Point taken...but I do not think it entirely fair to blaim the EU and the EU's instiutions for contributions to the climate of fear and racism in Europe. Politicians, member states and the media in many countries seem to me more complicit than the EU (which is anyway an expression of the climate in Europe, not the source of all policy and politics as the British eurosceptic media often imply).
I have not seen comprehensive data, but my anecdotal feeling is that most Europeans of colour (and "white" muslims in Europe) have a generally positive view of the EU as a bastion of relative tolerance and community and if not exactly anti-racism, then at lesat "supranationalism".
Regards, James D Sidaway
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for critical and radical geographers on behalf of D F J Wood
Sent: Thu 02/06/2005 23:47
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: dutch no
>Also, muslim friends in France tell me that most muslim
>citizens there mostly voted yes....since the EU is seen as a
>protection of sorts against the racist right.
And yet it's the EU that has created the 'Fortress Europe' / Schengen
immigration control system, well documented by Didier Bigot et al.'s
excellent research over recent years that has so strongly contributed to
the climate of fear and racism in Europe...
The votes AGAINST the constitution (not the EU project in toto, of
course) on the left are generally because it enshrines a far more
neo-liberal imperative that most would want, and does very little to
protect anybody, and because it is fundamentally uninspiring
poorly-written and verbose vision - in fact, as a document, it is
perhaps the least inspiring constitution I have read...
David.
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