In the 41 years since Muammar Gadaffi seized power in Libya, he has earned himself a reputation for political views that range from the eccentric to the downright unpalatable and for a mercurial behavior to go with them.
That is still very much the case. This past week he has been in Rome as the guest of another political leader often accused of holding unacceptable political views, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
In Rome, the Libyan leader came out with ideas that, had they been uttered by European or American politicians, would have resulted in them condemned as being racist. He said that faced with millions of Africans who wanted to emigrate to Europe, the European Union should pay Libya $6.3 billion to help keep them out and prevent a “black Europe.”
He asked what would be the reaction of white, Christian Europeans in the face of “this influx of starving and ignorant Africans” and questioned whether Europe would “remain an advanced and united continent or if it will be destroyed, as happened with the barbarian invasions.”
There is no question that large numbers of Africans would like to go to Europe; for them it is safer and the quality of life is so much better. Equally, the issue of how Europe reacts in the face of this migration is very current. Immigration is definitely an issue in Europe and has fueled the rise of the far right across the continent. However, the implicit suggestion that Africans are ignorant and barbaric is offensive and shocking. This is racism. Interestingly, the European media have shied away from pointing this out. That certainly would not have been the case had Berlusconi made such remarks.
It is tempting to conclude that Gadaffi’s utterances provide further proof of the Libyan leader’s maverick nature. Certainly, it was fairly bizarre that his other main public pronouncements while in Rome were to an assembly of female models hired for the occasion. There cannot be many politicians who have to resort to that. Nonetheless, however racist, insensitive or just plain weird, Gadaffi’s Roman sojourn may seem, there may be a case here of deliberate political maneuvering.
In two months’ time, the 3rd African-EU summit takes place — in Libya. It is intended to build on the decisions taken at the last summit in Lisbon three years ago, in particular to move from a relationship based on aid to one of partnership. The Rome speech suggests that Gadaffi is trying to set his own agenda. The idea that the EU should give money to Libya to keep Africans out of Europe is nonetheless morally offensive and wholly unacceptable. It would put Libya in the role of a mercenary, paid to act as Europe’s baton-wielding, southern policeman. After all, it is not Libyans who want to move to Europe; it is people from sub-Sahara who have been using Libya as an embarkation point.
If money is to be paid, it should go to countries such as Niger, Mali, Chad and Cameroon where dire poverty is driving people to leave, not Libya which is rich as it is. Six billion dollars would help considerably in development in such countries and ensuring that people want to stay put.
