Europe’s backlash against immigrants

[pampango]

Source: UK Financial Times

Mainstream politicians across western Europe are having to come to terms with an uncomfortable trend. Radical anti-immigration parties are gaining ground across the continent.

The latest evidence came in last week’s Italian regional elections, where the xenophobic Northern League won 13 per cent of the vote. In France, the far-right National Front has also made a comeback in recent regional elections – polling well over 20 per cent of the vote in parts of the country. The British National Party may do well in next month’s general election. And anti-immigration themes will also play a big role in the June election in the Netherlands.

A strong emphasis on cultural assimilation is also justified. This includes an insistence that new immigrants should learn the language of their new countries and robust defence of western values, such as women’s and gay rights.

This will make liberals squeamish. But ignoring the warnings sent by the rising far right would be far more dangerous.

Read more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/49091be8-4006-11df-8d23-00144feabdc0.html

[onehandle]

1. But the Socialists won 54% in France.

So I doubt the EuroTeabaggers will make much difference there.

[Johnyawl]

3. the left sneers at this at their peril...

...this is the issue that will bring the right to power in europe.

[Rapier09]

2. Europe without immigrants

There needs to be some sort of intelligent limit and form of assimilation going on in the old continent.Otherwise it will just keep being forms of various Eugenics being practiced over and over again.

France is going totally insane anyway.Turning its back on North Africa is lunacy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. The good news is that the BNP are plotting to kill each other

which should distract them just in time for the British election:

BNP official Mark Collett questioned over alleged threat to kill Nick Griffin

Police arrest publicity director accused by BNP leadership of plotting 'palace coup'

Key party officials have been summoned to a meeting tomorrow to discuss "urgent organisational matters" after Griffin and colleagues made statements to police resulting in the BNP's publicity director, Mark Collett, being detained on Thursday.

Collett, 29, had been due to contest Labour MP David Blunkett's Sheffield Brightside seat in the election but has been stripped of his position within the party which accused him of conspiring to launch a "palace coup" against Griffin.
...
The BNP alerted members to the crisis on Wednesday. In a message to party organisers, the party said its internal security team had been investigating "alleged financial irregularities" relating to leaflets and publications, the "leaking on to the internet of sensitive party information" and "feeding lies to certain anti-BNP blog sites" for several months.

"As a result of this investigation, a very serious matter has been uncovered," the memo said. "Earlier this week, the police were made aware of very serious allegations potentially affecting the personal safety of party chairman Nick Griffin MEP and senior management/fundraising consultant James Dowson. Formal statements have now been made to the police, including by Mr Griffin."
...
The memo continued: "Since political, as opposed to allegedly criminal, conspiracies are not illegal, we are able to say that Mark Collett was conspiring with a small clique of other party officials to launch a 'palace coup' against our twice democratically elected party leader, Nick Griffin, and that in order to create the artificial climate of disillusionment necessary for this to stand any chance of success, lies and unfounded rumours have been spread, and were planned to be spread much further."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/04/bnp-mark-collett-nick-griffin