err?

I take it who have spent the last 30 years being called a “dirty Arab”, “Ayatollah” or “wog”. Being told to “get back where you came from”, or being told that you couldn’t have that job cause “they’ve filled their quota”… you’ve never come across the National Front, BNP or been “stopped and searched” by police.

Maybe you should go to Paris and discover why women in veils never go into the city center… or why one Black British student being stopped by the cops five times during a school trip…

… and then when you complain being told “you’re not assimilating”.

Sorry AJP the place your talking about does’nt realy exist.

“…until the European governments start respecting the rights of immigrants in their countries and treat them equally, and until they stop sending their troops to our region, and until they stop supporting our dictators… expect more embassies torched down in the Middle East and more riots in Europe, motherfuckers…”

Ok, you have a point. But I think you’re being a little unfair. To begin with, European Governments vary greatly in their apporach to immigrants. Yes, there has been a certain amount of push-back in some European states against a perceived ‘invasion’ of foreigners, but in others immigration has continued with hardly a ripple in public discourse.

As for the rights of immigrants in EU countries, I think you will have to agree that they are far more robust than the rights they ‘enjoyed’ in their country of origin. Immigration is nothing new in Europe. Over the last century wave after wave of new arrivals have settled in European capitals without a problem. It takes time for a new ethnic group to establish itself in its adopted country, but to date most of them have. I would venture to say that a black person in the UK enjoys more freedom and opportunities in the UK, for example, than a Sudanese immigrant anywhere in the Arab world.

As for EU support for dictators in the Arab world, I agree that it seems to be a short-sighted and proabably counterproductive policty. But the EU is faced with a difficult question: The current wave of emigration from the Arab world is fuelled by the apalling economic conditions that prevail accross much of the Middle East. If it is to stop, conditions must be improved in poor and populous contries like Egypt. Whether we like like it or not, nations now operatie in a globalized economy. The current regime is taking steps to increase its share of foreign investment (not just from the US and EU, but also from its wealthy Gulf neighbours), and there simply doesn’t seem to be anyone else on the scene that offer a viable alternative. The Muslim Brotherhood? Their promise to tear up the peace treaty with Israel will kick Egypt back into an economic dark age. The other opposition parties appear to be of little interest to the Egyptian population. Ergo, the current regime contiues to receive support, for now.

Racism exists, everywhere. But I think you’ll find that in Europe there are at least legal safeguards against it that are generally vigourously pursued. Try to racially abuse anyone in public in the EU and find out.