We’ve seen a lot of xenophobia and anti-immigration rhetoric thrown at us in the past by politicians like Geert Wilders, who likes to test the waters of hate to see if he can take another step towards his grand plan, which is to make Holland white again.
Wilders’ plan against cultural and ethnic diversity is a recurring message we read over again from anti-immigration politicians. In plain English it means that we must do everything possible to stop the growth of cultural and ethnic diversity.
An interesting question we could ask is what does “white” mean? Sensible people understand that Europe has always been ethically and culturally diverse so what does “white” mean in the anti-immigration context? Coming from the mouths of politicians like Wilders, it’s a declaration of war against migrants and minorities.
The “everything possible” to keep our society white poses a scary question. How far will politicians like Wilders and others go to make their society white? If Wilders’ party or that of the Perussuomalaiset of Finland get enough support, what will they mutate to?
Many far-right anti-immigration politicians, however, won’t reveal their master plan for fear of losing and outraging voters.
That is exactly what Wilders did this week when he crossed the line and ensured a group of supporters that there would be fewer Moroccans in Holland, reports The Guardian.
Read full story here.
Wilders’ comment not only sheds light on such a politician’s Islamophobia, it is the penultimate step on a slippery slope.
Wilders isn’t the only anti-immigration politicians who plays with fire. Marine Le Pen, Pia Kjærsgaard, Timo Soini, Nigel Farage and many others play the same dangerous game.
Racism and intolerance know no master. It might serve you and you may keep it on a short leash. But the truth is that it can bite back and hard as we saw on 22/7 in Norway, the former Yugoslavia of the 1990s and in the extermination camps of Nazi Germany.
The racism and intolerance we are seeing today across Europe didn’t come recently but has always been with us. It has taken many forms and has its roots in European colonialism and imperialism from 1492.
Keeping a society white is not only a pipe dream but a racist ideal based on hocus-pocus myths.
The answer against such intolerance in acceptance, respect and equal opportunities for everyone irrespective of their background.
It’s all about respect and inclusion – not exclusion or spreading ethnic hatred.