Popular Anti-Immigration Movements – and the Response of Democracy – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)

The author argues that opposition to immigration is a pervasive popular movement across Europe, regardless of a country's ethnic homogeneity or immigration policy. This trend is contributing to political polarization and a potential 'de-democratization' process, particularly as it aligns with skepticism toward supranational solutions like the EU. The text highlights a divide between 'new' and 'old' Europe, noting that some Eastern European countries lack the same norms of tolerance as Western Europe, which influences their resistance to EU refugee quotas.

• Opposition to immigration is widespread across Europe and persists regardless of the specific national context, including in countries with minimal immigration or those with very generous policies.
• The 2015 refugee crisis caused a collapse of both the systems for managing migrants and the existing political consensus, leading to the implementation of drastic measures such as internment camps in Libya, patrol vessels in the Aegean Sea, and a border fence in Hungary.
• There is a fundamental paradox in the anti-immigration movement: while it is a major popular movement, it is characterized by a deep skepticism of the supranational and EU-level solutions required to address the issues it campaigns on.
• A significant political fault-line exists between 'new' and 'old' Europe, with former Eastern Bloc countries often lacking the human rights norms and tolerance for difference found in Western Europe, leading to opposition against EU refugee quota systems.
• The rise of anti-immigration movements and increasing polarization are testing European democracies and may lead to 'de-democratization', as these movements unify those discontented with current political systems.

APA

Harpviken, K. B. (2018). Popular Anti-Immigration Movements – and the Response of Democracy – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://www.prio.org/comments/69

Chicago

Harpviken, Kristian Berg. Popular Anti-Immigration Movements – and the Response of Democracy – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2018. https://www.prio.org/comments/69.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Harpviken |first1=Kristian Berg |title=Popular Anti-Immigration Movements – and the Response of Democracy – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=3 April 2018 |url=https://www.prio.org/comments/69 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{harpviken2018popular, author = {Harpviken, Kristian Berg}, title = {{Popular Anti-Immigration Movements – and the Response of Democracy – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)}}, publisher = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://www.prio.org/comments/69}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }