Special Issue: Varieties of Populism in Europe in Times of Crises by Manuela Caiani & Paolo Graziano

Author:Manuela Caiani & Paolo Graziano [Caiani, Manuela & Graziano, Paolo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Communism & Socialism, International, International Relations
ISBN: 9781000372052
Google: MUM_zAEACAAJ
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2021-03-25T04:00:00+00:00

(Still) a pure case of ‘exclusionary populism’?

One of the definitions of populism most spontaneously applied to the National Front is probably that of ‘exclusionary populism’ proposed by Mudde and Rovira Kaltwasser (2013). Based on previous work by Mudde (2007) on the social groups most often targeted by populist movements, these authors argue that one of the singularities of populist parties in contemporary Europe could rest on this common and constant tendency to stigmatise certain social groups or individuals considered as dangers or threats to the people. Listing the ‘usual suspects’, they point in particular to the fact that ‘the groups that are to be excluded range from criminal illegal aliens (opposed by all parties) to legal non-citizens (such as guest workers and refugees) to citizens of foreign descent (for example, Muslims) to ethnic minorities (such as Slovene speakers in Austria)’ (Mudde and Rovira Kaltwasser 2013: 166).

In this perspective, the National Front, being probably one of the first parties to highlight the issue of immigration, is logically seen as one of the best examples of this particular form of populism. Thus, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the party’s founder, made this issue of immigrants one of the axes of his speeches and his electoral rise. An analysis of the speeches of the leader of the National Front showed that the word ‘immigration’ was one of the most used with 118 occurrences, more than unemployment (80) or insecurity (35) (Souchard et al. 1997). One of the leaders and ideologues of the party also argued in the 1990s that

the tide of immigration directly […] undermines the great balances of our nation. Civil peace is threatened, full employment is compromised, the school system is disrupted, public and social expenditures are unbalanced and, worse than all, the very identity of our nation is jeopardised. Already, the ‘black-blancbeur’ fashion contaminates our youth and Islam spreads throughout the territory. (Mégret 1997)

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