In the afterward to a republished edition of his 1973 novel The Camp of the Saints, French author Jean Raspail wrote, “the proliferation of other races dooms our race, my race, to extinction.” Those words can be found in the 1994 edition of the novel republished by The Social Contract Press (TSCP), which was founded by white nationalist and architect of the modern day anti-immigrant movement John Tanton. In 2006, The Washington Post reported that Tanton found Raspail’s racist, dystopian novel that depicts Europe being destroyed by immigrants quite inspiring and that it “focused” his ideas. Tanton is by no means the only prominent nativist that embraced Raspail’s anti-immigrant tale. One of the world’s most vehemently anti-Muslim bloggers – and chief inspiration to mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik – recently lauded the novel as “remarkably prescient” and seemingly used its ideas to justify the fascist Golden Dawn (GD) party’s presence in Greece.
In an October 28 post on the anti-Muslim blog Gates of Vienna, prolific anti-Muslim blogger Fjordman (a pseudonym, actual name: Peder Are Nøstvold Jensen), recalled Raspail’s novel while discussing a recent trip to Greece. “In the generations that have passed since its original publication,” he writes, “The Camp of the Saints is no longer just a novel; it has now become actual reality in Europe.” Fjordman notes that increasing anti-immigrant sentiment has fueled GD’s rise in Greece, but also is careful to avoid outrightly expressing support for the fascist party. Instead, he expresses indecision (“I’m note even sure if I like them much myself”), and defers to targeting other parties (“I’m not thrilled about the Golden Dawn, but I’m not thrilled about Communists, either”). 
Fjordman does, however, seem to endorse the virulently anti-immigrant agenda that serves as the lynchpin of GD’s platform when he concludes his piece writing, “You cannot deal with the Golden Dawn unless you are first willing to deal with the Camp of the Saints-reality of mass immigration that is flooding Europe on a daily basis.”
Fjordman omits the myriad acts of violence carried out by GD members against immigrants and political opposition from his essay such as the recent murder of anti-fascist activist and musician Pavlos Fyssas. By ignoring such extremism, Fjordman’s half-hearted condemnations of GD ring hollow. Whether he would like to admit it or not, he and the fascists comprising GD’s membership see eye-to-eye on most issues.
Another man that agreed with Fjordman was Norwegian terrorist and mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik. On July 22, 2011, Breivik carried out two separate attacks in Oslo and Utoya Island, Norway – murdering 77 and injuring hundreds of others. The London-based organization HOPE not Hate notes, Fjordman is “arguably the single most important influence on Anders Breivik” and was quoted 118 times in the killer’s sprawling manifesto. Despite being such an influence on Breivik, Fjordman has continued to write about the supposed threats multiculturalism – and Muslims, specifically – pose to western society.
In some respects, Camp serves as an anti-immigrant companion to the white supremacist novel The Turner Diaries written by William Pierce – which is believed to have inspired Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. It is unknown whether Anders Breivik has read Camp, but the anti-immigrant sentiments expressed therein were undoubtedly echoed by Fjordman and others who did inspire Breivik to carry out his deadly attacks.
The fact that Camp has been so embraced by nativists on both sides of the Atlantic is certainly troublesome. In the 1990s, John Tanton worked to create a film adaptation of the novel. Tanton’s letters from the period reveal that he was working with filmmaker Ron Maxwell to create the film. While the project never did come to fruition, Maxwell continues to be a staunch anti-immigrant activist and did produce The Promise of Home – an 11-part film that features interviews with some of America’s most prominent nativists and anti-immigrant leaders. The film was featured on NumbersUSA’s website for many years.
Even more troubling is that these nativists have formed an international network to further their anti-immigrant/-Muslim agenda. Last month, Fjordman was in Warsaw to attend the seventh annual Counterjihad Conference which coincided with a human rights conference attended by a coalition of anti-Muslim activists representing twelve countries. Another unnoticed fact: according to a March 22 Gates of Vienna post by Fjordman, the trip that inspired his essay on Greece, immigration and the Golden Dawn was funded by the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum, which is headed by Daniel Pipes. Pipes is a notable anti-Muslim activist with myriad ties to the organized Islamophobia and the anti-immigrant movement. In 2002, he co-authored a Center for Immigration Studies report on Muslim immigrants in America.
Demonstrations protesting the construction of a mosque, calls to build an electric fence on the U.S./Mexico border, the street violence perpetrated by groups like the English Defense League and the fascist Golden Dawn, or the horrific attacks carried out by Anders Breivik; while certainly varying in severity, all stem from the nativist sentiments found in The Camp of the Saints and espoused by national leaders of the organized Islamophobia and anti-immigrant movements. As such, we must continue to expose the collaborations between these seemingly separate movements. And, more importantly, we must continue to oppose extremism of any kind – ensuring the divisive policies proposed by nativists that harm our communities are never implemented.