1978

Book, 15.4 x 24 x 2 cm.
Materials: paper, ink

Collection: Collection MHKA, Antwerp.

With the title of his novel Le Camp des Saints, French writer Jean Raspail (1925-2020), recently deceased, referred to the ‘Apocalypse of John’, the last book of the New Testament. The book describes the emigration of a million people on cargo ships from India to France, where they hope for a better life. Due to the blindness of government and population, this 'invasion', in itself peaceful, leads to the end of the French nation and ultimately of European civilisation. The book that introduced the influential idea amongst conspiracy theorists of “the great replacement”, The Camp of the Saints is ultimately about the fear of losing the racial and cultural purity of the ‘West'. According to Raspail, the danger mainly comes from within because artists, intellectuals and the media impose their tolerant attitude towards migration upon the population. Although the book wasn't an overwhelming success when it was published in 1973, thanks to the controversy surrounding it due to the changing political climate and media landscape, The Camp of the Saints has become a cult book in nationalist, identitarian and suprematist circles in Europe and the United States. The refugee crisis of 2015 for example was used to attribute a prophetic quality to the book. The same year, in Belgium the first Dutch translation (Uitgeverij Egmont) was associated with extreme right-wing party Vlaams Belang. In the United States too, Steve Bannon, President Trump's controversial former advisor, recently expressed his admiration for Raspail's book on the influential far-right news site Breitbart News.