Close ever, distant never? Integrating protest event and social network approaches into the transformation of the Hungarian far right

In this article, we extend our understanding of fringe politics to include relational and thematic elements, namely, therelationship of far-right collective actors with their broader network and the claims made within it. Locating our analysis atthe intersection of protest event and social network analysis, we focus on the far-right Movement for a Better Hungary(Jobbik) which, since late 2013, has committed to moderation. Analysing the protest events in which Jobbik took part andthe types of claims upon which it has mobilized between2009 and 2017, we examine whether there has been acorresponding distancing from extremist groups and radical claims – a finding that would indeed validate thesubstantive transformation of Jobbik. By focusing on often neglected relational and thematic aspects, the studyprovides new ways to analyse fringe collective actors, the relationship with their environment and the evolution ofsuch a relationship over time