As part of the ‘week against racial discrimination’, the European Network Stop Hate Crimes warns European institutions that the threat of racist and criminal intolerance have reached its highest level since the end of World War II, and this requires a radical change in attitude in how to address this serious problem affecting the safety, life and death of thousands of our fellow Europeans.
The economic crisis has the outcome to the incredible rise of “Golden Dawn” in Greece. A supremacist speech, an exclusionary nationalism, and a permanent display of violence and hatred, have not been sufficient to prevent the presence of 18 parliamentary deputies. Blood banks to Greeks, permanent harassment on immigrants and members of other minorities, appear to be consistent with a large public acceptance. Something similar happens in Hungary with the neo-Nazi organization Jobbik. Their MEPs have asked to compile lists of Jews in this country where anti-Semitic extermination reached 400,000 people. The Greek and Hungarian experiences are being used by similar formations to get into the democratic system with the purpose of destroying the values emerged in Europe after the Second World War.
Hate speech flows with exponential intensity and collective security is resentful for committing hate crimes against vulnerable groups and against those who practice the democratic resistance. One ‘permanent Night of Broken Glass’ hangs over Europe, in many of its corners sadly already known as “non go areas”.
Besides, the racist speech infect democratic political formations who pervert their values in exchange for votes.
The European institutions have made progress in their level of understanding of this threat. The Council of Europe campaign “No Hate Speech Movement” is an example of this, and also the recent European Parliament resolution on racism and xenophobia, which adds to the clamor of security experts and officials warning about the terrorist threat that suppose lone wolves “who want to imitate Anders Breivik.” After the massacre of Oslo two lone wolves have been arrested: in Spain, a young man wanted to burst the University of Palma de Mallorca and in Poland a man planned to destroy Parliament.
Europe must remember its founding principles and delegitimize all forms of racism, intolerance and totalitarianism, to not repeat what happened in the twentieth century. We are all called up to come to the fore.