Felicity Slater reports from the PES Re:new Convention, where at the ‘Challenging Hate Across Europe’ workshop a panel of MEPs, sociologists, activists and researchers explored how the progressive left should respond in the face of growing intolerance and disunity across the continent.
At a glance, the claim that a hate phenomenon is on the rise may seem difficult to uphold: hate crime is declining and violent attacks are fewer. Yet, as sociologist Michel Wierviorka stressed, discrimination has two faces. Alongside its easily recognisable forms, like open racial abuse, is a systemic, institutional variety, such as the invisible gender discrimination that silently deselects a job applicant before interview because they are a woman.
Today, this institutionalised discrimination is a particular threat as the dominant right across Europe unreservedly embrace a wave of populist backlash, playing with ease and ambiguity upon the worst and most populist of our crisis-stricken societies’ fears — from reestablishing border controls to banning the burqa.
Spanish Socialist MEP Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar thus poignantly highlighted that whereas the EU’s motto is ‘united in diversity’, what we are witnessing is an unfolding process of disunity, fracturing the rich fabric of solidarity that defines Europe.
Redressing this retrograde step towards segregation requires huge political will and effort. While the populist response is only too easy, as we have seen in Britain, France and beyond, the progressive left must unerringly demonstrate its commitment to the European ideal of diversity and unity. If we are to profoundly and durably transform attitudes and combat ingrained and resurgent hate, we must articulate a strategic, cooperative response, seeking out and building coalitions across diverse groups in society.
It is vital that we do not let the right dominate and controvert debates about freedom and choice into an easy vehicle for jingoistic rhetoric and nationalist ideals, as we have seen with secularism and the burqa. However, whilst we must openly and resoundingly condemn those who seek to undermine our principles of tolerance and respect for human dignity, there is nonetheless a fine balance to be struck with regards to respecting freedom of expression.
Indeed, the number and complexity of causes of intolerance and discrimination imply that attacking them through repression via legislation and criminalisation alone will be blunt and insufficient: it is important to also make more profound attempts to educate and change attitudes. However, there are simple steps that can be taken. It should, for example, be made easier to denounce discrimination in the workplace, so that victim support is improved and justice is served.
When evoking hate politics and intolerance, the reflex of the progressive left can often and all too easily be one of simple denunciation: it is a truism that respect for human dignity is at the heart of what we stand for. Yet as twenty-first century prejudice and hate resurface in increasingly subtle and pernicious ways, so we must fight for its defence with all the more urgency.
Our mission, more than ever, is to unfailingly contest discrimination in every form that contradicts our values of tolerance and respect for diversity. Only then can we promote an alternative to renascent introspection and hate that at best the right ignore and at worst self-interestedly foster.
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Felicity Slater is a member of Progress and reported from the PES Convention in Brussels
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Photo: European parliament
Very thoughtful contribution from what is a useful event. But combatting intolerance is 2-way. Insisistence on ideology or practices (homophobia, patriarchical control of women including dictating how they dress, anti-semitism disguised as pro-Palestinian solidarity) also need to be addressed. The left must never forget the categorical imperative “Do as you would be done by”. Multi-culturalism demands as much respect for host or native cultures as for that which arrives with incomers. The left has not really got this right and in failing to think hard has opened the way to the right’s crude xenophobia and name-calling
Denis MacShane
A not entirely helpful or enlightened contribution from an ignorant MP (Shock!)
It’s truly amazing the level of social segregation leveled by MPs in Parliament towards various groups ranging from the homeless, the sick and the disabled over the past and especially recent years as they attempt to appease their media friends and outright snobs in the Westminster lavatory.
From expenses (attempting to resist the release of information when Heather Brookes first carried her investigation as she realized how regressive Labour was when compared to the USA in obtaining information) to the notion that led to the General public being literally afraid of discussing Immigration for fear (and this is on the doorstep…shockingly) of being labelled and branded a racist by the Labour inquisition.
The problem is that people like Denis MacShane MP ARE the reasons we now having to concern ourselves with social unrest, segregation and blame. Remember you polarized politics, you all decided that Westminster would be a one Party club on the quiet.
Well, congratulations you succeeded you took the politics out of Parliament and have left it on the streets of Great Britain, debates on crime, jobs, the environment, equality are limited to lip service, jargon and very narrow compromise indeed in Parliament while the rest of the country faces up to and has to deal with the real politics of the real day.
Even now the gap between the citizen or resident and Local and National Government is still widening and people are seeking alternative platforms to have a say, some will go the way of the far right as they place their genuine complaints to the Council or their MP and then get ignored.
Being Independent has enabled me to meet such groups, the mass disenfranchised that paranoid, stupid politicians have ignored at their peril. MPs talk about community in the Labour Party but do absolutely nothing, hoping some other person will do the work.
Leadership during a difficult is in short supply and the Labour Party has fully and cynically committed itself to representing only vested interest. What are they doing now? Recruiting armed forces Officers as MPs because they cannot think of any over cause they can use to attack the Tories that might be worth some votes and allow them to cash in on more wars and stupidity.
Totally mad. Total abuse and insult to the armed forces as it was when Nick Griffin had a young lad dressed as a soldier and paraded him through Dagenham.
The Leaders of the Labour really have no idea how ridiculous they are and look. You are copying the BNP hahahahaha.
Come on! How crap are they?
The level of ridiculousness seems to know no limit whatsoever and everyone knows establishment Officers satisfy the polarization of politics completely. Just the sheer snobbery of it.
The public will see through this and heavens only knows what the armed forces associations will make of it when you start parading these silly foolish people around.
It’s just completely weird and bizarre. A blatant fix and scam.
It looks like Labour along with the rest of the so-called “center-left” which is a weird name for Corporate sell-outs, who agree with about 95% of what the Tories are doing is dedicated to unraveling democracy, destroying itself, destroying whatever shabby remnants remain of Social democracy in Europe whilst embarrassing themselves, their members at every available opportunity.
It is truly incredible, when it comes to dealing with the Far Right I think next time we should let the Labour Leadership take a more direct approach at the very least we will all be very well entertained.
😉
PS
if you do not practice Equal Opportunities (Equality) and you do not practice democracy in your selection processes how then are you different from the BNP? Is your brand of bias and prejudice different from theirs?
You all have a lot of work to do to win any kind of credibility at all maybe one day you’ll re-found your Party and change it and make it a modern democratic political force……and I wish you luck for when you do 😉
Who believes it matters? A poll actually worth reading about what people feel and think about Labour , which actually has very dangerous implications should the economy take a fall, probably totally glazed over by shallow politicians but of deep concern to me.
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/
Sheer lack of choice and powerlessness economically when so many got it wrong at the top is unlike anything that has occurred in the UK. The reason for this is a sense of National identity and sense that politicians are public servants is gone.
The trust vacuum is poignant and this is why for past two years i have been very vocal and less than polite with politicians who needed a kick up the backside because they are and remain very stupid people, with one or two exceptions.
Challenging hate across Europe is going to be very hard when we cannot defeat the conceit and contempt that nutters hold for the people under the fantastical delusion that in opposition to modern life and science regarding nature/nurture of elitism and political elites.
Something for you all to think about, had Labour lived up to its historical record and some of its good traditions and values we would now be in a better place because we would have more creative and less “controlled and repressed” politicians.
Labour is completely to blame for this and the legacy of Labour in helping the far right will be recorded in history along with the people responsible when they bleated about Equality and fairness but deilver the opposite, failing many people and as I argued on Total Politics this has resulted in the destruction of Social Democracy quite rightly across Europe.
Elisim and the egos of the very weak who need to compensate so badly by using such pathetic empty titles.