In the message he published, Arslan pointed out that the Ukraine-Russia War revealed the discrimination of the European Union (EU), and said, "People who wanted to leave Ukraine by train because of the war were discriminated against to stay in Ukraine just because their skin was black. This discrimination is a disgrace to humanity. We find the discriminatory attitude of the West towards immigrants unacceptable.”
Hak-İş Confederation Chairman Mahmut Arslan published a message on the occasion of the EU Day. In the message he published, Arslan expressed his criticisms towards the European Union. Noting that the union, which set out for the purpose of economic cooperation, became united in every field over time, “The European Union project is lacking in many aspects today. In the 72nd year of the EU, Islamophobia, xenophobia, racist approaches are increasing day by day and anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise, and far-right parties make these issues political material. It is worrying for the future of EU,” he added.
EU NEEDS TO FIND A SOLUTION TO ANTI-MUSLIM SENTIMENT
Pointing out that human rights have been damaged to a large extent in Europe, Arslan underlined that the approaches in Europe have completely changed with the events, and said, “When we look at the report titled Combating Illegal Hate Speeches on the Internet, published by the Council of Europe in June 2020, we can see that 9,4 percent of hate discourses in the European internet environment in 2020 contain anti-Islamic elements. In the survey published by the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency in June 2020, it was concluded that 22 percent of European Union citizens are uncomfortable being neighbors to Muslims, and 21 percent do not want to hire a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf. Anti-Muslim and other racist hate crimes, which have been increasing in Europe recently, are increasing at an alarming rate. Europe needs to confront these problems and find solutions.”
ARSLAN: “WEST'S DISCRIMINATIONAL ATTITUDE CANNOT BE ACCEPTED”
Stating that the war between Russia and Ukraine showed the true face of the European Union, Arslan pointed out that their discrimination had come to the fore. “People who wanted to leave Ukraine by train because of the war were discriminated against just because their skin was black. This discrimination is a disgrace to humanity. We condemn this mentality that distinguishes people only by the color of their skin and their beliefs. Those who did not speak out against the drowning of Syrians in the seas, those who watched the massacre of thousands of refugees, those who did not listen to the human tragedy in Arakan, Palestine and in other parts of the world, and because the Ukrainians had white skin and blond hair, they suddenly became apostles of human rights. We find the discriminatory attitude of the West towards immigrants unacceptable,” Arsland added.