Public opinion seems to be that European governments are failing to handle the atmosphere of uncertainty and mistrust for foreign migrants after the attacks in Germany, Austria and Finland on New Years Eve. In a relative void of information, far-right anti-immigrant groups are heard loudly. Their voices simplify a situation where the vilification of Muslims is not limited to the small groups of violent men who perpetrated the recent attacks on European women. In efforts to not feed the right or incite Islamophobic sentiment, many believe that the Germany government in particular has fallen short of assuring women of their safety from sexual attacks.
The NYTimes reports:
“In Finland, militia groups are patrolling small towns housing asylum seekers in the name of protecting white Finnish women. In Germany, far-right protesters rampaged through Leipzig on Monday, vandalizing buildings in an “anti-Islamization” demonstration. In Italy on Tuesday, an anti-immigration regional government approved the text of a law making it difficult to construct new mosques as Muslim refugees are settled in the area.”
Read the full story at NYTimes.Com.