Brexit and Trump: A Paradox of History

The decision of the British majority to abandon the European Union during the referendum on June 24 is not only one more example of how the world is tending toward polarization; it is also an example of how nationalism is gaining strength vis-à-vis international cooperation. There is no doubt: The topic that radicalizes Britain’s population the most is whether or not they should remain in the European Union. We can see it reflected in the referendum’s result: 52 percent voted to leave and only 48 percent voted to remain. While the decision to remain or leave was divided between young and old, London and the more conservative rural areas, Scotland and England (delineating the different perspectives of the population), the overall result was won by the secessionist forces with financial arguments (that Great Britain gives more to the European Union than it gets) and nationalistic arguments (we can do it better on our own and we don’t want to cooperate).

In addition to the immediate consequences of increased volatility and financial and social turmoil, the reactions of European Union leaders and parliamentarians were marked by spite, anger and complaints. The British people were not able to understand that deep down, the project is a political one. Internally, Scotland was not happy either, since one of the reasons they decided to stay in the United Kingdom in the referendum of 2014 was precisely because they wanted to remain in the European Union.

Unfortunately, other reactions have been xenophobic and racist. According to official data, hate crimes in the United Kingdom increased by 57 percent the weekend after the referendum. These attitudes, even in a city as cosmopolitan as London, increased dramatically and it has been necessary to create support networks for those who do not have the traditional British temperament.

For his part, Donald Trump celebrated the fact that the United Kingdom chose to leave, that it won its “independence.” A few days ago, in fact, he said that Saddam Hussein knew how to kill terrorists and he didn’t even have to read them their rights. As is well known, Trump’s comments are racist, misogynistic and almost fascist in style. It still remains to be seen what will happen in the next few weeks in the U.S. presidential campaign. Everything suggests that language and comments of this nature will increase. The problem is that this is how a great majority of voters perceive reality and support Trump’s presidential aspirations. He has not yet won the presidency and yet racist and xenophobic tendencies have already started to manifest themselves in everyday American life. For example, one of my daughters lives in Michigan and a week ago, the cashier of a supermarket asked her for her visa and other identification documents. The cashier had no right to do this, of course, but there are people who are starting to feel like they do. Situations like this are becoming increasingly common and that is how being racist and xenophobic starts to become “politically valid.”

Therefore, it is a paradox that currently two of the countries which fought against fascism in World War II, countries which maintain a constant battle against racism and whose population is formed mostly by immigrants, are getting radicalized little by little in such a way. On the other side we have Germany and Italy, once fascist regimes, that are now encouraging diversity in the European Union. How do societies transform to create this polarization? What drives these currents of intolerance and rejection of what is different from us? How can we achieve social harmony in the midst of these divergent and segregationist tendencies?

There is no doubt that we must issue a call to respect what is different, to prioritize tolerance while we respect each other, to call upon unity in the midst of diversity. It is the only way to live in harmony.