I arrived in Brussels 40 years ago as a student, scarred by the legacy of two deadly wars between India and Pakistan and their continued hostility. I was ready to be seduced by a story of peace and cooperation, where former rivalries were reconciled through the sharing of trade and sovereignty. EU and I were a perfect fit.
It may seem impossible, but Belgium attracted me and loved me. University life was multicultural and exciting. Fulfilling a long-held dream, I became a journalist, covering EU foreign policy and European global trade and aid policy, and later writing and commenting.
The EU ‘project’ and the centrality its founding principles give to democracy, the rule of law and human rights continues to fill me with admiration. But as we watch an open and progressive Europe dangerously erode, the moments are becoming more heartbreaking than emotional.
A Eurocentric, xenophobic and inward-looking Europe is in danger of being replaced by the hopeful vision that once inspired me and so many others around the world.
Equitable responses to human rights violations are being replaced by selective moral outrage. EU standards justify criticism of China, Myanmar and many African countries, while turning a blind eye to Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians and India’s actions towards its many Muslim citizens.
Instead of focusing on building a “union of equality” as promised by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU appears to have set up an informal hierarchy of rights. The dedication of European Muslims to combating Islamophobia (what Brussels authorities call anti-Muslim hatred), despite the fact that the EU’s Equality Action Plan already exists for all other ethnic minorities. Is there any other reason why we are still waiting for a “strategy”? And why, at the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, leading EU politicians and some media outlets made it clear that Ukrainian refugees deserved a warm welcome, and refugees from Asia and Africa did not. Or?
Ukrainian refugees on the border with Poland, April 9, 2022. Photo: Amy Katz/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock
Hungary and Poland have been rightly criticized for violating EU rule of law provisions on press freedom, the fight against corruption and the independence of the judiciary. But racist hate speech by the same government is allowed. Following the horrific murder of schoolteacher Samuel Paty in 2020, Amnesty International called on French authorities to stop supporting “the portrayal of all Muslims as suspects” and to ” He had to warn them to stop making “irrational, prejudiced, and discriminatory statements directed at refugees.”
This in no way indicates that the EU is turning into a fascist bloc. But no one will be satisfied if the core conditions of EU membership – democracy and the rule of law – are hijacked and violated by the likes of Viktor Orban and Giorgia Meloni.
The tragedy in Europe today is that so many mainstream leaders and politicians have embraced far-right views and rhetoric, brought them into government, and allowed far-right views to determine policy. It is. It feels almost quaint to remember that Austria was hit with EU sanctions in 2000 after anti-immigration politician Jörg Haider joined the ruling coalition. In 2017, Haider’s far-right Freedom Party was accepted as a coalition member. There was radio silence from the capitals of other EU countries.
Nor have any EU governments publicly expressed displeasure at Sweden’s decision to serve as EU “president” in 2023 with a minority centre-right coalition government supported and influenced by the far-right Sweden Democrats. Meanwhile, there are disturbing signs in the European Parliament that leaders of the centre-right EPP group are seeking a coalition with Meloni’s right-wing group ECR. This means that far-right politicians and those who support their views could control parliament after the next election in 2024.
Far-right leaders set many parts of the EU’s agenda. Aggressive immigration policies, including the illegal pushback of refugees and based on racist and demonizing rhetoric, are increasingly supported by mainstream European leaders.
Refugees arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos on a Frontex ship on February 28, 2020. Photo: Michael Varaklas/AP
The recently disgraced “cash for migrants” deal with Tunisia was announced by Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, along with Prime Minister von der Leyen, calling it a “model” for similar EU deals with other countries. He said it could become. Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief foreign affairs official, has expressed “incomprehension” of some member states towards the deal, but his opposition appears to be more about the process than the policy direction.
But there is broader responsibility for the EU’s loss of its collective moral compass. By describing France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen as a “blonde bombshell” and by failing to challenge the views of far-right populist Thierry Baudet, some media outlets have become “popular” on the political fringes. He has contributed to amplifying the character of “charismatic” people. Netherlands. Indeed, 2020 saw large numbers of Black Lives Matter protests take place in many European cities. But the continued dehumanization of refugees and public inertia towards discrimination against Muslims are signs that once-taboo ideas are becoming dangerously normalized.
By obstructing the EU’s modest efforts to implement its anti-racism action plan, eliminate structural discrimination, including police violence against brown and black Europeans, and make its institutions more diverse and inclusive. It’s not just the far right. Sadly, “Brussels is very white” is not just a hashtag, but an accurate label for an entity that remains predominantly Eurocentric and white.
People often ask me why I care so much. Perhaps that’s because we remember an earlier, more principled era when governments seemed less driven by geopolitical imperatives. For example, the EU has flatly rejected the flawed logic of an inevitable “clash of civilizations” in the aftermath of George W. Bush’s post-9/11 call for a “crusade” against terrorism. Perhaps it is because of the many ways in which the EU continues to give hope to struggling democracies and human rights defenders, and how it is supporting vulnerable populations in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Maybe it’s because I know. And while historical amnesia certainly continues, we see some European governments beginning to recognize and voice remorse for their ignominious colonial past and their role in the slave trade. That’s reassuring.
Some argue that “Europeanness” as an identity is inherently tied to white and Christian traditions, meaning that people of color can never be accepted as “European.” But despite my doubts about where I “really” come from, I have no intention of relinquishing my claim to count as European, to be hyphenated, and to be proudly multicultural.
Restoring Europe’s moral compass cannot be left to a few organizations or individuals. That requires courageous progressive leadership and all those who want to live in a tolerant and inclusive Europe, and I stand firm in the belief that this is the majority.
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