Since German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, opened Germany’s borders to Syrian refugees in 2015, the entire European continent has been racked by an immigration crisis. The most affected and influential nations being Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and the United Kingdom. When the waves of migrants initially began flooding into Europe, the European Union was welcoming to all, regardless of status or origin. However, many problems began to develop. Aside from difficulties with finding where to put the migrants, the host nations began seeing drastic increases in crime—particularly sexual assault, rape, and assault—and terrorism, as well as sections of their own cities being completely taken over. Countries such as Poland and Hungary have avoided these issues by taking in not a single soul.
With this in mind, it is important to consider the implications the immigration crisis will have on European politics. The 2016 election of Donald J. Trump, and the United Kingdom’s 2016 decision to leave the European Union began the wave of populism and right leaning government practices. What will happen to Europe’s immigration policy? According to the Fox News article, “European leaders, facing growing public unease, toughen up on immigration,” Europe has already begun to see a shift to the right in its immigration policies and governments altogether. The article states that after tanking poll numbers Merkel was forced to push for a “burqa ban” barely a year after the immigration began. The border fence along the Hungarian border, along with other measures to keep migrants out, is also mentioned in the article. The article even mentions French President Macron’s hard stance on immigration. Italy has certainly already pushed back on immigration, striking some “controversial” deals with Libya to help the Coast Guard. The Fox News article mentions the likelihood of Italy’s moderate right wing party, Forza Italia, to become the next party in power in Italy’s government. Even Greece is beginning to send strong messages to warn other migrants to stay out—in example, the Greek government keeping the immigrants awaiting processing on the island of Lesbos in horrible conditions as a warning.
The issue is far more than a political issue. It is also a social issue. The people of Europe are doing more than taking to the polls to express their displeasure, they are taking to the streets , and in some cases matters into their own hands. As no-go zones and ghettos became ever prevalent in German cities so did protests and outrage by the German people. The massive wave of sexual assault in Cologne, Germany resulted in massive protests. “We are the people!” A slogan that could be easily heard throughout the streets of Berlin as a result of the disastrous immigration policy of Chancellor Merkel. The German people clearly felt that the government was not listening to them. They are the people, not the government. The people did not want the immigrants, nor the culture of abuse and intolerance that accompanied them. The culture of the immigrants is in direct contrast to that of the European host nations. This has lead to directly to the problems of sexual assault and terrorism.
The social and civil unrest is not restricted solely to Germany. In Italy in 2016, on the island of Sicily—the stronghold of the Italian mob—a war broke out between the mafia and the immigrants. Due to a dramatic rise in crime caused by migrants the Italian government was pumping onto the island, the people of Sicily started to fear for their safety in a way they had not for many decades. With law enforcement tied by the red tape of government the mafia took matters into their own hands and began a war with the immigrants by killing them if found. While highly illegal and unethical, the action had popular support. The Sicilians hated the immigrants forced into them by the national government and the European Union that killing was acceptable. That would be as if killing facials or communists in the United States were justified.
The sheer number of problems caused by the floods of migrants from the Middle East, most of whom have no documentation, have caused extreme social unrest throughout Europe. So much so that political change is beginning to line up with Donald Trump and Brexit—which itself was a large result of immigration policy. European nations that once proudly welcomed waves of refugees now deport and push them away. Is the shift toward the more right wing attitude in immigration and border security the beginning of the end for liberalism in Europe, at least for the current political cycle? Or will European nations continue to allow immigrants to enter and run rampant in their own nations? If so how will the people react? Upcoming elections in Italy and other powerhouses within the Europe Union—particularly Germany—will decide the fate of Europe which will inevitably affect the United States and the rest of the world.