Borrell’s racist comments point to bigger problems; Will he be out of what he said?
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell last week fell into a slip of the tongue that opened the door to criticism of his transcontinental racism.
After much condemnation of his racist remarks in which he compared Europe to “The Garden,” which the rest of the world, who he referred to as “The Jungle,” is trying to invade, Borrell was forced, late on Tuesday, to publish a long apology, in which he considered that his words were interpreted in a way that he did not intend, when he was speaking at a diplomatic activity in Belgium on the 13th of this October.
Borrell’s political fall – as critics have called it – was met with a long apology. He saw the metaphor of “the garden” and “the forest” as not his invention, and blamed the use of terms on “neo-conservatives” in the United States. While he disavowed that school of political thought and tried to link his talk to the Ukrainian crisis.
Last week I gave a speech at the College of Europe. The metaphor I used has caused offense because it was misunderstood. I would like to put the record straight in my new blog posthttps://t.co/FcVeUukncr pic.twitter.com/SNoIH8lp3a
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) October 18, 2022
The official, who is the EU’s foreign minister, said the “forest” has no racial, cultural or geographical connotation. It has nothing to do with “colonial European centralism,” offering his apology to the person who felt insulted, and stressing that during his life he resisted “racism” and “contempt for people.”
Despite the detailed apology, the “horse power” seems incapable of overcoming the race in the arena of international diplomacy. According to observers, it is out of the question that the European Union retain an official who falls in such mistakes, which destroy the bloc’s relations with the rest of the world, at a sensitive time when the countries it represents need to maintain friends, rather than create opponents using the terms of racist dictionaries.
The calls for resignation raised by European activists will be a strong pressure on the decision makers in the European Union to dismiss Josep Borrell. The latter will be in a critical position in the future, as he meets personalities and officials from around the world, distracted by the inclination of the man’s statements to obsolete and expansionist dictionaries,
The Movement for European Democrats, described Borrell’s statements as “revealing the frightening racist and colonial mentality permeating even the highest levels of European political leadership”, published a petition to demand his resignation, and described Borrell’s behavior as “inappropriate for the position he holds.” We demand his immediate resignation.”
The call for Borrell’s resignation arrived, came from the MEPs of the European Parliament, and came from Svenia Hahn, who asked, “How do we end up with someone other than a diplomat, Borrell, who is the biggest diplomat representing the European Union.”
The European Parliament member demanded via Twitter that a true foreign minister of the European bloc follows a foreign policy that represents Europe, considering that the recommendation of the member states is not enough for the person to be qualified for the position, in reference to Borrell.
The EU remains silent on Borrell’s remarks, an indication that the bloc’s corridors are waiting for the final apology to resonate, before deciding to dismiss the top foreign policy official, will Borrell disappear into the “woods” of his statements, and be expelled from the “garden” of European diplomacy?.
