Social Mood in Europe Boiling

Next year could be a wild one. Immigration sentiment is turning negative and violence by Muslims is now being answered by violent right-wing riots as the population increasingly gives up on politicians who refuse to address their concerns. Toss in anger at the ruling classes for the state of the economy, movements to reject bailout deals, leave the euro, secede, and leave the EU, and one of these sparks may finally hit the powder keg.

Italy's immigration crisis moves from sea to streets

"Why do they have to be taken care of? It's me that needs taking care of!"

Like many of Italy's poor, 51-year-old Elvio has had enough. And the unemployed construction worker thinks he knows who to blame.

Born and raised in a rundown suburb of Rome where residents last week laid violent siege to a holding centre for asylum seekers, Elvio belongs to a strata of Italian society whose frustration is beginning to boil over after years of falling incomes, employment and hope.

And with the country struggling to cope with an influx of tens of thousands of migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, that anger increasingly has a focus.

The anti-immigration sentiment in Italy is nothing compared to the Clockwork Orange underway in Sweden:

Muslim Gangs Continue To Terrorize 55 Neighborhoods, Police Powerless

Despite being a small country of less than 10 million citizens, a 2012 study showed an average of one school being burned per day in Sweden, costing tax payers upwards of half a billion SEK annually. By comparison, Greece has 11 million citizens and averages only five school fires per year.

Not even the police are safe from attacks. In May 2014, two police officers were cornered by 50 thugs in the no-go zone of Landskrona. They pulled their weapons to hold off the attackers and called for backup, but the police commander refused to send in backup, fearing escalation. One of the officers knew a few locals who intervened and convinced the gang to let the officers escape.

While such brazen aggression is rare, patrol cars are frequently pelted with rocks, and the drivers are targeted with green lasers. Blinding drivers with the powerful, hand-held lasers is a growing “sport,” where the goal is to make the driver crash. Buses, taxis, delivery companies and mailmen are also popular targets.

...Ethnic Swedes are also being attacked. Local celebrity Linda Edenström’s 12-year old son was savagely beaten. In October, he took the subway after school to give a birthday present to a girl in his class. He was unaware she lived in a no-go zone, and when he exited the station he was promptly stopped by seven grown immigrants. They declared that no whites were allowed and proceeded to attack him while hurling anti-white slurs.

Swedish law states that the incident is not a hate crime. The law does not apply to an immigrant targeting a native Swede, even if an immigrant does so while explicitly stating they are doing it for racial reasons. However, the reverse situation with a native Swede saying a slur that could be perceived as racist has severe civil and criminal charges.

How long before Sweden has an Anders Breivik?

UKIP is now getting a challenge from Tories on immigration:

Major to Europe - Cut immigration or the UK may leave
Immigration is changing character of UK schools, claims Iain Duncan Smith

Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, has said that non-English-speaking children are changing the character of British schools, as Ukip looks likely to gain its second MP in the Rochester and Strood byelection.

The senior Conservative said an academic report setting out the billions of pounds that EU migrants had added to the economy was “silly” because it only looks at immigration in terms of the financial benefits to the economy.

Italy's Grillo takes anti-euro campaign to Brussels

The leader of Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement, Beppe Grillo, has gone to the European Parliament (EP) to present his programme to get a referendum in Italy on leaving the euro "as soon as possible".

The comedian-turned-politician is aiming to collect 4m signatures by next spring.

He will then go to parliament in Rome, where many of his MPs now sit, and demand a referendum. If millions of Italians sign the petition, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi won't be able to simply brush this off.

Spanish minister warns of violence over Catalonia's secession bid

The Catalan regional government’s insistence on independence from Spain may result in widespread violence in the autonomous region, says the Spanish interior minister.

"A process of these characteristics, by its very nature, generates radicalism,” Jorge Fernández Díaz told Spanish daily, ABC, on Sunday.

“This radicalization, combined with frustration, could degenerate in violence,” Díaz added, noting that the combination is “very dangerous."

Catalonia’s President Artur Mas has pledged to pursue secession efforts following a symbolic independence referendum held on November 9.

Greek bond yield rises above 8% on election fears
Greek opposition leader calls on parties to set early election date

Greek opposition leader Alexis Tsipras on Monday called on party leaders to set a date for an early election, arguing polls must be held before the government signs any binding deals with EU/IMF lenders.

Greece's government is under growing pressure ahead of a presidential vote in February, which could trigger a snap election and bring Tsipras's radical leftist Syriza party to power.

The government is negotiating an early exit from Greece's EU/IMF bailout. Tsipras has suggested a future Syriza government would not respect decisions made without its consent.

'The far-right wants more riots'

Virchow: Right-wing groups celebrate these events as a great success on their Facebook-Pages and blogs. They were in control of the streets in Cologne, and that has not happened in a long time. Most marches had been blocked or had been accompanied by heavy police-presence.


But this time, thousands could march through Cologne without much restriction, some of them went on manhunts and some attacked journalists. In their view, that is a great success.

Not only right-wing bloggers celebrate that. On social networks, many users seemed to be happy that "finally someone is standing up against Salafism in Germany." Have right-wing extremists found a topic that proves popular?