Book

Our People First

Kemal Rijken &

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A ground-breaking overview of nationalist populism in Europe based on extensive interviews with key figures like Jean-Marie Le Pen, Alexander Gauland, Umberto Bassi, Nigel Farage, and Filip de Winter.

 Until recently, right-wing or nationalist movements were shunned by our societies. Politicians who subscribed to this world view, were considered ‘evil’. They had only a small following and didn’t know how to contribute to the democratic process. However, the continuing turbulence within Europe – economic depression, eurocrisis, refugee crisis, Brexit – allowed politicians like Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders and Matteo Salvini to claim their places. They stand for a Europe with closed borders and old currencies, in which multiculturalism and Islam  have no right to exist. 
 
How did the small, obscure parties of the past become so present and  accepted? For Our People First, Kemal Rijken travelled through Europe to  find answers to this question. He investigated nationalist populism in many  European countries and spoke with Jean-Marie Le Pen, Alexander Gauland,  Umberto Bossi, Filip de Winter, and many more representatives of right wing  parties. He also discussed the spreading populism with politicians from traditional  parties.  
 
Our People First is a fascinating and illustrative chronicle of European nationalist  populism, in which the personal experiences of headstrong politicians take the spotlight.