European morality sinks to its lowest level

The mood music for black and ethnic minority communities, migrants and asylum seekers across Europe and particularly in Britain has become distinctly hostile. An atmosphere of hatred has come to dominate the EU and UK political debates. Siren calls of xenophobia and racism wail like a demented banshee across the EU.

Such is the tone of this debate on immigration that here in the UK I feel like a stranger in the land of my birth.

Last week the toxic debates about migrants most notably highlighted by the wretched comments of Sun columnist Katie Hopkins who branded African migrants as "cockroaches" drew a unprecedented response from the United Nations Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussien.

Mr Hussien stated that:

The Nazi media described people their masters wanted to eliminate as rats and cockroaches.

This type of language is clearly inflammatory and unacceptable, especially in a national newspaper. The Sun's editors took an editorial decision to publish this article, and - if it is found in breach of the law - should be held responsible along with the author."

Such language, he added, was typical of "decades of sustained and unrestrained anti-foreigner abuse, misinformation and distortion" particularly in the British media.

The Society of Black Lawyers has made a formal complaint to the Metropolitan Police on the basis that Hopkins comments amounts to 'incitement to racial hatred'. The Independent Press Standards Organisation has also received over 300 complaints about the piece.

That such unrestrained racism is contagious is a matter of fact, particularly in the context of austerity economics. The media, political and banking elites have determined that immigration, not reckless casino investment banking that bankrupted European economies, is to blame for our woes.

Once unleashed, such scapegoating quickly mutates into a toxic virus that can inflame long held, repressed prejudice and racism.

The analogy by UN Commissioner Mr Hussien with comments made by the Third Reich is an important lesson from history that we're are in danger of forgetting, in a politically induced bout of historical amnesia.

It is also been conveniently forgotten by those who fly the xenophobic flag of nationalism, that modern Europe was built on the back of ruthless colonial exploitation of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Bled dry of natural and human resources, these subjugated colonial empires allowed Europe to amass the 'big capital' that sparked industrial revolution.

Five hundred years of slavery and colonialism provided the seed funding for EU capitalism and then ensured the financial success that allowed European nations to secure global economy ascendency. This, the greatest crime in human history, remains airbrushed from political dialogue, with no hope for reparations to those nations and peoples who intellectual, cultural, religious assets built up over thousands of years was so brutally stolen.

It must be clear then to most fair minded people that we have a moral duty to house migrants, whose homelands we invaded and destabilized, and for good measure selling arms to the factions and tribes our intervention set against each other.

And as that tide of miserable humanity is forced to leave the land of their birth, through war and famine, Europe has turned its face and looked the other way.

The psychological effects of racism dehumanises its victims and perpetrators. Too many in Europe believe these 'filthy migrants' or 'cockroaches' - most of whom are black Africans or Muslims - don't share a common humanity which is why common human compassion is in such short supply when it comes to aiding refugees from Africa or the Middle East.

Dehumanised, not worthy of humanitarian compassion, subject to historical revisionism that celebrates European and forgets the theft of colonialism, rising rates of racism and declining economies have produced a lethal cocktail of racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia and hate.

The precipitous economic crisis across the Euro zone spells danger for all minority communities in Europe. With nations in unprecedented debt to the tune of trillions of Euros, the likelihood is racism and xenophobia will get worse.

The answer to this migrant crisis is to pay reparations to the victims of slavery and ex colonial nations, and the good news is that African and Caribbean nations are now banging on the door of Europe and America, demanding reparations for the horrors of slavery and colonization. The global conference on Reparations held in New York earlier this month agreed that the next Reparations Summit will take place in Europe.

As well as the growing momentum behind the global reparations movement, the Movement Against Xenophobia held a demonstration that attracted 500 people outside the EU headquarters in London. All over Europe others are protesting in a similar fashion. What's needed now is a European Day Of Action for Migrants and as founding member of MAX I will be pushing this proposal at our next meeting.

The UN is right to issue its stern warning to the EU and UK on the dangers of racism and xenophobia, and The Sun and Ms Hopkins should face the full force of the law.

Whilst EU Governments continue to evade and deny their moral, historical and humanitarian responsibilities we will have to rely on the mass of decent European people to press their Governments to take real action and to persuade their compatriots to replace bigotry and ignorance with compassion and greater understanding.

Lee Jasper