> certainly populists can be dangerous to all of those groups

This is why you should be ashamed: that use of the word "can."

Populists always target vulnerable people. They're the easiest groups to direct public anger without fear of reprisal against themselves.

> indeed their contribution is small in historical terms.

You then follow up with this gem. This, again, is to completely ignore multiple genocides that populists directly caused. Simple example: The Holocaust.