The Great Replacement

[[File:Condescending wonka on minorities.jpg|right|thumb|165px|We're going to link this as many times as we goddamn have to.]]
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[white genocide]], which is the same garbage without the philosophical window dressing.}}
{{conspiracy}}
'''The Great Replacement''' (French: ''Le Grand Remplacement'') also known as '''White Replacement Theory''';<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|86}} (referred to as the "replacement theory" by [[Tucker Carlson]] in an attempt to [[doublespeak|reframe]] the conspiracy [[Alt-right glossary#Alt Lite|for his more moderate audience]]), is a [[racist]], [[Islamophobic]], [[Anti-Semitism|anti-semitic]], [[white nationalist]], [[far-right]] [[genocide conspiracy|genocide]] [[conspiracy theory]] originating in [[France]], which asserts that the white [[Christian]] population of Europe, [[North America]] ([[United States]] and [[Canada]]), and sometimes [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], and South Africa "is being systematically replaced with non-European people", specifically [[Muslim]]s through [[mass immigration]] and low birth rates. All this is caused by a global élite gang of conspirators, probably based in [[European Union|Brussels]], or, for the more racist theorists out there, the [[Jews]]. The theory is used interchangeably with [[white genocide|the white genocide conspiracy theory]].

A study done in May of 2022 showed almost a '''''third''''' of all adult Americans believe in some aspects of the Great Replacement.<ref>https://apnorc.org/projects/immigration-attitudes-and-conspiratorial-thinkers/</ref>

==Origins==
The phrase originates with a 2012 book called ''The Great Replacement'' (''Le Grand Remplacement'') by French writer {{wpl|Renaud Camus||.}}<ref>''Le Grand Remplacement'' by Renaud Camus (2011) D. Reinharc. ISBN 2358690317.</ref>

Camus started out promoting white [[gay]] separatism in books such as ''Tricks: 33 Stories''; according to Musab Younis:<ref>"Bitch Nation" by Musab Younis, ''London Review of Books'', Vol. 41 No. 3 · 7 February 2019, pages 39-40</ref>

{{quotebox|Being [[fuck]]ed by Arabs, Camus felt, was passé: what mattered above all was same-race, same-sex intercourse and the extinction of difference: white men who identified as gay should fuck white men, and do so in conspicuously gay spaces.}}

Camus based his racist theory on ideas put forward in the 1972 book {{wpl|The Camp of the Saints|''The Camp of the Saints''|,}} a novel by Jean Raspail, which describes "mass immigration destroying [[Western civilization]]" (and which enjoyed a renewed burst of popularity around 2011), and the [[Eurabia]] conspiracy theory. He formed the curiously-named [[political]] party "Party of No-harm" (French: ''Le Parti de l’In-nocence''), which pushes a mix of [[Left wing|left]]- and [[right-wing]] policies to no electoral success.<ref>[https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/autant-j-aime-renaud-camus-autant-je-suis-mal-a-l-aise-avec-le-parti-de-l-in-nocence_1075831.html "Autant j'aime Renaud Camus, autant je suis mal à l'aise avec le parti de l'In-nocence"], Emmanuel Carrère, L'Express, 31 Jan 2012</ref> Today, Camus is the acceptable face of [[Xenophobia|anti-immigrant]] and [[Islamophobia|anti-Muslim]] politics, appearing "plausibly high-minded, principally aesthetic, even well-mannered"; historian Mark Lilla called him "a kind of connective tissue between the [[far right]] and the respectable right".<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/04/the-french-origins-of-you-will-not-replace-us The French Origins of "You Will Not Replace Us"], Thomas Chatterton Williams, New Yorker, 4 Dec 2017</ref>

