For a decade, Europe has remained suspended in a perpetual state of migration crisis. While the Greek word krisis refers to an exceptional moment that disrupts the normal order of things, since 2015 it has become an enduring condition in contemporary Europe. That year, 1 million people sought refuge in Europe, fleeing wars and persecution. In the ensuing decade, the issue of migration has been so thoroughly weaponised that one can hardly remember a time when it was not considered a crisis.

The idea of a permanent state of emergency does not reflect a reality whereby Europe genuinely cannot cope with new arrivals. Rather, it reflects the fact that there are simply too many who profit from manufacturing a sense of crisis.

Crisis narratives sustain a political economy of fear, and have driven far-reaching transformations of Europe’s border architecture and migration policy. The European border-industrial complex is booming, with profiteers including the EU border agency Frontex, whose budget has exploded from €90m in 2014 to more than €1bn this year – despite frequent allegations it is involved in human rights violations. (Frontex has denied these allegations.) Across Europe, private defence and security companies have benefited from lucrative deals that have further militarised Europe’s borders.

Promising that 2015 will not be repeated, conservative and far-right political forces are on the rise across Europe, seemingly intent on whipping up anti-migrant sentiments and making racist “great replacement” conspiracies

© The Guardian