Responding to Demand? The Activation of Populist Attitudes by Chega Party in Portugal

In this article, we analyse how the populist radical right Chega party activates the racist and prejudiced beliefs and dispositions of the Portuguese citizens towards racialized out-groups (Roma, people of African descent and immigrants). Our research is aided by a qualitative MAXQDA-based analysis of the party’s discourse on its social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and its newspaper Folha Nacional. The analysis focuses on the framing process behind this activation, which involves three cognitive mechanisms: opposition between in-group and out-group, blame attribution, and emotional triggers. Our results show that Chega builds the opposition between in-group (the righteous Portuguese) and out-group (racialized groups) by associating the out-groups with criminality, violence, subsidies, and parasitism, with an emphasis on the Roma. The blame for the failure of the democratic governance in dealing effectively with minorities is attributed mainly to the political left (government, parliament, Socialist Party, socialism, Left Bloc), corruption of the political institutions and Europe. Emotional triggers (anger, frustration, insecurity, injustice, and fear) are stimulated by emphasizing the connection between out-group criminality and parasitism and elite acquiescence, which harm the in-group sense of security and their economic status.