Taboos fall away as far-right EU candidates breach red line

In this photo taken Thursday, April 4, 2019, a candidate for Europe’s legislature Renaud Camus, who coined the term, "the great replacement," sits in his house during an interview with The Associated Press in Plieux, southwestern France. A study obtained by the AP shows a drastic rise in recent years of the phrase "the great replacement,” the concept that European populations are being supplanted by mainly Muslim immigrants as part of a global plot. (AP Photo/Oleg Cetinic)

In this photo taken Thursday, April 4, 2019, a candidate for Europe’s legislature Renaud Camus, who coined the term, "the great replacement," looks out of a window in his house during an interview with The Associated Press in Plieux, southwestern France. A study obtained by the AP shows a drastic rise in recent years of the phrase "the great replacement,” the concept that European populations are being supplanted by mainly Muslim immigrants as part of a global plot. (AP Photo/Oleg Cetinic)

Europe's taboos are falling away.

Virulent language castigating immigration and Islam is creeping from extremist fringe groups on social media and the dark web into politics.

And it's getting new visibility ahead of the May 23-26 European Parliament elections . Far-right populist parties who promote these themes are expected to make significant inroads.

A forthcoming study shared with The Associated Press shows a dramatic rise in recent years of two concepts in particular: One is "the great replacement," which asserts that Muslim immigrants are replacing European populations. The other is "remigration," or returning immigrants to their native lands in what amounts to a soft-style ethnic cleansing.

The terms remain verboten for mainstream politicians on a continent scarred by the Holocaust. But the Frenchman who coined the terms, Renaud Camus, is now himself a candidate for Europe's legislature.