Racist Europe?

I was going through the papers yesterday and I observed something strikingly odd - there were not one, not two but three major stories on racism in Europe. The first one, of course, is the Sarkozy drama. Being in France, one realizes how politically active these people are. I was talking about this to a fellow Canadian student the other day - I think a nation's character is shaped by the writers it produces, and France, being home to giants like Rousseau and Voltaire, is therefore a society that has strong points of view on politics and public life. Mr. Sarkozy is an unpopular man right now. He is under fire from various quarters for his deportation drive for 'Romas' - the so called gypsies who hail from Romania. Mr. Sarkozy believes that this race is a criminal one and that the French people do not need to put up with the dark face of a multicultural Europe.

The second story comes from the far north - an extremist anti immigrant group called the Sweden Democrats is likely to define the balance of power after elections in that country. This is a group that openly campaigns against the Muslim immigrants of Sweden. They are ranting against the "economic problems" due to Muslims that Sweden is facing. Now think about this for a moment. Sweden is historically one of the most liberal countries in the world. A country that is almost at the far end of the earth and has thus far almost remained cut off from the turmoil and chaos of more centrally located societies. And now Sweden is turning racist. A party like the Sweden democrats gaining popular support is bad news - for Europe, for multiculturalism and for tolerance across the world.

The third story comes from Germany. A former German government official and one of the top shots at the Bundesbank, Thilo Sarazin has stirred up a hornet's nest by writing a book that is openly anti-Semitic and anti-Islam. He talks about something called a "Jewish gene" and claims that Muslims are a severe impediment to growth and prosperity in Germany. His employers have rightly asked him to quit, but it remains to be seen whether he will be asked to step down from his political posts as well.

All this is part of a story that is playing out right here, right now. It's both sad and unfortunate - because I came to Europe believing that it is almost the last bastion of multiculturalism and tolerance after America turned radical in the wake of 9/11. These are stories that are coming from the mainstream of political thought in their respective countries. The people who are part of the drama are respected men in their countries - they hold positions of power and responsibility and it would not be a misstatement to claim that these people influence public opinion. Or worse still, that they reflect public opinion.