European Union officials, who watched from the sidelines as far-right-fueled racist violence spread to British cities earlier this month, must learn lessons from the British experience and take a hard look at their own dismal record in tackling racism, countering Islamophobia and preventing hatred towards immigrants.
Such reflection is urgent, given the stunning gains of the far right in the recent European Parliament elections and the likely victory of the German far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in this weekend's state elections in Saxony and Thuringia. The stabbing attack in Solingen last week by a suspected Islamic State member has increased pressure on the already shaky coalition government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and intensified my fears that an AfD victory would push the entire EU further into once-taboo far-right territory.
After spending years trying to convince EU officials to deliver on their lofty talk of building a “union of equals,” I am convinced that European leaders and policymakers in Brussels, including the newly reappointed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, are not doing enough to counter endemic racism, including Islamophobia, throughout the EU when, all too often, they are actually mainstreaming and amplifying Eurocentric and xenophobic far-right ideologies by pandering to them.
Scholz was understandably outraged by the knife attack in Germany that left three people dead, and his promises of increased deportations, border checks and tougher arms controls are typical of the knee-jerk reaction of EU leaders to blanket brand all migrants and refugees as potential “terrorists”.
I continue to expect the same strong official response whenever far-right elements attack refugee centers or police or border guards use violence against minorities. But the usual response is silence or victim-blaming that dehumanizes black and brown immigrants and Muslims. Some media are complicit in pandering to far-right social media “stars” and politicians. Few pay attention when the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights condemns “shocking levels” of racism against black Europeans or when the Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) warns of a “many-fold” increase in hate incidents, including online abuse, targeting Muslims in Europe.
Following the Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020, the EU adopted an anti-racism action plan. Many of us saw this as a defining moment in building an inclusive Europe. However, this much-needed initiative is losing momentum due to strong political opposition, poor enforcement, and frequent government interference.
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I hope that Ursula von der Leyen will publicly admit that the EU economy needs one million foreign workers every year.
Malta's Helena Dalli was appointed the EU's first equality commissioner in 2019. She started the job with flying colors, winning praise for her commitment to the anti-racism agenda. However, she has been criticized by the French government for meeting with the Muslim youth organization Femiso, which the French government claims has links to the Muslim Brotherhood, a charge the group strongly denies. When Dalli made a brave attempt to create a comprehensive language manual to be used by all EU institutions, several right-wing politicians in the European Parliament, including members of von der Leyen's European People's Party (EPP), suggested she was trying to deny Europe's Christian roots, and the document was withdrawn.
There is also bureaucratic division and confusion. There are three so-called “EU envoys” dealing with racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, but only the last one, who works closely with European People's Party (EPP) member and vice-president in charge of promoting the “European way of life”, Margaritis Schinas, has been successful in convening a high-profile meeting on the issues attended by commissioners. By contrast, the last EU anti-racism summit was held more than two years ago, and discussions on implementing EU efforts to combat anti-Muslim hatred are taking place among experts, not commissioners.
While seeking election to a second term as European Commission president, von der Leyen spoke out against the “extreme polarization” of European society. But sadly, she has not repeated the commitment she made in 2021 to create a truly open and racially inclusive Europe. She has also demonstrated an unwavering determination to strengthen Fortress Europe by continuing a vicious cash-for-money migration deal with neighbouring dictators and strengthening Frontex, the EU's border control force that has been accused of illegally turning back migrants.
There are glimmers of hope, such as the frequent protests against the far right across Europe and the efforts of progressive and anti-racism activists to build networks across the EU to maintain pressure for change. We also hope that von der Leyen and her new team will publicly acknowledge that demographic trends mean the EU economy needs one million foreign workers every year. They must also denounce racism in Europe for exacerbating social divisions, weakening democracy from within, and affecting the EU's global reputation. This will encourage policymakers in Brussels to focus as much on tackling racism in Europe as they do on strengthening defense and improving the EU's competitiveness.
Last year, von der Leyen promised to build a Europe where “it doesn't matter what you look like, who you love, how you pray or where you were born.” For this to be more than just plain whitewash, von der Leyen needs to start her new five-year term with a strong new anti-racism platform, adopt a revised anti-discrimination blueprint, and, crucially, appoint a new EU Equality Commissioner with autonomy and greater political powers.
All this is not wishful thinking, although it may be going against political headwinds, but it will take political courage, strong moral principles and determination to counter the normalisation of the far-right's toxic and ultimately anti-European rhetoric.
