The European Union in the Right-Wing Populist Discourses: Between "National Identity” and “Fortress Europe"?

The literature considers that right-wing populist parties (RWPP) are opposed to democracy (against its institutions or values). Nevertheless, it seems undeniable to us that RWPP claim, in their speeches, the term “democracy”.
We propose to study its meaning and mobilization. In more detail, we believe that the term “democracy” is mainly used to criticise the European Union (EU). We observe 2 types of criticism: existential and functional. Some parties such as the RN in France are opposed to the EU. It would not be democratic but authoritarian. Only the national framework dominates. On the other hand, other parties such as the FPÖ in Austria and the AfD in Germany don’t want to leave the EU. The criticism is more functional, they want to change it. Democracy is a central value of Europe that should be protected. “Fortress Europe” is thus mobilised to fight against immigration and European identity is defined against “Islam”.
We propose to focus on the ideological production of 3 parties: RN, FPÖ, AfD. Discourse is mobilized here as a tool. In other words, through different modes of communication, political actors build and/or mobilize ideologies, values and positions that they promote or reject. Speeches are thus materials from which we aim to identify representations, values, intentions and even acts of social creation. For this research, we will combine a content analysis (cooccurrence of the term democracy, identity and UE) and a critical discourse analysis (how democracy is presented in relation to the concept of European identity). We will explain how, in right-wing populist discourse, “democracy” is oriented to serve an ideology. It is mobilised either to fight against the EU from a nationalist perspective or against immigration from an identity perspective.