Anti-Muslim Narratives by the AfD and FPÖ on X (Twitter), 2024-2025

Right-wing populist parties increasingly leverage digital media to reshape European politics. This thesis investigates how the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) construct and deploy anti-Muslim narratives on X (formerly Twitter). Through a multimodal critical discourse analysis of 104 tweets from their 2024/2025 election campaigns, this study examines how they frame Islam as a threat to mobilize voters and influence public opinion. The findings reveal a shared strategy of anti-establishment attacks and securitizing migration. However, significant rhetorical differences emerge. The AfD’s approach is characterized by the direct criminalization of Muslims, creating a visceral sense of physical and cultural threat. In contrast, the more established FPÖ employs a multifaceted strategy, using concepts like "political Islam" and the strategic inclusion of "acceptable" migrants to legitimize its exclusionary agenda. This research demonstrates how the specific affordances of digital platforms, such as algorithmic amplification, are instrumental in this process. It concludes that the strategic use of anti-Muslim narratives is part of a hegemonic struggle to redefine societal common sense, normalize an exclusionary worldview, and legitimize a more authoritarian political order.