Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
*The Fashioning of the Other in Europe's Constitutional Repertoires*
President Trump's idea to 'interpret' the Constitution 'differently' is not new. Marietta van der Tol’s book Constitutional Intolerance documents how European populists try to hack and 'reinterpret' their constitutions to enact laws that target religious minorities, ethnic groups, and LGBT rights:
- Appeals to 'social norms' to say there is a 'security issue' (France)
- Arbitrary use of 'public order' when no problem can be substantiated (Netherlands)
- Unwieldy constitutional amendments that target specific churches (Hungary)
- Arguing something is written in the constitution when it isn't (Poland)
Join this event to learn about legal strategies among the Far Right and to reflect on the implications of Constitutional Intolerance for democracy across the Atlantic.
The event will be introduced by Jonathan Wolff, Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, and the discussion will be chaired by Maya Tudor, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government.
Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
bsg.ox.ac.uk
*The Fashioning of the Other in Europe's Constitutional Repertoires*
President Trump's idea to 'interpret' the Constitution 'differently' is not new. Marietta van der Tol’s book Constitutional Intolerance documents how European populists try to hack and 'reinterpret' their constitutions to enact laws that target religious minorities, ethnic groups, and LGBT rights:
- Appeals to 'social norms' to say there is a 'security issue' (France)
- Arbitrary use of 'public order' when no problem can be substantiated (Netherlands)
- Unwieldy constitutional amendments that target specific churches (Hungary)
- Arguing something is written in the constitution when it isn't (Poland)
Join this event to learn about legal strategies among the Far Right and to reflect on the implications of Constitutional Intolerance for democracy across the Atlantic.
The event will be introduced by Jonathan Wolff, Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, and the discussion will be chaired by Maya Tudor, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government.
Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
bsg.ox.ac.uk
