European leaders need to halt mass-immigration to curb the growing right-wing populist movement across the continent, Hillary Clinton warned in an interview with a British newspaper.
Europe “must send a very clear message – “we are not going to be able to continue provide refuge and support” – because if we don’t deal with the migration issue it will continue to roil the body politic,” she told The Guardian.
“I think Europe needs to get a handle on migration because that is what lit the flame,” Hillary added. The “flame” she refers to is the 2016 Brexit vote that ignited an anti-establishment revolt across the Western world and eventually swept her Republican rival Donald Trump into the White House.
Brexit, which Hillary described as the “biggest act of national economic self-harm” in recent times “was largely about immigration,” she said.
The Thursday’s interview given to the British newspaper appears to be the part of Hillary’s never-ending world tour in search for scapegoats for her failed 2016 presidential bid.
The Guardian published the excerpts of the interview:
Europe must get a handle on immigration to combat a growing threat from rightwing populists, Hillary Clinton has said, calling on the continent’s leaders to send out a stronger signal showing they are “not going to be able to continue to provide refuge and support”.In an interview with the Guardian, the former Democratic presidential candidate praised the generosity shown by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, but suggested immigration was inflaming voters and contributed to the election of Donald Trump and Britain’s vote to leave the EU.“I think Europe needs to get a handle on migration because that is what lit the flame,” Clinton said, speaking as part of a series of interviews with senior centrist political figures about the rise of populists, particularly on the right, in Europe and the Americas.“I admire the very generous and compassionate approaches that were taken particularly by leaders like Angela Merkel, but I think it is fair to say Europe has done its part, and must send a very clear message – ‘we are not going to be able to continue provide refuge and support’ – because if we don’t deal with the migration issue it will continue to roil the body politic.”
Hillary’s advice comes as Europe gears up for the May 2019 EU parliamentary elections.
For the first time in the bloc’s nearly 65 year history, the right-wing anti-establishment parties across the continent are offering a united front. Last month, the Marine Le Pen-led France’s National Rally formed a pre-electoral alliance with Italy’s ruling League Party. Germany’s AfD party is also seeking an alliance with like-minded parties in Europe.
To add to the EU’s woes, the tie-up between Matteo Salvini’s nationalist League and the left-wing Five Star Movement points to a worrying trend: anti-EU parties from opposing ends of the political spectrum can join hands to wrest power away from the establishment.
The EU elite are aware of the challenge posed by the anti-establishment parties this election season. “There will certainly be very tough election campaigns for the European elections,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted in August. Merkel knows that if the small anti-EU parties manage to build an electoral phalanx ahead of the 2019 vote, they might gain the numerical power to disrupt the elitist project in Brussels.
It’s not just the EU ruling class. Hillary is worried too. Apparently, she doesn’t want another European screw-up to snuff out her chances of a 2020 presidential run.
Hillary:’I’d like to be president’
[Cover Image via YouTube]
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