrants’ rights, and promoting offshore processing. Across Europe, migrants’ legal status has become more conditional, and integration rhetoric has weakened.

The article concludes that the normalization of remigration discourse signals the growing influence of the far right. Even if internal tensions exist within conservative parties, the broader political shift away from integration and toward exclusion suggests that extreme ideas are increasingly shaping Europe’s political landscape.
Tags: Italy

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