LONDON -- The problem of illegal immigrants (or economic migrants) and of people seeking asylum because of persecution in their home countries have become dominant themes in the European media. Popular antipathy to the plight of these people has been exploited by rightwing parties, especially in France, Denmark and the Netherlands, but xenophobic reactions have appeared in almost every European country, including Britain. Many of the current wave of arrivals are said to be Albanians, Afghans and Kurds.
Since World War II, most European countries have absorbed large numbers of ethnically diverse immigrants. The first wave arriving in Britain came from the West Indies and formed an Afro-Caribbean community. The next wave was largely Asian, from the Indian subcontinent, and consisted of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. To these were added Asians displaced from east Africa who had a claim to British nationality.
France took in large numbers of Muslims from Algeria and North Africa. The Netherlands accepted people, often of mixed race, from Indonesia and the former Dutch possessions in the West Indies. Germany took in large numbers of Turkish guest workers. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, European countries took in a share of Vietnamese refugees. Chinese communities in Europe have much earlier origins.