“I feel like one of the reasons far-right narratives are so successful is that we’re lacking community, especially in big cities like Berlin,” says Anne, who became a member of Die Linke, Germany’s left-wing party, four weeks ago. “I think if we want to keep this whole thing going, we need to be more involved in our communities. And I really want to participate and keep this change going.”

Anne sums up a strategic shift that is taking place across the European left. Left parties across the continent — from the Belgian Workers’ Party (PTB) to the Austrian Communist Party — have realized that they can only survive if they become a part of the communities they’re trying to represent.

Far-right parties have had astonishing success in embedding themselves in working-class communities across Europe. In doing so, they have displaced the left parties that have traditionally dominated these areas — particularly in the big cities.