- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Biden: Politicians Use Immigrants as "Scapegoats," Utilize Citizens' Fears

© AP Photo / Giannis PapanikosMigrants wait outside the police headquarters at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, on Friday, April 13, 2018
Migrants wait outside the police headquarters at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, on Friday, April 13, 2018 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The comment came during a speech at the founding conference of a transatlantic commission on defending democracy. Among the commission's notable members are former Western leaders, such as former UK PM Tony Blair and his deputy Nick Clegg, as well as former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Former US vice president Joe Biden has blamed "demagogues and charlatans" for utilizing the fears of voters to hold a grip on power, comparing the strategy with those that existed in the 1930s. He added that such politicians try to use immigrants as "scapegoats" in the face of their countries' population.

"In ways that evoke memories of the 30s, frustrated and disaffected voters may turn instead to strongmen," Biden said.

The former US vice president expressed his concern that such policies in their essence constitute a "dramatic assault on democracy," claiming that they threaten the institutions that were created to prevent power from being concentrated in the hands of individuals.

"All round the world, repressive governments are borrowing [methods] from one another's playbook […] Taken together, they threaten democratic ideals that have been the foundation for the Western world," he said.

Biden came up with his tirade about modern politics in his speech at the founding conference of a transatlantic commission on defending democracy. The other members of this conference included former British prime minister Tony Blair and his deputy, the former Canadian prime minister and other prominent Western politicians.

READ MORE: Hungarian Parl't Passes 'Stop Soros' Bill, Criminalizing Aid to Illegal Migrants

The current US administration has landed in hot water over its harsh anti-migration policy that led to thousands of illegal immigrants' children being separated from their parents. The European Union also suffered a significant blow with a major influx of immigrants coming from the Middle East since 2015. Some of the governments have responded with harsher policies directed towards immigrants.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала