Anti-immigration rhetoric and policies are gaining strength across Europe

 

Anti-immigration sentiment is growing across Europe. Last year, thousands of anti-immigration protesters marched through the streets of London, chanting “Send them back!” A UK lawmaker complained that he was seeing more non-white faces on television. The country’s top politicians are also advocating for the deportation of migrants.

The trend of openly demonising migrants and people of immigrant descent is increasing across the UK and Europe. Migration is rising to the forefront of political discourse. Right-wing parties campaigning on the issue are also growing in popularity.

In several European countries, political parties that portray migration as a threat to national identity are at the top or near the top of opinion polls. These parties include Reform UK in the UK, Alliance for Germany in Germany and National Rally in France.

A growing sense of division in Europe

Migration to some European countries has increased dramatically over the past decade. This is partly due to the arrival of millions of asylum seekers fleeing conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine. However, the number of asylum seekers is relatively small compared to the total migration. According to experts, there are several reasons behind the negative attitudes towards diversity and immigration. Economic stagnation since the 2008 global financial crisis, the rise of charismatic nationalist politicians and the divisive effect of social media have all played a role.

Social media has fueled divisive sentiments, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), where algorithms favour divisive content and whose owner, Elon Musk, retweets far-right posts in support.

Among the far-right parties across Europe, Germany’s Alliance for Germany, France’s National Rally, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party are promoting ethnic nationalism. Now it is also receiving support from the Trump administration. This hostile language has raised concerns among many European politicians.

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Racist rhetoric is on the rise.

Policies once considered extremist are now firmly on the political agenda. Reform UK, the far-right party that regularly tops opinion polls, says it will strip immigrants of their permanent residency status if it comes to power — even if they have been in the UK for decades. The opposition Conservatives say dual British nationals who commit crimes will be deported.

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