The Great Replacement conspiracy theory as an idea however dates back earlier:<ref name=stanley>''Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future'' by Jason Stanley (2024) One Signal Publishers / Atria. ISBN 9781668056912.</ref>{{rp|82-87}}
*[[Eugenicist]] [[Madison Grant]]'s 1916 book ''The Passing of the Great Race'', in which Grant decried the alleged replacement of whites in America by [[African Americans]] and Polish Jews.<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|82-83}}<ref>[''The Passing of the Great Race or the Racial Basis of European History'' by Madison Grant (1916) Charles Scribner's Sons.</ref>
*Eugenicist {{wpl|Lothrop Stoddard||'s}} 1920 book ''The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy'' claimed that the increase the populations of non-white people would end [[Western civilization]].<ref name=altschuler>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/06/02/great-replacement-theory-rises-again-ending-tragedy/ The ‘great replacement’ theory rises again, ending in tragedy: Yet history shows that ethnic and racial diversity has proved to be renewal, not replacement] by Glenn C. Altschuler & Stuart M. Blumin (June 2, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/risingtideofcolo00stod ''''The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy''] by Lothrop Stoddard (1920) Charles Scribner's Sons.</ref>
*[[Crank]] [[Ultracrepidarianism|Polymath]] [[Oswald Spengler]]'s writings have been observed to present a early (if somewhat strange) form of the Great Replacement theory. Spengler postulated that [[Noble savage|less-developed cultures]], such as those from Africa, would [[Historical determinism|inevitably]] take over Europe, as the latter's so-called "[[Vitalism|cultural life-force]]" has been weakened by the [[Industrial Revolution|industrialized society]]. Though what separates Spengler's interpretation of the theory is that he expresses a kind of envious admiration towards the so-called "invading race” and the "life force" which they have supposedly retained. That said, there are writings by Spengler in which he lambasts [[France]] for having allowed Africans to poison the "blood of the Europe" due to France's "perverse [[miscegenation]]."<ref>{{cite book |last= Blamires|first= Cyprian P.|date= 2006|title=World Fascism: A Historical Encyclopedia (2 Volumes) |url= https://archive.org/details/worldfascism1|publisher= ABC-CLIO Inc.|page=628 |isbn= 1-57607-940-6}}</ref><ref>[https://www.google.com/books/edition/International_Literature/fwmNDEzG1oEC International Literature Vol 112]. (1970). International Union of Revolutionary Writers. Page 95.</ref><ref name="DeclineV1xV2">Spengler, Oswald (1918). Der Untergang des Abendlandes (The Decline of the West): [https://archive.org/details/declineofwest01spenuoft/mode/2up Volume 1] (1918) and [https://archive.org/details/declineofwest02spenuoft/page/n7/mode/2up Volume 2] (1922)</ref>{{rp|180-186 (Vol.2)}}
*Future [[President of the United States]] [[Calvin Coolidge]], shortly before he became Vice President in 1921 published an article in ''Good Housekeeping'' magazine. His article argued that America had become a "dumping ground" for immigrants and arguing that America should be restricted to northern European immigrants.<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|83}}<ref>[https://archive.org/details/sim_good-housekeeping_1921-02_72_2/page/12/mode/2up "Whose Country Is This?] by Calvin Coolidge (1921) ''Good Housekeeping'' 72(2):13-14.</ref><ref>''Behold, America: The Entangled History of "America First" and "the American Dream"'' by Sarah Churchwell (2018) Basic Books. ISBN 1541673409.</ref>
*In 1924 under the leadership of eugenicist and House Committee chair {{wpl|Albert Johnson (politician)|Albert Johnson|,}} [[Congress]] passed harsh quota system based on national origin that was effectively racially motivated.<ref name=altschuler/>
*The Great Replacement conspiracy theory played a central role in [[Nazi Germany]], featuring in ''[[Mein Kampf]]'', where [[Hitler]] claimed that "Jews had brought Negroes" into the Rhineland.<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|84-85}}<ref>''Mein Kampf'' by Adolf Hitler, translated by Ralph Manheim (1971) Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395083621.</ref>{{rp|325}}
*{{wpl|Theodore G. Bilbo||'s}} 1947 book ''Take Your Choice: Separation or Mongrelization''. Bilbo was a racist [[KKK]] [[States' Rights Democratic Party|Democrat]] demagogue from [[Mississippi]] who was Governor and then Senator of the state.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/15/great-replacement-theory-buffalo-bilbo/ The roots of the ‘great replacement theory’ believed to fuel Buffalo suspect] by Martha M. Hamilton & Aaron Wiener (May 15, 2022) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

