When Good is Called Evil: How Italian Right-Wing populist Politicians Normalise the Stigmatisation of Non-Governmental Organisations

An increasing academic literature has examined how civil society organisations and, in particular, sea-rescue non-governmental (NGOs) in the Mediterranean Sea, are criminalised or accused of functioning as a pull factor leading to an increase in migration flows towards Europe. However, there is a lack of empirical research investigating how this process occurs in practice through populist communication. In this article, we explore how right-wing populism constructs a narrative of NGOs defending migrants as an “enemy.” To do so, we focus on the case of Italy and analyse the Facebook communications of the leaders of the two most prominent far-right populist parties, Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) and Lega Salvini (League), from 2013 to 2022. By combining quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Facebook posts, results show, via community analysis, the extent to which NGOs are characterised as evil. We also explain how far-right populist groups operate a reversal of good and evil and legitimise their narratives.