Serageldin on far right parties’ rise in EU elections: interview

CAIRO – 17 May 2017: On the sidelines of a meeting held in Cairo discussing the “Future of Europe” at the Egyptian Academy of Sciences in Cairo, “Institut D’Egypte 1789”. Egypt Today talked to Dr. Ismail Serageldin, who is the Founding Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), the new Library of Alexandria, inaugurated in 2002. He also chairs the Board of Directors for each of BA's affiliated research institutes and museums. He is the advisor to the Egyptian Prime Minister in matters concerning culture, science and museums.

ET: It was mentioned during the panel that the EU needs to redefine itself, and how can that be done during the financial burden Europe is facing today, which some argue that it was the root cause of the Brexit?

Not true that Britain is out of the EU because of the economic crisis, those who campaigned on having greater control on potential immigrants, the slogan was that they wanted a greater control on their borders neither does Europe have economic crisis it is only some countries within Europe.

ET: Was it because Britain was not benefiting from the single market with Europe anymore?

Not true, I believe that the people who argued for Brexit, were lying and it was proven that they lied, when they said that 365 millions are going to Europe every week, and we should keep them from the national health service, it was totally untrue and the number is not correct, and the UK benefited from a lot of EU support.

ET: Europe today is very concerned with the rise of far right movements and parties, while some would consider this as diversity, the result of democracy and the free will of the people of Europe?

No, in general there has been a shift in the last 10 to 15 years, where the primary content of the political differences resolve themselves more around issues of identity than around issues of income and wealth distribution, and jobs, as a result of that, there has been a great deal of concern about whether or not the country I was born in is using its sense of identity, because immigrants brought with them their identities and their own cuisines.

ET: Yet their generations affect the votes?

Not usually.

ET: Do the Turks affect the votes in some EU countries which helped the rise of social democrats?

Yes, but in Scandinavian countries for instance, the far right is still at 10 percent, but in countries like France the 34 percent for Marie Le Pen were really for her, but the 66 percent has a component that are against Marie le Pen. There is a real possibility that her party will unravel, even if it is not very strong now. Le Pen is a young woman compared to some candidates of the U.S. we will see what happens in June the parliamentary elections in France will show a lot.