As we approach the European elections the immigration debate is increasingly toxic – as with other elections.
We’ve seen it all, from false scare stories about the impact of immigration to the hypocrisy of politicians who consistently call for reducing immigration yet hire migrant workers for cleaning and childcare.
Politicians in Britain and all over Europe are leading their own populations up a dead end on the issue of immigration. The latest are in Switzerland, where last month a narrow majority of voters backed a referendum proposition that overturns the country’s commitment to freedom of movement for citizens of the EU.
The proposition was sponsored by the right. But it was able to gain a bare majority because anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric has become a staple of political debate in the country.
Campaign posters for the Yes vote included A Million Muslims Soon? and others showed a field of sheep with white faces and one black face.
In Britain, the intimidating text messages and “go-home” ad-vans are a deliberate part of a Tory election strategy to get the debate away from the cost of living crisis where Labour leads and onto immigration.
As a result there is a daily stream of fictitious anecdotes and spurious statistics from some of the tabloids in support of that political campaign.
Just as in Switzerland the debate on immigration here is really about racism. When immigrants are mentioned in Britain no-one is talking about Aussie backpackers working their way through Europe, or French and US investment bankers.
This is despite the fact that immigrants to this country are increasingly white, the result of freedom of movement rules we all benefit from.
In response to an economic crisis unprecedented in most Britons’ lifetimes we are increasingly told that wages, services and social protection are all being cut because of immigration. Apparently, recent immigrants are here both to steal jobs and to live off benefits.
Terms such as immigrant, refugee, asylum seeker and foreigner are all lumped together. And anyone who doubts the racist nature of this debate should refer to the recent report from Childline which notes a surge in racist bullying of kids as a direct result of the toxic “debate on immigration.”
The government suppressed its own report into the effects of EU immigration because it did not back up the wild claims made by the Home Secretary that immigration is detrimental to the employment of British people.
This is because the Tories have decided to fight the next election on backward nonsense about immigration since they think this is how to win back support they are losing to Ukip.
Why the Lib Dems are going along with it is anyone’s guess.
But that poses a question for the Labour Party and its leadership. What do they think they are doing by trying to be tougher than the Tories on immigration?
There are no votes for Labour in being Ukip-lite. It will deter many core voters from turning out, once again.
It will put off former Lib Dem voters who have come to Labour as they believed they were voting for a progressive party and are repelled by the coalition.
It is often claimed that Labour has a more socially progressive agenda on immigration by focusing on the alleged impact on lower wages, pressure on public services, lack of affordable housing and so on.
But it is employers who cut wages, not immigrants. It is the austerity policies of the coalition that are cutting services, and it is the lack of affordable council house building under this government and new Labour which is causing the housing crisis.
These real issues are the ones that will determine the election result.
They have nothing to do with immigration and everything to do with failed economic policies. The focus on immigration is a diversion, in a well-worn tactic of scapegoating by politicians who refuse to deal with the real crisis facing us.
That is why we called the Stand Up to Racism and Fascism event commemorating UN Anti-Racism Day on March 22.
I urge all progressive people to join us. We have an opportunity in Britain to prevent the scale of the rise of the far right that we have seen in France, Greece, the Netherlands and many other countries.
But we can only succeed if we challenge racist scapegoating, not concede to Ukip.
Sabby Dhalu is joint national secretary of Unite Against Fascism.
The Stand Up to Racism and Fascism march and rally on 22 March 2014 assembles at 11am, Old Palace Yard, Parliament – rally in Trafalgar Square. Speakers include Diane Abbott MP, Jean Lambert MEP, Claude Moraes MEP, TUC president Mohammad Taj, NUT general secretary Christine Blower and Cable Street veteran Max Levitas. For the full lineup see www.standuptoracism.org.uk.
