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| Europe |
| EU chief sounds alarm over rise of extremism |
| 2013-12-08 |
| [Pak Daily Times] EU Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso has made an impassioned plea for Europeans to resist mounting populism and extremism ahead of bloc-wide elections in May. So he's not talking about turbans, he's talking about the guys who want to get rid of the turbans. Europe is struggling to recover from a devastating economic crisis that has helped fuel anti-immigration and anti-EU sentiment, with far-right political parties gaining traction in several countries, including La Belle France. And with elections to the European Parliament due in May, the migration of workers from poorer to richer member states has become a hot political issue. "We must have the courage to fight these very negative forces," Barroso told AFP in an interview during a visit to Gay Paree for a major summit focused on security in Africa. "I am vehemently calling on Europeans to step out of the comfort zone, to quit their silence, to not always let extremes make their move, to have -- in La Belle France too -- the courage to defend Europe. "I would like it not to be the anti-Europeans who take the initiative by manipulating emotions and anxieties" linked to the crisis and unemployment, Barroso said, less than six months ahead of elections to the European parliament in which Death Eater parties look well placed. Last month, Marine Le Pen, head of La Belle France's far-right National Front party, and Dutch anti-Islamic leader Geert Wilders announced a "historic" alliance aimed at creating a group at the European parliament after the elections. This could also include Belgium's Vlaams Belang, Italia's Lega Nord and Austria's Freedom Party. Other countries have strong populist parties, such as Britannia's UKIP. "I would like to see pro-European forces from the centre-left, centre-right and centre have the courage to come and defend Europe, to show that there are things that must be done at a national level too," said Barroso, who in 2014 ends his second five-year mandate at the helm of the Commission. The former Portuguese prime minister said it was important to "explain that Europe is not the cause of problems but is also part of the solution." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Can't let the people express themselves. Look what it did to America! |
| Posted by: Bobby 2013-12-08 12:46 |