Europe’s far right capitalising on stir

In France, the violent protests against racism and police brutality that erupted last week have been winding down. But the political aftermath of the demonstrations — not all of which were violent — has been spreading to other countries. The outburst was triggered when a French police officer shot and killed a 17-year-old driver with Algerian descent. According to media reports, the officer had stopped the teenager’s vehicle following several dangerous traffic violations.

Political actors who are critical of — or even hostile toward — refugees and migration profit the most from crises like this. Right-wing politicians across Europe have taken advantage of the latest unrest to flood social media with xenophobia and hostility toward refugees and migrants, and to call for stricter immigration policies.

In countries such as Germany, Hungary, Poland, Sweden or Italy, right-wing powers had already been making considerable gains. Public debate in France has placed a heavy focus on the foreign background of many of the protesters. The head of the far-right National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, even spoke of the “contagion of savageness in our society linked to a completely insane immigration policy.”

Television commentator Jean Messiha, well-known for his radical far-right opinions, launched a funding campaign for the family of the alleged shooter, who is currently under investigation for voluntary manslaughter. The appeal quickly spread through social media across Europe, and tens of thousands of people have contributed more than 1.6 million euros ($1.74 million). Meanwhile, representatives from civil society or from France’s suburbs, known as banlieues, have rarely been granted any space in public debates and reporting.

“Migration is presented as the root cause of this violence,” Cihan Sinanoglu, a social scientist at the German Center for Integration and Migration Research, told DW. “The violence and social dynamics are linked to ethnicity and migration. It’s a classic racist narrative.” Sinanoglu added that in Germany, recent public debates have also focused on migration — and not just those involving far-right figures. “We’ve observed the same thing from the right wing to conservative factions. Migration is associated with violence and a threat to public order,” he said.

Bijan Djir-Sarai, general secretary of Germany’s neoliberal Free Democratic Party, part of the coalition government, even said that “uncontrolled immigration and enormous deficits in integration policies are a threat to domestic security.” The conservative Christian Social Union agreed. On social media, hashtags like #FranceHasFallen have been attached to racist comments and hate speech against refugees, or French nationals of foreign descent. At times, the posts have included fake images or videos. Right-wing populist media have claimed there’s been a “migrant uprising,” and that some protesters apparently follow strict Islamic law, known as Shariah.

Representatives of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) have turned to social media to call for a “tough crackdown” by German law enforcement and judiciary. This comes at a time when the AfD has successfully elected its first full-time mayor, and enjoys a 20% approval rating in nationwide polls.

In Central and Eastern Europe, hate speech against refugees is common. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has used the situation to turn public opinion against the proposed migration pact currently being discussed by the European Union.