Dr. Abdolreza Farajirad, referring to anti-racist demonstrations in Europe concurrent with street protests in the United States, explained the reasons for the unrests. “Concepts such as ‘democracy’ and ‘human rights’ have been formed in Europe, although these issues are implemented incompletely there and do not live up to expectations due to the publicity that is given in this regard; However, the people of some of these countries stand by their human rights principles and care about them.”

He added: “When people in these countries, who consider themselves human rights defenders, witness a tragic scene where someone shouts ‘I can’t breathe’ and shouts for help from his mother and no one rushes to his aid and a few policemen are watching, their feelings are hurt.”

“Most blacks live in Europe, and in countries like Britain, Germany and especially France, there are many blacks,” he said. “Most of them are citizens of those countries. When they make a move, they are backed by the white and colored friends and acquaintances.”

Regarding other reasons for the protests in European countries concurrent with the United States, Farajirad said: “The developments in the United States are not unaffected by the developments in Europe, and at the same time, the events in Europe affect the events in the United States. In addition, the people of Europe and even the United States, after seeing the tragic scene of the murder of a black man and the widespread protests against it, have shown more sensitivity to these issues and by visiting the cyberspace and some media they have gained information about what had happened in the past.”

Increasing Public Awareness of Racist Symbols in Europe and US

He called the attention of textbooks in Europe to the events of the age of slavery and colonialism very provisional and continued: “People have read that most of the statues of personalities with a history of colonial and slavery leadership have been erected in their cities. The personalities who have been respected, such as Churchill, are in fact a symbol of human rights abuses, slavery, and colonialism. That’s why his statue was pulled down. People’s emotions are being hurt in these cases, and these demonstrations may continue as long as they do not have some accomplishment for the protesters.

Farajirad, meanwhile, described the problems of racism in Europe far less than in the United States, saying: “Of course there are some problems in France, but in this country, Muslims from North Africa are more under pressure than the blacks. Racism in the United States, meanwhile, is rooted in many whites, especially members of the Republican Party. I remember when Obama, as a black man, became President, high-ranking members and prominent figures of the Republican Party decided a few days after the election to deal with even his positive actions and make obstructions against his administration.

Rise of Racist Trump after Black Obama

The geopolitics professor added that the Republicans emphasized that they should not allow a black man to be active, popular, efficient and development-oriented in American society, and these pressures continued during the eight years of Obama’s presidency, until out of those ideas and activities a racist like Trump  came in.

Farajirad called one of the reasons for the opposition of the Republican Party and Trump himself to the announcement of a ban and the collection of weapons, to create more security against colored people and blacks. “This thinking is rooted in the United States and will not be easily eliminated unless the protests continue and the rules change seriously and steadily.

“Trump has never been the president of a country that can control this problem with the people’s support,” he said, adding that he further sparked public outrage with his racist rhetoric and support for the police, and his treatment of the governors or mayors who had sided with the people was tantamount to insult against them.”

Europeans Hate Trump

“People are vigilant and have traced a deep-rooted racism in Trump’s line of thinking,” he said. The people of Europe, especially in the UK, France and Germany, do not endorse him, and Trump’s mere presence adds to the protests in American and European cities.