Far-right parties have capitalised on unrest, exacerbated by the pandemic.
The left must unite efforts and mainstream politicians should stem polarisation to prevent right-wing extremism spilling beyond the voting booth.
Parisa Hashempour is a freelance journalist and International Studies lecturer living in the Netherlands.
This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
In the face of the pandemic, far-right populism is catching on.
While Trump's fall from ungrace across the pond gave onlookers some respite, mistaking the far-right as a flailing entity would be the real mistake. This is particularly salient in the Netherlands, where the electorate is gearing up for mid-March elections.