On the board, reactionary views of traditional nation-states are prevalent, often constructed from the (racist) view that countries are best left with their ‘original’ ethnic makeup. The Deus Vult-meme on 4chan/pol/ can be framed through a larger political tendency of ‘medievalism’. The graph below shows the number of posts and comments containing ‘deus vult’ on 4chan/pol/: For instance, the meme was widely posted when the Pope condemned violence in Syria. These comments then often promote Christian worldviews. Most of the comments ( csv data) simply state ‘DEUS VULT!’ in relation to news or pictures regarding immigrants in Europe or troubles in the Middle East. Like many Internet memes, the online origins of Deus Vult seem to lie in the imageboard 4chan, where it was used from 2014 onwards.Ī board known for its transgression, racism, and Islamophobia, the ‘Politically Incorrect’ board 4chan/pol/ appropriated the sentence to utter anti-immigration and anti-Islam sentiments. This article will contextualize these various spheres, and with it, show how Deus Vult ‘mutated’ from a relatively harmless gaming-meme to an arguably more problematic catchphrase and symbol for the far right – both online and offline.Ī typical Deus Vult-representation Probable origins: The 4chan meme-machineĪs a true cultural meme, Deus Vult has survived extinction for almost a millennium, as it is still found on online forums.

Deus vult alt right