Speaking for “the European people”? How the transnational alliance Fortress Europe constructs a populist counter-narrative to European integration

This paper examines one of the rare cases of transnational populism against the backdrop of European (dis-)integration, focusing on the far-right bottom-up protest movement Fortress Europe. Using novel primary sources such as digital texts, images, and videos, it carries out a critical discourse analysis of Fortress Europe’s discourse and performance. The analysis reveals how Fortress Europe constructs Europe as a society at war against an immigrant “Other” and its “elites”. Subsequently, the paper considers the discursive construction of Europe under the lens of transnational populism, pointing to the alliance’s achievements and failures in constructing a transnational people. Finally, it critically discusses Fortress Europe against the backdrop of European mainstream politics.