==Why it's bullshit==
One of the most common talking points is that the number of non-White babies born has been increasing. This requires that the listener ignore the definition of "White", relying upon an extremely racist form of [[special pleading]] known as "the [[one-drop rule]]". The child of a White man and Black woman is considered "non-White", but it would be just as easy to classify the child as "non-Black".  If you have a town that's made up of 50% Irish and 50% Italians, and everyone marries randomly, a quarter of couples will be Irish-Irish and another quarter Italian-Italian, whereas half will be Irish-Italian; assuming everyone has an equal chance of giving birth, "non-Irish" people will make up 3/4ths of the next generation, yet "non-Italian" people ''also'' make up 3/4ths of the next generation. If we repeat the process, only 1/16th of the third generation will be "pure"-Italian, and of the 4th generation, just a mere 1/256th.  But to any reasonable person, the town is still half Italian.

Furthermore, the belief that immigration is a method to change national politics leftward and undermine natives is based on denying immigrants agency, "as though the political views of today’s newcomers were determined by genetic inheritance rather than persuasion," wrote Adam Serwer in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|last=Serwer|first=Adam|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/04/adam-serwer-madison-grant-white-nationalism/583258/|title=White Nationalism’s Deep American Roots|work=The Atlantic|date=April 2019|access-date=26 May 2025|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190501000147/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/04/adam-serwer-madison-grant-white-nationalism/583258/|archive-date=1 May 2019|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Furthermore, ethnic groups in the U.S. shifted politically rightward in the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]]. For example, [[Donald Trump]] won a greater percentage of Hispanic American voters in 2024 (roughly 48.5 percent) than in 2016 or 2020 (40 percent or below).<reF>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/06/26/voting-patterns-in-the-2024-election/|title=Voting patterns in the 2024 election|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=26 June 2025|access-date=29 June 2025|quote=Hispanic voters were divided in 2024, a major shift from 2020 and 2016. In 2020, Joe Biden won Hispanic voters by 25 percentage points, and Hispanic voters supported Hillary Clinton by an even wider margin in 2016. But Trump drew nearly even with Kamala Harris among Hispanic voters, losing among them by only 3 points.}}</ref>

==Alt-right==
The slogans "You Will Not Replace Us" and the more blatantly antisemitic and racist "[[Alt-right glossary#Jews will not replace us|Jews Will Not Replace Us]]" used by [[alt-right]] protestors during the violent [[Unite the Right|Charlottesville riots]] in Charlottesville, [[Virginia]], USA has been associated with, and is ostensibly derived from, The Great Replacement conspiracy theory.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/world/2017/8/15/16141456/renaud-camus-the-great-replacement-you-will-not-replace-us-charlottesville-white “You will not replace us”: a French philosopher explains the Charlottesville chant: American white nationalists may not realize it, but the fear of replacement is essential to the work of a controversial French writer named Renaud Camus.] by Sarah Wildman (Aug 15, 2017, 9:20am EDT) ''Vox''.</ref>

==Fuel for domestic terrorism==
Throughout history, variants of the Great Replacement theory have been used a [[rationalization]] of [[genocide]] against alleged high-fertility minorities. Since 2011, it has been cited as a motivation by domestic [[terrorists]].<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|86}}

===Norwegian mass murder===
{{main|Anders Behring Breivik}}
Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 people in Norway in 2011. His manifesto cited the Great Replacement.<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|86}}

