ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that radical right actor mobilization is the price to be paid for democratization, which has fundamentally transformed minority rights in Eastern Europe and has opened the door for group animosity. The transformation of the ways in which group animosity can be mobilized has its roots in three sources: (1) the weakening of the state’s coercive power and the politicization of the police force; (2) domestic pressures from below to acknowledge and expand the rights of minorities; and (3) external pressures from abroad, especially from the European Union and the Council of Europe, to enforce minority rights, such as ethnic minority schooling and gay and lesbian rights. While radical right actors are pushing back against the transformation, it also presents them with opportunities to capitalize on group animosities and hostilities toward minority demands.
