We all know the famous Shakespeare quote about the state of Denmark.
As the results of Denmarks elections came in I now see foreign reporting on how the left and moderates fought off the (extreme) right.
Specifically there's mentions on how this is a win for those favouring closer international cooperation, humane treatment of all people etc etc...
It appears most of these articles project non-Danish concepts on Danish political reality.
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1/4
Social Democrats, the party of the current prime minister, Mette Frederiksen won the 2019 elections in part as they shifted to an anti-immigration platform.
They won from the right-wing party (Venstre) then led by the man now described as a potential kingmaker (Lars Løkke Rasmussen, man with pipe) who pioneered those policies.
Since then Denmark has just shifted more right-wing and anti-other-people.
In some towns in our "rural" community openly xenophobic parties got 35% of the votes.
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You don't notice it when you go to the large cities.
But you do notice it in the more rural (and still rich) areas like the one we call home.
Being openly xenophobic, even being openly racist.. is not a reason to be shunned these days. Instead it's a position you and your neighbour can "debate".
For those patriotism for "Danish things" is often a thin cover for nationalism, (open) xenophobia & racism. People genuinely believe in a Danish native superiority over "other peoples".
3/4
It's happening across Europe, and it saddens me that when I try to discuss this with Europeans, the response I often get is "this is happening purely because of Russian propaganda."
They're so xenophobic that their first instinct about anything, including their own xenophobia, is to blame it on foreigners.
@passenger @shantara @Pepijn hmm, as a European, in most of the circles I move in it's recognised this is a complex problem. Caused by industrial decline, the loss of state capacity through neoliberalism, and a failure to neutralise right-wing narratives for decades.
I associate the "it was Russia" with a specific strand of liberals you also see in the US.
A bigger issue is that many left parties have concluded they cannot change opinion anymore, so have to ride the ride of nativism instead.
@thecasualcritic @shantara @Pepijn
With respect, after late 2023 I have become less enchanted by European and American social-democrats self-congratulating themselves about how their societies used to be good and how this is a recent problem caused by the problems of the last few decades.
Rosa Luxembourg (to quote a European) argued that fascism is simply the same European attitude to "the other" that has always existed, but now applied on their home soil. I feel that this is of course a simplification, but not an unjust one: even very Leftist European leaders like Mitterand have terrible records when dealing with non-White people, and no German government of any party has accepted legal responsibility for the Herero and Nama genocide.
So what can be done? I think a deep reconciliation with Europe's past and present is long overdue, because it's exactly that refusal to admit to past atrocities while trying to cling to past glories which empowers a lot of European nationalism. The longer it's delayed the harder it is to do, as is often the case. My people did it. Yours can too. I have hope.
Pepijn
Shantara
Passenger
The Casual Critic