Letter: Opponents of immigration are not 'far right' but rather people who heed concerns expressed by European leaders

In 2010 Angela Merkel said that multiculturalism had “failed, and failed utterly”.

She added that "multiculturalism leads to parallel societies and therefore remains a ‘life lie’.”

The German Prime Minister said that mass migration presented an “immense” challenge and added that she wanted and would reduce the number of refugees noticeably (Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/12/14/angela-merkel-multiculturalism-is-a-sham/)

In 2011 Nicholas Sarkozy and David Cameron also said that multiculturalism had “failed”. Former Australia and Spanish Prime Ministers John Howard and Jose Maria Aznar also said much the same. (Source: https://www.france24.com/en/20110210-multiculturalism-failed-immigration-sarkozy-live-broadcast-tf1-france-public-questions)

Yet here we stand in 2024 and immigration levels to Europe, the UK and Ireland are multiple times greater than in the years before 2010 which led to those concerns that were expressed in no uncertain terms.

To be precise – we’re in the midst of unprecedented and record breaking levels of mass migration to Ireland and the UK.

Immigration in to Britain in the past two years has been just short of 1.5 million, a record level. https://x.com/daveatherton20/status/1817880814106841202?s=46

The Republic of Ireland's (RoI) 2023 population growth was one of the highest population growth events on record in the world (as measured since 1960). https://x.com/brianjohnspencr/status/1805189123478630451?s=46

Yet if any of your readers have a quibble or dare speak against these country changing levels of migration, they will be labelled an unalterable racist and fascist.

It’s like the words of Merkel were never spoken. It’s like the hard life lessons she and Germany had to learn never happened.

But let’s talk facts. Given the the experience of Germany, any right thinking person would proceed with immigration on a sensible, not record breaking rate. A right thinking person would think that those who protest against the governments in Dublin and London (who simply ignore the polling of the citizens), have a point.

Polling shows that 2/3s of citizens in RoI believe they have taken in too many refugees, and a majority favour a “more closed” immigration policy. https://x.com/ben_scallan/status/1816102829250998422?s=46

If the lesson of Germany isn’t enough, just look to Sweden. There the Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said they had failed to integrate the vast numbers of immigrants taken in over the past two decades, leading to parallel societies and gang violence. https://x.com/brianjohnspencr/status/1520842587581698050?s=46

Her successor Ulf Kristersson said much the same, attributing immigration to the rise in gun crime etc. "It is an irresponsible immigration policy and a failed integration that has brought us here” https://x.com/brianjohnspencr/status/1730602503316607487?s=46

Those who oppose immigration are not “far right”, they simply heed the life lessons of Germany and Sweden.

Brian John Spencer, Co Down