We live durng a time and age where thousands of people cross national  borders in search of new pastures.  This, they do both legally and illegally. 

Many countries feel their identity and culture threatened;  they consider this as an invasion on national sovereign states.

This feature examines the rise of right-wing sentiments across many European states.

Cueta: Racism or protection of national borders

There is an ongoing debate whether the protection of national borders is stirred by racist motives or by the need to enforce border protection, which is considered as legitimate. 

In late July of this year, Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta experienced an unprecedented humanitarian and border crisis when between 60,000 and 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco over the course of just a few days.

The massive influx-which equalled more than half of the territory's entire population-led to the deployment of the Spanish military, widespread international border closures, and an emergency European Union summit.

A rise in Fascism

The fact that people forcefully expect to enter into national borders has prompted many countries to halt illegal immigration "at the gates" using, what many consider as extreme measures. 

Many East European countries such as Latvia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland have taken measures to protect their borders.   This, they are doing notwithstanding the sights of mothers appealing to emotion,  hanging their baby children over border fences  to attract international media attention as they  blame the countries of racism and  cruelty.  But can anyone blame countries for protecting their borders and sovereignty?

The Polish stance

Poland's case stands out as  Polish MPs have approved a new measure which authorizes agents on the Belarusian border to fire live ammunition at migrants, for "self-defence" or in a "preventive manner." The law angered NGOs, who point to an already very tense situation in the area.

Islamization and the rise of an outspoken church

The Catholic Church is also becoming more outspoken on the matters of mass illegal migration.  It maintains a consistent doctrinal position that it does not support illegal immigration, while simultaneously becoming increasingly vocal in its opposition to mass deportation and enforcement.

Although there are diverging perspectives by the church on how illegal immgration is to be tackled,  the following examples of international or auxiliary bishops outside mainstream Christian church leadership have used terms like "invasion" or "Islamisation", drawing swift public rebukes from humanitarian organizations and other church sectors.

• Bishop Athanasius Schneider: The auxiliary bishop in Kazakhstan explicitly characterised high-volume migration into Europe as a "mass invasion" aimed at the "Islamisation of Europe".
• Bishop Wiesław Mering: The bishop emeritus of Włocławek (Poland) used homilies at national shrines to warn that unchecked irregular migration threatens European borders and leads directly toward the "Islamisation of Europe".
• Bishop Antoni Długosz: A Polish auxiliary bishop publicly stated that the "Islamisation of Europe has been progressing through mass immigration" for decades.
• Cardinal Miloslav Vlk: The late Archbishop of Prague accused modern secular Europeans of allowing Europe to be "Islamised" because the local population abandoned its foundational Christian identity and spiritual roots.
• Cardinal Christoph Schönborn: The Archbishop of Vienna warned in homilies that Europe was in danger of forfeiting its Christian heritage due to internal spiritual apathy combined with external demographic shifts.
• Charles Scicluna, the Archbisop of Malta, does not consider this type of migration to Europe as a threat. Instead, he promotes interfaith dialogue, human dignity, and Christian charity toward migrants, while regularly warning against Islamophobia, fear-mongering, and closed borders.

Demographic changes and the welfare state in the limelight

Refuges in many countries receive most of the social benefits.  For instance, in Malta, government housing is allotted to immigrants who receive refuge status.  Rent is subsidised and a refund is also given of up to fifty percent of the rent paid at the end of each year.  They are also eligbile to all social services, including the free EU food package.

There seems to be a rise in the  disgruntlement among the Maltese population as   they consider themselves as the main contributors and providers to these people through the payment their of taxes and national insurance contributions. 

Also, many Maltese  see themselves disadvantaged,  hardly  affording  to pay rents ranging from Euro 800 up to Euro 1,000 or more per month.  Compounded with this is the official statistic that shows between 2013 and 2022, 16,877 Maltese citizens emigrated from the country.  Many Maltese are finding the going tough as local businesses prefers to pay less in cheap labour to foreign workers than to the Maltese.

The shift in the left to right  debate

Europe seems to be divided on the two extremes of the political spectrum; one side is the far right wing which focuses on border controls and, keeping Christian traditional family values and the protection of national identity and  sovreignity.  On the other side of the coin are the socialist and liberal parties whose main  focus is  rights and the welfare state.  The leftists accuse the right wing of racism whilst the right says this is not racism but legitimate protection of national borders.

There seems to be a shift in the  political landscape in Europe from a traditional left-wing versus right-wing debate toward a new divide between mainstream and populist forces, with the far-right gaining significant ground while the center-left struggles.  Although the far-right has not secured a universal majority, its influence has grown as traditional parties adopt a harder stance.

The most significant acceleration of the rightward shift occurred in June 2024, when European Parliament elections resulted in a historic surge for right-wing and far-right parties fundamentally altering the balance of power in Brussels. Will Malta ever be part of this shift?