Associating minority groups with everything that's going wrong in society is nothing new. The insinuation by The Danish People's Party of there being no free food left in hospital waiting rooms due to the large appetite of foreign immigrants should therefore come as no surprise. (See original article http://politiken.dk/indland/ECE1107381/df-indvandrere-tager-din-saft-og-kage/)
What is shocking, however, is the fact that the Danish People's Party is the third largest party in this country. where do all the votes come from and does this reflect something rather upsetting about a nation that prides itself in liberal, egalitarian virtues? The notion of there being such extensive support for a party that has made no attempt to hide its scorn and contempt for foreign nationals living on Danish soil is a troubling prospect indeed. The severity of it all is emboldened by the fact that Denmark doesn't actually have that many immigrants compared to other European nations and the rate of immigration into the country is considerably below the EU norm. The Danish people's party has however, made every attempt to magnify and exaggerate the issue of immigration, likening it to an attack on the virtues and traditions of the nation, in keeping with the traditions of most right-wing movements.
Just over half a century ago a certain minority group in European society were directly and deliberately linked to the problems and predicaments of the time. The results of this persecution were catastrophic to say the least, yet fast forward the hand of time to modern day European society and the notion that history repeats itself may indeed seem rather plausible. The rise of far-right parties in Europe over the last five years is as alarming as it is deplorable. The British National Party recently gained representation in the European parliament whilst the French National Front continues to increase its influence in everyday French politics. In The Netherlands, Geert Wilders' anti-Islamist Party For Freedom has equalled the the Danish People's party in becoming the third largest political party (as of the 2010 general election) For a party that is only five years old, such exponential growth can only be described as remarkable, yet again the question as to what this reflects about the attitudes of a nation comes to prominence.
The tactics of the aforementioned far-right political parties seek, in no uncertain terms, to instill a fear of the unknown amongst the citizens of Europe by tactically cultivating associations between the problems of a nation and the immigrants within it. Immigrants are portrayed as being problematic, destructive and threatening to the fundamental ideals of the nation thus prompting a fear of everything foreign and a melodramatic affection for nationalist morals and only nationalist morals.
To all those who continue to vote for the far right, what you fear is not out there amongst the immigrants of whom you know absolutely nothing about, it is nowhere else than within you, in the caverns and crevices of your conscience that you dare not venture into. Your fear is essentially the fear of the unknown, the fear of not being part of the nationalist zeitgeist that you believe to be your safety net, the fear of being an individual capable of rational and independent thought. Truth however is prevalent construct even amongst those in denial; perhaps the culprit responsible for the problems of modern day Europe is none other than the foreigner staring at you in the mirror.
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