Critical Analysis of Anti-Islamisation and Anti-immigration Discourse

Abstract

This paper examines the discursive strategies employed by two of the far-right movements in the UK, specifically in the English Defence League (EDL) and Britain First, when dealing with immigration and what they term as the “Islamisation of Britain”. The paper will demonstrate how these movements frame their arguments by employing strategies of positive-self and negative-other representation. The analysis will rely on the Discourse Historical Approach (DHA) as a framework for examining the mission statements of both movements in relation to three discursive strategies, namely nomination, predication and argumentation. The analysis will reveal how both movements put themselves forward as defenders of British society and basic liberal values, while negatively portraying “the other” either as a threat to such values or as a burden on Britain’s resources.