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In France, the violent protests against racism and police brutality that broke out last week have subsided. But the political fallout from the demonstrations – not all of them violent – spilled over into other countries.
The explosion occurred when a French police officer shot and killed a 17-year-old driver of Algerian origin. According to media reports, the officer stopped the young man’s car after several serious traffic violations.
Political actors who are critical of – or even hostile to – refugees and immigration benefit the most from crises like these. Right-wing politicians across Europe have taken advantage of the recent unrest to flood social media with xenophobia and hostility toward refugees and migrants, and to call for tougher immigration policies.
In countries like Germany, Hungary, Poland, Sweden and Italy, right-wing forces were already making significant gains.
Violence linked to ‘classic racist narrative’
Public debate in France has focused heavily on the foreign background of many of the protesters. The president of the far-right National Rally, Jordan Bardella, even spoke of “a contagion of brutality in our society associated with an absolutely insane immigration policy.”
Television commentator Jan Messiah, known for his far-right views, has launched a funding campaign for the family of the alleged shooter, who is currently under investigation for first-degree murder.
The appeal quickly spread through social media across Europe, and tens of thousands of people contributed more than 1.6 million euros ($1.74 million). Meanwhile, representatives from civil society or from the French suburbs, known as the suburbs, were rarely given any space in public debates and reporting.
“Immigration is presented as the root cause of this violence,” Cihan Sinanoglu, a sociologist at the German Center for Integration and Migration Research, told DW. “Violence and social dynamics are linked to race and immigration. It’s a classic story of racism.”
Migration is associated with violence and a threat to public order
Sinanoglu added that recent public debates in Germany have also focused on immigration – not just those involving far-right figures. We’ve seen the same thing from the right wing to the conservative factions. He said that migration is associated with violence and a threat to public order.
“Uncontrolled immigration and massive deficits in integration policies pose a threat to internal security,” said Bijan Gersaray, general secretary of Germany’s neoliberal Free Democratic Party, which is part of the coalition government. The conservative Christian Social Union agreed.
On social media, hashtags such as #FranceHasFallen have been linked to racist comments and hate speech against refugees or French nationals of foreign origin. Sometimes, the posts included fake photos or videos. Right-wing populist media have claimed that there is an “immigrant uprising”, and that some of the protesters appear to be following strict Islamic law, known as sharia.
Representatives of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have taken to social media to demand a “tough crackdown” by Germany’s law enforcement and judiciary. It comes as the AfD has successfully elected its first full-time mayor, enjoying a 20% approval rating in nationwide polls.
Poland and Hungary took advantage of the unrest
Hate speech against refugees is spreading in Central and Eastern Europe. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has taken advantage of the situation to turn public opinion against the proposed migration agreement that the European Union is currently discussing.
For years, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has relied on a political agenda directed against refugees and migrants. Last summer, he made headlines with speeches criticizing the “mixed-race” society, the “flood” of immigrants and his plans to counteract the “population swap” happening in Europe – all well-known sentiments in far-right rhetoric.
Hungarian government-friendly channel MTVA has been covering the protests in France since their inception, but has failed to explain the reasons behind the devastating anger. Hardly a word has been said about the social conditions of the immigrant population in the big cities of France, or the racism that many are subjected to every day.
What sparked the riot—the fatal shooting, at close range, of an unarmed young man of North African background, by a French officer—is mentioned only in passing.
Instead, the MTVA seems to suggest that even if a rich country like France can fail in its immigration policies, immigration in poor countries will never work.
Far-right claims follow the same pattern
Nicola Molteni, deputy interior minister and member of the far-right League party, described the unrest in France as “evidence of the failure of uncontrolled immigration and a warning to the rest of Europe”. In Belgium and the United Kingdom, politicians have used the same line.
Sinanoglu pointed out that all these allegations took the same angle. “Young people are also used to define one’s sense of self. So, on the one hand, there are the civilized French, and on the other hand, there are those young people who are ready for violence who threaten public order. And this must be protected with all necessary force.”
“Of course, (protesters’) violence must be condemned,” he added. “But we have to think about the cause of this violence.”
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