===Murder of Black churchgoers===
{{wpl|Dylann Roof}} murdered nine African American churchgoers in [[South Carolina]] in 2015. His manifesto cited the Great Replacement.<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|86}}

===Christchurch terrorist manifesto===
{{main|Christchurch terrorist attacks}}
Brenton Tarrant, the [[Australia]]n-born perpetrator of the [[Christchurch terrorist attacks]], named his manifesto after this theory.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/new-zealand-suspect-inspired-by-far-right-french-intellectual-who-feared-nonwhite-immigration/2019/03/15/8c39fba4-6201-4a8d-99c6-aa42db53d6d3_story.html|title=Renaud Camus's ideas may have inspired the Christchurch mosque slayings in New Zealand|author=McAuley, James|work=Washington Post|date=March 15, 2019}}</ref> Although the manifesto contained numerous references to the Great Replacement theory, the majority of the manifesto consists of a mix of unrelated white nationalist talking points and alt-right [[propaganda]] taken from the internet. The reaction to the manifesto attracted attention to other groups using comparable [[rhetoric]], and led to [[Facebook]] banning white nationalist propaganda from their platform.<ref>[https://news.sky.com/story/facebook-to-ban-white-nationalism-after-mosque-attacks-11676931 Facebook to ban white nationalism after mosque attacks] by Sharon Marris (28 March 2019 08:01, UK) ''Sky News''.</ref>

===El Paso terrorist manifesto===
Patrick Crusius of Allen, the perpetrator of {{wpl|2019 El Paso shooting|the shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso|,}} [[Texas]], was also influenced by the theory, and mentioned in his manifesto ''The Inconvient{{sic}} Truth'' a supposed "Hispanic invasion of Texas" and claimed he was "simply trying to defend my country from ethnic and cultural replacement brought on by an invasion" as well as praising the aforementioned Brenton Tarrant and his manifesto. Additionally, Crusius also read Tarrant's ''The Great Replacement'' manifesto.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/us/patrick-crusius-el-paso-shooter-manifesto.html|title=Minutes Before El Paso Killing, Hate-Filled Manifesto Appears Online|last1=Arango|first1=Tim|last2=Bogel-Burroughs|first2=Nicholas|last3=Benner|first3=Katie|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 4, 2019|date=August 3, 2019}}</ref>

===Tree of Life Synagogue===
The {{wpl|Pittsburgh synagogue shooting||,}} in which the perpetrator killed 11 attendees in 2018. His manifesto cited the Great Replacement.<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|86}}

===Tops Friendly Markets===
The {{wpl|2022 Buffalo shooting||,}} in which the perpetrator killed 10 African Americans. His manifesto cited the Great Replacement.<ref name=stanley/>{{rp|86}} The shooting that happened in Buffalo, [[New York]], was caused by {{wpl|Payton S. Gendron}}, who wrote about the Great Replacement in his manifesto.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/buffalo-supermarket-shooting-suspect-posted-apparent-manifesto-repeate-rcna28889 The Buffalo supermarket shooting suspect allegedly posted an apparent manifesto repeatedly citing 'great replacement' theory] by Ben Collins, May 14, 2022, ''NBC News''</ref>

==Identitarians==
{{main|Generation Identity}}
The far-right white nationalist {{wpl|Identitarian movement}} in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand is a major promoter of this theory.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/27/austria-considers-dissolving-far-right-identitarian-movement-christchurch Austria mulls dissolving far-right movement over Christchurch links] by Philip Oltermann (27 Mar 2019 12.37 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

