Rising Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric In Europe: Women’s Safety, Allegations Of Harassment, And Hardening Language Of Politics
Source: Euroasia
Across Europe, cases of alleged sexual harassment and assault involving individuals of migrant background have, in recent years, moved beyond the realm of criminal justice alone. They have evolved into a broad debate affecting politics, social cohesion, public order, and security. From the United Kingdom to Denmark, from Germany to Turkey, these discussions place women’s and children’s safety at the center, while simultaneously fueling a sharper and more polarized anti-immigrant discourse.
Experts warn that the issue is increasingly trapped between two dangerous extremes: on the one hand, the risk of downplaying or concealing real crimes; on the other, the danger of collectively criminalizing entire social groups.
United Kingdom: The “Pink Ladies” Protests
In the UK, a women’s group organized under the name “Pink Ladies” has drawn public attention by staging protests in front of hotels temporarily housing asylum seekers and migrants. Citing allegations of harassment and sexual assault against women and teenage girls, the group is calling for the closure of these facilities. Demonstrations held in cities such as London and Falkirk emphasize what protesters describe as the systematic neglect of women’s safety¹.
However, a number of women’s rights advocates argue that such protests risk instrumentalizing the fight against sexual violence and inadvertently reinforcing xenophobia². The controversy has once again brought to the forefront the fragile balance between protecting women’s safety and avoiding racist or exclusionary narratives.
Across Europe, cases of alleged sexual harassment and assault involving individuals of migrant background have, in recent years, moved beyond the realm of criminal justice alone. They have evolved into a broad debate affecting politics, social cohesion, public order, and security. From the United Kingdom to Denmark, from Germany to Turkey, these discussions place women’s and children’s safety at the center, while simultaneously fueling a sharper and more polarized anti-immigrant discourse.
Experts warn that the issue is increasingly trapped between two dangerous extremes: on the one hand, the risk of downplaying or concealing real crimes; on the other, the danger of collectively criminalizing entire social groups.
United Kingdom: The “Pink Ladies” Protests
In the UK, a women’s group organized under the name “Pink Ladies” has drawn public attention by staging protests in front of hotels temporarily housing asylum seekers and migrants. Citing allegations of harassment and sexual assault against women and teenage girls, the group is calling for the closure of these facilities. Demonstrations held in cities such as London and Falkirk emphasize what protesters describe as the systematic neglect of women’s safety¹.
However, a number of women’s rights advocates argue that such protests risk instrumentalizing the fight against sexual violence and inadvertently reinforcing xenophobia². The controversy has once again brought to the forefront the fragile balance between protecting women’s safety and avoiding racist or exclusionary narratives.