The recent race riots in the UK highlight the dangers of Far-Right sentiments permeating the wider society. These riots and attacks targeting immigrants, the Muslim community in particular, are a blight on one of the world’s leading democracies.
Until they were trounced by Labour at the recent General Elections, the Conservatives had engaged in anti-immigrant propaganda, with slogans such as “Stop the Boats”, not to mention the infamous Rwanda repatriation plan. These sentiments received a boost from Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, the rabidly anti-immigrant champion of Brexit.
Far-Right parties also made massive gains in the just-concluded European Parliamentary elections, with ramifications for the very future of the European project. The Far-Right surge, especially in the UK, France, Germany and Italy, Europe’s pillars of democracy, should be a matter of concern not only for Europeans but also for liberal-minded people around the world. The only silver lining was that firebrand anti-immigrant advocate Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (National Rally) could not make any outsize gains at the French General Elections, due to a last-minute surge for Leftist and Centrist parties. This shows that the Far-Right can be defeated if other parties and the public prevail over their divisive rhetoric.
In Germany, where the Far-Right AfD has made inroads into the political landscape, Federal Elections are due next year. Any further gains by Far-Right parties in these pivotal polls could indeed spell trouble for the EU, altering its political direction. For example, many Far-Right parties and political figures are opposed to giving more military and financial aid for Ukraine in its War with Russia, which also aligns with the thinking of Far-Right parties on the other side of the pond.
With Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump (whose contempt for NATO and immigrants is well known) too having a real shot at the Presidency in November 2024, Europe’s security landscape could change irreversibly. One of his first acts upon ascending to the Presidency in 2016 was to ban travellers and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, which was a total violation of the US Constitution.
Immigration is the hot-button issue on which the Far-Right parties thrive in Europe and the US. Extremist and fringe parties have portrayed immigrants as parasites that depend on Government handouts and take jobs away from the native population. Above all, they create a fear that migrants could overwhelm and one day overtake the native population a.k.a.
“The Great Replacement Theory”. This tallies well with the US Republican Party’s take on immigrants, legal or illegal. But the stark reality is that immigrants contribute positively to their host country’s economy and enrich the culture in so many other ways.
But all hope is not lost. Moderate parties around the world can act as an “anchor of stability” even as the ground beneath them shifts to the Right. They must ensure that the principle on which the EU was built – mainly the free movement of goods and people across borders – remain intact. Across the world, countries and blocs want to emulate the EU in this regard. Thailand is taking the lead to introduce an ASEAN free travel area, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are planning a single visa called GCC Grand Tours and Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are also planning to introduce a single tourist visa called a “Univisa”. In this context, it is a pity that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) lies dormant due to bilateral issues between India and Pakistan. One can just imagine SAARC’s potential if there was free movement of goods and people (both foreigners and SAARC citizens) in the SAARC region. Sometime back, there was indeed a proposal to issue SAARC visas to foreigners, but not much has been heard about it since then.
Countries cannot exist in isolation, a lesson that the UK learned after the folly of Brexit. An alliance among countries, whether military, political or economic, always has more clout on the international stage. This is exactly what the EU has proved over the years. But any such bloc should not veer away from the fundamental tenets of democracy, equality and the rule of law. This is the challenge that the world now faces, as the Far-Right encroaches on these values that we have cherished for generations.
Fortunately, there are no parties that espouse Far-Right values in Sri Lanka, although there are extremist parties with radical ideas which are not exactly democratic. But both Far-Right and other extremist parties create a “Fear of the other” (community or religious group) to gain votes.
Indeed, there are parties based on religious or ethnic identities that are inimical to the concept of co-existence in our multi-ethnic society. There was in fact a proposal by the Election Commission (EC) to ban such parties from fielding candidates in national elections. Moreover, the proposal called for not allowing the registration of new parties based on race or religion. This should be followed up, at least from the next election cycle.
Sri Lanka, emerging from a 30-year war and the Easter Sunday attacks, cannot afford such divisions as it seeks to become a frontline nation in Asia. The public must also eschew parties that have communal or religious undertones and place their trust only in the secular national parties. There are many occasions when minority candidates have won constituencies in national elections with the support of the majority community. That is what we should aspire to achieve at all national elections. All parties should promote a truly Sri Lankan identity without taking the easy option of playing the race card.
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