==2021 U.S. coup attempt==
{{main|2021 U.S. Capitol riot}}
Fear of the Great Replacement was a significant driver of the January 6, 2021 [[coup]] attempt by [[Donald Trump|Trump]] supporters. Arrestees were 6 times more likely to come from counties with declines in the percentage of non-Hispanic Whites in the population. Fear that Blacks and Hispanics are overtaking Whites increased the likelihood of being an insurrectionist by 3-fold in the second study. Fear that Blacks and Hispanics will have more rights than Whites increased the likelihood of being an insurrectionist by 2-fold in the third study.<ref name=pape>[https://d3qi0qp55mx5f5.cloudfront.net/cpost/i/docs/americas_insurrectionists_online_2021_04_06.pdf Understanding American Domestic Terrorism: Mobilization Potential and Risk Factors of a New Threat Trajectory] by Robert A. Pape et al. (April 6, 2021) ''The Chicago Project on Security and Threats''.</ref>

==Outside of Europe==
The Great Replacement theory is widespread outside of Europe. America is an obvious example of a country outside of the European sphere that adheres to the theory, but the theory also has a presence in other countries such as Canada,<ref>[https://globalnews.ca/news/8543281/covid-trucker-convoy-organizers-hate/ Some trucker convoy organizers have history of white nationalism, racism] Global News</ref> Mexico,<ref>[https://www.visionofhumanity.org/migration-flows-and-violence-against-migrants-in-mexico/ Migration flows and violence against migrants in Mexico] Vision of Humanity</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/jul/28/anti-immigrant-sentiment-grips-mexico-city-where-r/ Anti-immigrant sentiment grips Mexico City where residents fume about American interlopers] Washington Times</ref> Brazil,<ref>[https://rioonwatch.org/?p=69266 The Marginalization of Non-White Refugees in Brazil] RioOnWatch</ref><ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinions/2017/6/17/how-brazils-progressive-migration-bill-was-sabotaged How Brazil’s progressive migration bill was sabotaged] Al Jazeera</ref> Japan,<ref>[https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/en/features/z0508_00213.html Prejudice against immigrants explained in numbers]</ref> Iran,<ref>[https://www.pettimatthew.com/p/saudi-backed-media-promotes-great Saudi-backed media promotes "Great Replacement" theory to Iranians] Matthew’s Notebook</ref> India,<ref>[https://gnet-research.org/2022/08/10/inside-hindutvas-great-replacement-conspiracy/ Inside Hindutva’s Great Replacement Conspiracy] Global Network</ref> and Turkey.<ref>[https://www.thedial.world/issue-1/turkey-erdogan-far-right-abortion-surveillance-technology Erdoğan’s Great Replacement Theory] The Dial</ref>

==Irony==
One of the biggest ironies in the Great Replacement conspiracy theory is that it completely overlooks the fact that Western countries outside of Europe were founded on settler colonialism and the intentional demographic replacement of indigenous peoples via ethnic cleansing and genocide, which would technically make European settlers and their descendants a "great replacement." In essence, the Great Replacement theory comes with double standards and hypocrisy, especially in the context of North America and Oceania. This also extends to historical instances of settler colonialism in European countries as well, such as the British colonization of Ireland.<ref>https://daily.jstor.org/britains-blueprint-for-colonialism-made-in-ireland/</ref>

==See also==
*[[Alt-right glossary]]
*[[Tucker Carlson]]
*[[Identity Evropa|Identity Evropa/American Identity Movement]]
*[[Alt-right glossary#Kalergi Plan|The Kalergi Plan]] 
*[[Eurabia]]

==External links==
* {{wpa|The Great Replacement conspiracy theory}}
* ''[[South Park]]'' song - "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4Tbji8ZsN0 Too many minorities in my waterpark]".

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Replacement}}
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[[Category:Anti-immigration]]
[[Category:Antisemitism]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:Crime]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Great Replacement conspiracy theorists|*]]
[[Category:Islamophobia]]
[[Category:Isolationism]]
[[Category:Nationalism]]
[[Category:Neo-Nazism]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:White supremacy]]
[[Category:Xenophobia]]

Categories: Alt-right, Anti-immigration, Antisemitism, Conspiracy theories, Crime, Fascism, Great Replacement conspiracy theorists, Islamophobia, Isolationism, Nationalism, Neo-Nazism, Racism, White supremacy, Xenophobia