Discourse Analysis of the Spanish Radical Right VOX Party on Islam and Muslim Immigrants and the Financing of the Party by Iranian Regime Opponents

Abstract

VOX was founded in Spain in 2013 as a nationalist and populist right-wing party by a group of PP defectors. VOX has come to the fore, especially with its anti-Islam and anti-immigrant discourses and has developed these discourses within a radical fascist framework. Themes such as anti-Islamism, cleansing Spain of Muslims, anti-Muslim immigration, racism, Hispanicism, Catholicism, Europeanism, and “Reconquista” (reconquest) are prominent in the party's discourse. This study analyzes in depth the VOX Party's anti-Islamic and anti-immigrant discourses that shape its populist and fascist outlook. VOX's policies, rhetoric and financial support have attracted the attention of researchers. In particular, the study focuses on the substantial financing provided by an illegal organization opposed to the Iranian regime for the establishment of the party and the confirmation of this fact by the party leaders. The study also examines the main financial source of VOX and its relationship with the party's discourse. Taking all these components into account, the study aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on the rise of the VOX Party and its impact on Spanish politics. Thus, the impact of VOX's anti-Islamic and anti-immigrant rhetoric and the associated financial support on the rise of the radical right in Spain will be discussed in a broad framework.