Few people like change. So it is understandable if mass immigration causes concerns. It is less forgivable if political leaders fail to address those concerns. And it is not unforgivable if far-right parties exploit them in a racist way. All these things seem to be happening in western Europe. In several recent elections, anti-immigrant parties on the far right have done well. A stream of would-be immigrants from Africa keep taking to leaky boats in the hope of reaching the Canary Islands or Malta. But the latest hostility has been aimed at the far larger numbers who have moved westwards from the new east European members of the European Union, notably Poland and Romania (see page 46).
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