As a religious scholar and theologian, Smeets became interested in the anti-immigration ‘discourse' of the far right; namely, the narrative that is told when it comes to immigration. “I noticed that far-right rhetoric often comes down to religion”, says Smeets. “Not just among politicians, but also, for example, among young people on social media.” To gain insights into this discourse, the researcher analysed videos on the social media platform TikTok for four months, among other activities.
In recent years and decades, many people in Western Europe have started to feel like they are slowly losing control over their lives, according to Smeets. “They feel insecure, for example due to the war in Ukraine, climate change or higher gas prices, but also in their jobs due to the rapid rise of technology and cheap migrant labour. Radical right-wing parties offer seemingly simple solutions that appear to primarily benefit the individual: enough money, a warm house and the interests of one's country first and foremost, with fewer immigrants.”
Nazi symbolism on TikTok
In 2023, Smeets immersed herself in the TikTok algorithm around anti-immigration. “TikTok was rapidly becoming popular among young people at the time and it reflected well what was going on in society.” She stumbled across videos with thousands of likes showing all kinds of images in quick succession, with the message: ‘Muslims do not belong in civilised, Christian Europe. Watch out for the Islamisation of Europe.’”
There were also more radical videos, featuring images of battles, fascist politicians and Nazi symbolism, for instance. Smeets: “It turned out that you very quickly end up seeing videos where Hitler speeches can be heard in the background. In principle, TikTok moderates its content, and videos like this are not permitted under the company's guidelines, but they still get through.”
'Judeo-Christian' tradition
The central role of religion in the anti-immigration debate has been evident among various politicians since the 1990s, according to Smeets' literature review. “Pim Fortuyn, for example, contrasted Islam with what he called the ‘Judeo-Christian’ humanist culture of the West: a culture that is nationalistic, liberal and embraces sexual freedom. Geert Wilders pushes a similar narrative. In doing so, you create a sort of religious counter-identity, as it were: a Christian identity, not because you go to church yourself, but mainly to position yourself against Islam.”
Muslims are quick to be scapegoated, Smeets observes. “They convey a sense of collectiveness through clothing and mosques. Islamic identity has become increasingly visible, while Christian identity has become less visible, as fewer and fewer people attend church and promote Christian values.”
A TikTok video may seem harmless, but it can have far-reaching consequences, according to the researcher. “Especially if such a video is picked up by the official channels of populist politicians who want to piggyback on what is apparently shared somewhere in society, in order to win voters.” Us-vs-them thinking is increasingly seeping into society, argues Smeets. “This leads to polarisation, whereas we should be thinking about how we can move forward together to solve problems. Look at Ukraine, for example: if we were all only concerned with our own country, we would sacrifice others. But that wouldn't solve the problem: we could be next. So, it is in everyone's interest to think of others as well.”