Within but Against the EU: Anti-EU and Anti-Globalist Narratives of the Intersectional Far-Right in the 2024 European Parliament Elections

The 2024 European Parliament elections provided evidence that far-right actors continue to rise in prominence, both in electoral support and in their presence in digital spaces, such as TikTok and Instagram. Given the ever-growing importance of these digital spaces, the paper analyses the digital political communication of Croatian far-right politicians and parties. By using a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of far-right TikTok and Instagram posts, the paper focuses on two specific aspects of the political narratives which they deployed during the 2024 EP election campaign. One aspect is their anti-globalist and anti-EU narratives, to determine how the far-right navigates the tension between simultaneously contesting European Union values while seeking seats within its governing structures. The second aspect studies how far-right political parties and politicians construct a cross-cutting intersectional political narrative that targets different discontented groups, by seeking to determine the differences in the tone, strategy, topics, and ideology of their social media content. Key insights of the research reveal a strong emphasis on opposing values and politics which are branded as "globalist oppression" of the nation state and its people, while referring to themselves as the "defenders of the nation" and "defenders of the people". Frequently, their political narratives include criticism of progressive liberalism, "woke ideology", and foreign workers, while promoting conspiracy theories and emphasizing the primacy of the nation. The duality of this political narrative enables the far-right to strongly criticise the EU and its current ideological and political direction, while also justifying entering its governing structures to their voters. Notably, by being "within the EU, but against it", these actors strategically position themselves as intersectional anti-cosmopolitan politicians which can reshape the EU accordingly to the desires of the "oft ignored and unheard" everyday citizens: such as rural communities, conservative religious factions, and youths disillusioned by globalisation. The paper's contribution to a deeper understanding of the contemporary far-right is threefold. Its focus on the Croatian context enables it to record the far-right's intersectional strategies in smaller and younger EU member states, which are less researched in European studies. Its insight into the duality of far-right political narratives explains how these actors justify their involvement in EU politics to their intersectional voter base, providing crucial information on their political strategies. Lastly, its focus on far-right communication on TikTok and Instagram further confirms the deep connection between the far-right and digital platforms, revealing how they are used to amplify anti-EU sentiment, spread disinformation, and push polarizing political narratives. All these findings help situate the paper's contributions and insights within the broader examination of the struggle between globalist and national-sovereign values, highlighting the ideological battleground of an increasingly fragmented EU political landscape over the future direction and core identity of the Union.