For decades German politics was proud of its apparently liberal traditions, but following the collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the borders of Europe opened and became porous. European laws, influence and regulations were extended. The vast economic disparities between Africa and Europe have been exacerbated by the chaos that has followed war and civil war in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Millions of desperate people see emigration to Europe as a means to escape poverty, war and misery. For them, asylum in Europe offers the only way into the 21st century. Of course, it should be remembered that only a tiny minority of the world's refugees find their way to Europe. Most remain in countries bordering their homelands. So desperate is the plight of refugees leaving North Africa that the Mediterranean Sea is awash with the floating corpses of those whose boats didn't complete the trip. In the first nine months of 2014, approximately 2,500 emigrants drowned on their way to Europe, adding to the estimated 23,000 who have drowned since the start of the millennium.

When the crisis of European capitalism impacted the wages and conditions of wide sections of the working population, austerity became the pan-European clarion call of politicians. Soon immigration was being falsely blamed for unemployment and poverty. The corpses of refugees floating in the sea are symbolic ghosts. They are a product generated by the legacy of the imperialist exploitation of Africa by the wealthiest capitalist countries.

Freedom to plunder the people and resources of the world is a universal demand of European capitalism. Freedom to travel and seek employment anywhere is likewise a beloved right long heralded as a symbol of progress by the European bourgeoisie. However, they view this freedom as a restricted privilege. The rising tide of nationalist sentiment all over Europe binds the flag-waving patriots to the ideological coat tails of their national bourgeoisie. They often turn the people of each nation against each other - all the better to rob them!

Xenophobic paranoia and nationalist illusions are rapidly advancing all over Europe. This is an inevitable product of the crises and inequalities that are endemic to the capitalist system in which economic investment and planning policies are determined primarily by the profits of private companies. One needs an understanding of this system's historical origin in order to rise above the confused fog and see the world as it is. It is necessary to transcend the barbarities of our epoch of nationalism and ignorance to create a worldwide collective consciousness, one that is based on understanding the organization of the system of production, consumption and exchange.

The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://china.org.cn/opinion/heikokhoo.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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