The growth of the extreme right in Europe

[Hannah Bell]

With its decision to halt the expulsion procedures against Thilo Sarrazin and to keep this blatant racist in the ranks of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), German social democracy has moved sharply to the right.

Sarrazin, a former finance senator in the Berlin city government and executive member of the Bundesbank (Federal Bank), advocates racist and social-Darwinist theories—views that, since the defeat of Hitler, were only held in Germany by small groups of die-hard neo-Nazis. In his widely sold book Germany abolishes itself, Sarrazin accuses Muslim immigrants of coming from a long tradition of inbreeding and expressing a genetic deficiency of intelligence. He warns against the conquest of Germany “by fertility” and calls for a strict limitation of immigration. Elsewhere, in the spirit of the Nuremberg racial laws, he claims all Jews share a particular gene.

The SPD justifies its reconciliation with Sarrazin with electoral considerations and “respect for different opinions.” In reality, it is responding to fundamental economic and social changes. The SPD’s right-wing turn is part of a pan-European development.

Increasingly, established parties on the right and left of the bourgeois political spectrum are adopting chauvinism, anti-Islamism and other forms of racism in their political programmes, and reconciling themselves with far-right parties. The media contribute to this right-wing development by boosting right-wing preachers of hate such as Sarrazin and Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French National Front (FN)...With their turn towards the extreme right, the European bourgeoisie is responding to the international financial crisis and the heightening of national antagonisms in Europe.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/may2011/sarr-m09.shtml

[howard112211]

1. From my perspective (I am sitting in Germany right now)

I can confirm this new emergence of a right wing climate. Although Thilo Sarrazin in particular I think is seen as somewhat of a clown by many.

Sarrazin has gained a certain popularity among middle class people by riding racism and the anti-Muslim wave, but also by striking the nerve that the uneducated lowerclass is multiplying faster than the middle class.

Parts of his worldview are similar to that expressed in the movie "Idiocracy", as far as I understand. Simplified as: "Academics have no children, while morons do."

On TV they usually make fun of Sarrazin. One comedian noted that if people would "get to bed" instead of reading Sarrazins book, maybe the problem would go away.

[themadstork]

2. Argh

Am I to take this to mean that when the European capitalists can't boondoggle and confuse the poor and working classes into voting against their own interest, they plan to simply repress them illegally? Sounds like they've been taking pointers from the CIA.

[midnight]

3. There is one sentence in this story that caught my eye.

The move toward banking and social agenda bringing both sides of the isle under the same roof via "respect for different opinions" are adopting a more chauvinistic, racist change in their political programs. Here is how : "This is needed to poison the social atmosphere, to divide the working class and mobilize support for an authoritarian state." This sure can been seen in Wisconsin... The police and Fire dept were except from the first go round of workers rights deletion, but I suspect these two organizations saw it for what it was... Divide and conquer mentality, and stood with the working people...

[pampango]

4. (Finland's ex-PM) Lipponen Thunders Against Lack Of European Leadership (against the far right)

http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2011/05/lipponen_thunders_against_lack_of_european_leadership_2577671.html

Former Prime Minister and speaker of parliament Paavo Lipponen has fiercely criticised a lack of leadership in the European Union. Speaking at a Europe Day event at Kampintori in central Helsinki, Lipponen said that Finland’s position on the Portugal aid package should be resolved quickly at the party chair level.

Lipponen particularly criticised the work of EU President Herman Van Rompuy. “What point is there in having a so-called President of the European Commission, if he is unable to open his mouth when European values are under threat?” asked Lipponen. “It looks like with the Roma question and the Romanian question, that there are clearly far-right phenomena in Europe, for example in Hungary. Of course European leaders should have something to say about these things.”

According to Lipponen, the far right had now entered the Finnish parliament. “The extreme right is now in parliament in Finland too, although there are no extreme right wing parties,” warned Lipponen. “The phenomenon should be isolated, and we should not concede an inch.”

He said that Finland had seen in the 1930s that the extreme right had no place in the country. He also scolded party leaders for shirking their responsibilities in relation to the Portugal aid package, and he was especially critical of the chair of the largest party, Jyrki Katainen of the National Coalition.