Nationalist and populist movements are surging across the region, most notably in France, where the National Front — a party once linked to former Nazi collaborators — has become the nation's third-largest political force. Yet now it appears that the far right sees an opening in the new atmosphere of angst that could help bolster its long-standing critiques of Islam and calls for tighter security and immigration caps.

The terrorist violence is also fueling fears of a backlash against Muslims, particularly among France's community of 5 million, the largest in Europe. Muslim leaders say the days after last week's shootings have produced 54 "anti-Muslim attacks" – an unprecedented number that includes the beating of a Muslim boy after a moment of silence for last week's victims as well as multiple arson attacks on mosques.

"I'm very scared of what the National Front is going to try to do," said Sarah Belhaddad, a 17-year-old French Muslim student in Paris.