EU projects finds racism related to poor working conditions

[Date: 2004-05-25]

A Europe-wide survey has found that the increasing popularity of right-wing and extremist parties is due to the perceived degradation of socio-economic changes and employment conditions among European workers.

The SIREN project, funded under the European Commission's 'Improving Human Research Potential and the Socio-Economic Knowledge Base' sub-section of the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) was presented during a workshop on xenophobia and racism that took place in Brussels on 24 May.

SIREN, which conducted interviews in eight European countries, found that over the past five years, European workers have been feeling increasingly frustrated over their working conditions. They complained about a decrease in job security, mounting stress levels and incessant competition, uncertain employment and low income.

Those factors have lead to people feeling more and more receptive to xenophobia, racism, populism and right wing parties. The study also found that those who have benefited from the changing conditions, the so called 'modernisation winners', were increasingly developing 'an aggressively competitive political stance' as well. Albeit for different reasons, the survey found that these people were just as sympathetic to the message of the extreme right.

The report, therefore, urges European leaders to realise the Lisbon agenda in order to 'help address the roots of far-right extremism.'