Respectable Racism
Church and Race Magazine, Autumn 2003, Vol 18, No 2
In the Summer edition of Church and Race, Rev Arlington Trotman described how
the BNP won thirteen seats in the local elections in May and looked at the
underlying causes, principally the irresponsible misinformation of some
newspapers and politicians on asylum and the fact that in more segregated
communities, the BNP has found more support.
Is the situation in other EU countries similar and what is the position of
far-right parties across the EU, and is there any real connection with the BNP's
limited but worrying gains.
After the saturation media coverage of the second round of the French
Presidential elections in 2002, the emergence of Haider's Austrian Freedom Party
and the creation and demise of Pim Fortyn's far right party in the Netherlands,
there appears to have been a 'lull' in far right activity.
The reality is in many ways, far more alarming than what seemed to be
'breakthrough' gains between 1999-2002.
Far right parties in other EU countries are not so much 'marching' as
'mainstreaming'. Even where they seem to be in demise, the real damage has been
caused by the way they are forcing their ideas into mainstream policy making and
the way those ideas are becoming more respectable and commonplace, with Italy
who currently hold the EU's Presidency illustrating this phenomenon.
Three important examples are the way in which three of the smaller EU member
states mainstream politics have been dramatically changed over the pivotal
issues of immigration and race.
In Denmark it is now widely accepted that the influence of the far right
Danish People's Party has had a lasting effect on natural politics. The worst
example was the passing of a new statute in 2002 which would prevent anyone
under the age of 24 from living in Denmark with a non-EU spouse. The law's
unspoken rationale is to deter arranged marriages but is ensures that the legal
framework of the country would permanently and institutionally discriminate
against 'foreigners'.
In the Netherlands and Belgium the localised and concentrated success of the
Fortyn list and the Vlaams Bloc has had deep implications for the mainstream
political parties who now regard anti-immigrant policy making as an inescapable
priority of government. This happens even when, as in the Netherlands the 'Pim
Fortyn List' has collapsed, or in Belgium where despite right wing pressure the
Belgian government was one of only two member states to comprehensively
implement the new race equality directive by the deadline set by the European
Commission.
'Mainstreaming' of the far right is as dangerous as the more obvious
electoral gains of the far right on the ground. It is crucial that the whole
range of responses against this development are deployed in partnership between
those who care - faith groups, NGOs, trade unions, politicians, committed
journalists and less obvious groups like business organisations who can tell the
truth about the positive impact of immigration in EU countries.
It is a daunting task but the agenda is very clear.
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