The Identitarian' Movement

In autumn 2012, the Génération Identitaire, a French group, launched a video message on Youtube declaring war on multi-culturalism. In order to gain a maximum of public attention and as an example of how the movement’s performance would look like the group occupied a mosque in Poitiers, chosen for the final victory of Karl Martell against the invading Moors in 732 AD.

While, in France, the group’s roots date back into the early 2000s, the occupation of the mosque quickly inspired imitators in neighboring countries like Austria and Germany. Although presenting themselves as being non-racist its ethno-pluralist approach and public statements on several issues clearly indicate that the movement belongs to the spectrum of right-wing racist populism.

The paper will outline the emergence and the development of the ‚Identitarian’ Movement taking the variations in several countries into account. A focus will be given on the analysis of the movement’s claim of not being racist on the one hand and the de facto involvement of known right-wing protagonists on the other hand. Finally, the public performance of the movement that is web-based to a large extent is investigated. In sum, the paper offers an analysis of a new political phenomenon and situates this into a broader understanding of more recent developments of right-wing populism as a whole.