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The snake that crawls around Europe
by Thanos Kalamidas
2010-06-11 08:51:27 |
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This is one of those times when proven right makes you so sad. When back in late 1980s very few we were talking about the rebirth of racism, prejudice and hate groups in Europe everybody was laughing pointing out that in most countries for example Nazi parties were illegal. Now, over twenty years after a party that proudly declares its anti-Islam character has won the elections in Netherlands, in the heart of the European Union and we all stand numb in front the new reality and prove on how fragile democracy is.
Actually back in late 1980s the face of the fascism had also a name and it was the French Le Pen often causing the sarcasm form the conservatives and the socialists alike. Today fascism and racism has many names, apparently one for every European Union member state; for some of them provocatively open, for some of them still hinting behind mainstream parties and even governments. The amazing thing is that all the constitutions of the European states guarantee the punishment of racism, prejudice and any sign of hate activities but in the name of democracy, freedom for all and respect to opposition we have parties with names like anti-Islam party, the True Finns or the Greek Popular Orthodox Rally.
How do you identify an anti-Islam party if not racist by definition of the name? The personal choice of faith for them is illegal? Does the personal choice of life style bother them as well? What about wearing an earring or having long hair? What about wearing black trousers and orange shirts or tennis shoes? Is this against their identification? And how are they going to proceed? Every Muslim in Holland will go to concentration camps? Because there are people in Holland, people who born in Holland and that’s what they call home; they have educated and grew up like every other Dutch and they are Dutch. People who despite stereotypes have blonde hair and blue eyes. So where these people are going to go. They cannot depart to another country, this is there country.
And what about the True Finns? Do they want to guard the purity of the nation? All these 93 years of history? And how they identify this Pure Finns? Somebody who born in Finland from parents who moved in Finland when they were kids or even better from parents who born in Finland despite their South American or African roots, who never been in the country of their ancestors, and are more Finns than a lot of Finns for those True Finns are not Finns? And what are they going to do with them. Concentration camps? “Arbeit macht frei” is the new motto? And don’t think that I’m going to leave Greece out of it. A party that identifies itself as the Greek Popular Orthodox Rally is after the Balkan coreligionists. Because the last time I checked the majority of the Balkans are still Orthodox Christians. Or it has to be with Greek Orthodox only? So what? Are they going to protect religious purity? Do the good guys always wear a gold cross around their neck for them? And what about the Catholics, the Protestants and the atheists? Are they going to find out how frei arbeit makes them?
And these are just some examples from what’s really going on this moment in Europe with the East European countries see Nazism and fascism in a total growth. A lot of times in articles I have wrote that democracy always finds a way to win in the end and we saw that in many cases in history even with the Second World War. The problem is with what happened until democracy wins. Over six million Jews died in gas champers in the Nazi concentration camps. Over a million gays, gipsies, communists, opponents followed them and that only in Europe since the rest of the European counties found the chance for their little local clearances. Tens of millions died in this war and continued suffering for decades thanks to the atomic bombs and all that because of prejudice and racism. Purity! Ironically if you check any photos of the leadership of this purism, Hitler and gang, you don’t really get the ideal picture of the perfect race.
I think that the time for wait and see is over for Europe and the time for action is here. Unfortunately Europe is lacking the necessary leadership to act and clowns like Berlusconi are not exactly the leader you expect in front a crisis of those dimensions. As far Holland, now they are going to find out what short off snake they were keeping in their lap.
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