The Mainstreaming of Extreme Right-Wing Populism in the Low Countries: What is to be Done?

Abstract

In this article, I address the way in which extreme right populist actors in Belgium and the Netherlands have managed to mainstream their divisive and racist discourse. Processes of othering, the identification of a set of ideological enemies, fear mongering and a type of populism that articulates “the people” in a very exclusionary manner characterize this discourse. Even though journalists tend to be critical of the extreme right discourse, they are also to some extent complicit in amplifying the extreme right discourse and providing a platform for populist politicians using a politics of provocation. It is argued that public journalism tradition might be a productive resource to combat this mainstreaming of extreme right discourses and protect democratic values.