AntiSocial - How right-wing activists use 'Western civilisation'

How right-wing activists use 'Western civilisation'

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When an art exhibition featuring stickers made to look like graffiti opened in Canterbury Cathedral, there was a surprisingly loud reaction from right-wing activists in the US - even JD Vance, the American vice-president, chimed in. Many on the political right see cathedrals, churches, and monuments in Europe as a grand cultural heritage which they feel they have to defend. And many of Donald Trump's supporters believe that Britain is under attack from multiculturalism, and that the UK is a country in decline because of its alleged failure to uphold Western values. The BBC's Mike Wendling, who’s written books investigating the US far-right, explains to Adam Fleming how the concept of the "decline of the West" has crossed the Atlantic.

Published on Tuesday, 21st October 2025.

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