OUTCOME OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS SHOWS IT IS OK TO BE RACIST IN EUROPE
PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.06.2009 13:50 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The elections yielded gains for far-right and
extremist parties in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary,
Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the United Kingdom, " Senator
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security
and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) and Co-Chairman
Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) stated today after the European
Union parliamentary elections. "Many of these parties openly ran
on xenophobic, racist, anti-Muslim, and anti-Semitic platforms,"
said Chairman Cardin. "At a time when we are already seeing increased
incidents of violence and discrimination towards minorities in Europe,
I am greatly concerned that the growth of these parties will only make
the situation worse. This is a worrying trend, " Benjamin L. Cardin
said. "The outcome of these elections sends the signal that it is OK
to be blatantly racist. It is ironic that at a time when Americans
have elected our first African-American President, Europe seems to be
backsliding and becoming less accepting of its diverse population,"
said Co-Chairman Hastings, who earlier this year co-hosted the first
Black European Summit in Brussels to discuss minority representation in
European politics. "This has potential ramifications for immigration,
discrimination, and other policies in Europe, and could build a
greater acceptance for anti-Semitism and other negative attitudes
towards minorities," Alcee Hastings said.
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