Sunday’s German election told us an important fact: It pays to attack migrants relentlessly. Even if we do not want to make direct references to the rise of the Nazis in 1933 and the devastating impact it still has on us, we are entering a new phase in Europe that has its past troubled history sprinkled all over it.
We are seeing the same fear-mongering that we saw against the Jews and other minorities in Germany, the UK, France and many other European countries before the outbreak of World War 2. Our brazen cowardice, opportunism and lust for power are drving towards such a disaster.
The great problem in Europe is not only our incapability to see the elephant in the room but to react to it. Most Western leaders will play down the fascist shift of Donald Trump’s administration, which is only a sign of weakness and moral decay.
But most of Europe has a solution to all of its woes: Blame it on the migrants, especially racialized migrants.
What will governments do after sucking up and forming alliances with the far right when they discover that scapegoating migrants offers no solutions but will only contribute to chronic labor shortages?
Will the next step be war to cover their denial and ignorance?