Christmas As Culture War: How Europe’s Far Right Turned Faith, Lights And Carols Into Politics

Christmas, a season meant for joy, faith, and family, is increasingly being pulled into Europe’s political battles. Across the continent, far-right parties are turning the festival into a symbol of a broader culture war, claiming that Europe’s Christian identity is under threat from secularism, immigration, and “wokeness.” This narrative echoes the long-running “War on Christmas” rhetoric popularised in the United States, often amplified by Fox News and embraced by former President Donald Trump, who once claimed to have “brought back” the phrase Merry Christmas. European leaders are now using the same playbook. In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made Christmas central to her political identity, defending nativity scenes and warning against altering traditions. Her party, Brothers of Italy, even hosts large Christmas-themed political events. Similar campaigns are seen in France under Marine Le Pen and her party National Rally, in Spain with Vox, and in Germany where the Alternative for Germany claims Christmas markets are losing their national character.