I think a huge problem in Europe – which is really coming to the fore right now – is that when something like this happens in the US, we are quick to condemn it while patting ourselves on the back for not having those issues/having overcome them (not true at all btw). Time and again, European countries engage in solidarity protests (which they absolutely should), but they fail to turn that critical lens on themselves. Germany (where I grew up, was educated and which is the focus of my research) has major, ongoing xenophobic, racist and Islamophobic cultural practices and policies that it still hasn’t addressed. At school, for example, there is also little mention of Germany’s colonial history.
So, what should we do here? A LOT. For example: education reform that includes more and more critical discussion of (a) colonialism and its contemporary implications, (b) migration and diaspora communities, we need more action against right wing political parties that are on the rise across the continent and this needs to be paired with policy reform that (a) makes newcomers’ access and inclusion within the economy and society faster and (b) takes the onus off of them to ‘integrate’ into our society – their perceived failure to integrate is often fuel for further xenophobic attacks (e.g. the countless attacks on refugee homes by right wing groups)
We need to mobilise international participation and support for the movement in the United States AND we have to confront the systems in our countries that are racist.
Images from Berlin’s so-called ‘party protest’ this weekend are case in point that there is a lot to be done Berlin police break up floating 'party protest' – DW – 06/01/2020
Partiers floating on rafts along the Spree river and blasting techno music are not the images of solidarity we need right now, and holding up “I can’t breathe” posters as you dance and drink on rafts makes for a hollow and frankly, tone deaf message. We need to do better than this.