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Western democracy, liberalism facing stumbling block: Analyst

Tuesday, 15 November 2016 5:10 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 15 November 2016 5:12 PM ]

Supporters of the anti-immigrant PEGIDA movement mark their second year of existence as they demonstrate in Dresden, eastern Germany, on October 16 2016. (AFP photo)

Anti-Islam PEGIDA extremists have held a rally in the German city of Dresden to show their support for US-president-elect Donald Trump. During the Monday rally, around 2,000 supporters of the right-wing movement hoped that similar politicians would be elected in Germany and other European countries.

Saeed Shehabi, a journalist and political analyst, told Press TV’s Top 5 that the rise of Trump in the United States and the increase in the number of his supporters among the far-right and anti-Islam camps in Europe are major blows to the essence of democracy in the West.

The “weakening of the essence of democracy” is obvious, Shehabi said, adding that “liberalism is fading away now and giving way to these extremist ideologies among the far-right.”

“When you see Trump is rising to power, it is a reflection of crisis, it is not a reflection of stability and tranquility,” he noted, saying that the rise of far-right in the European states is an “indication of ideological and identity crises” in the Western world.

He further warned, “What we saw in the last week especially after the election of Trump, the rise of anti-Muslim feelings, the attacks here and there in America and also in Europe, are indication of deep crisis in the European world” and in the United States.

According to the expert, “Many of the liberals and many of the elderly statesmen feel worried about this rise of anarchism.”

Pointing to the root cause of the rise of extremism and extremist movements in the Western world, Shehabi said, “There is a deep feeling against the establishments in the UK and America because of the lack of ability to [meet] the needs of the population.”

The Brexit, the election of Donald Trump in the United States, the possible rise of the far-right politician, Marine Le Pen, in France’s upcoming presidential election, and the right-wing movements’ support for Trump indicate that the anti-migrants and anti-Muslim groups have come to power in the Western world.

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