IF THERE is one lesson from the bizarre, shocking massacre in Norway that our Caribbean region — a microcosm of peoples and cultures of the world — should pay heed to, it is the avoidance of any involvement in spreading hostility, worse, hatred against nationals of other countries who come as immigrants. The 32-year-old ethnic Norwegian, Andres Bering Brievik, whose slaughter of some 68 fellow citizens at a youth camp on Friday, July 22, following bomb attacks in the capital city of Oslo that same day of horrors, has boasted of opposition to his government’s immigration policy and fostering of multiculturalism.
Having identified himself with a doctrine of hatred against non-white immigrants, often associated with the raw racism of ultra-conservatives and far-right groups, Brievik had seemingly nurtured enough bitterness and passion against the liberal policies of the Labour Party government in Oslo to write his infamy into history with the unleashing of what the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, was to describe as the worst human tragedy to afflict Norway since the Second World War.
Brievik would have been quietly lurking in the shadows, plotting his terroristic crimes, as immigrants from various countries, and in particular non-white nationals, were being openly insulted, physically abused and worse in various European states where far-right politicians and activists are increasingly on the offensive against immigrants and multiculturalism.
In the Caribbean and other regions of the world, governments and people have become accustomed to the claims against, and reported deeds of, Islamist-linked terrorists in western nations.
Somehow, however, we seem to easily forget, or ignore, the mind-boggling human tragedies sparked by hatred for non-white immigrants in Europe and the USA and involving white Europeans and Americans with claims to Christianity and protection of  their ‘democracy’ and ‘values’.

Far-right sickness
As Brievik was to remark with venom to his lawyer — the killing of his victims were “gruesome [but] necessary.” That necessity was evidently consistent with his warped thinking that Norway’s governing Labour Party had gone wrong in its pursuit, like some “other European states” of policies that encourage flows of non-white immigrants and the fostering of policies in support of multiculturalism.
Those ‘other’ European nations would include Germany, France and Britain where government leaders have been variously talking of new policies on immigration, and lamenting failures of ‘multiculturalism’.  
CARICOM citizens familiar with the chronicling of the history of slavery and indentureship in the building of western civilization and institutionalisation of capitalism (currently in deep crisis) cannot afford to ignore the divisive political messages against immigrants (Muslims in particular) of either Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, or Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron — all within the past five months.
For this trio of European Heads of Government, multiculturalism — the cohesion of various ethnic, religious and cultural groups living, working and building together — has proven to be a massive political failure.  
And more recent rhetoric and initiatives by the leaders of France and Britain are viewed as further contributing to the spread of hatred by the xenophobes in Europe. In our region, they are often quite negative in their misuse of the media to oppose free intra-regional movement of fellow CARICOM nationals.
‘New America Media’, in reflecting on the “perils of anti-immigration politics,” has recalled shattering examples of white European and American terrorists involvement in, for instance,  the Oklahoma City bombing that wiped out the lives of some 168 Americans, and terroristic horrors such as the Madrid train bombings.

CARICOM’s challenge
Neither had involved Islamist terrorists, or disciples of al-Qaeda. They have been  numbered among elements of the far-right groups who often spew hatred against policies by governments that are committed to orderly immigration and the fostering of a multiculturalism that ensures freedom and social justice for the all who inhabit their jurisdictions.
At this time, while we await further disclosures of the politics and culture of hate that drove the Norwegian terrorist to commit his atrocities against fellow citizens, it may be advisable to keep a watchful eye on the xenophobes in some of our CARICOM states who often misuse the media—print and electronic—to foment disharmony, or worse, among nationals of other Community states..
The xenophobes are apparently bent on exploiting current divisions among CARICOM governments in dealing with the sensitive issue of freedom of movement of nationals in this region where, ironically, under British colonialism, freedom of movement, by sea or air, and living and working together were once cherished norms of our ‘Caribbean life’.
These days, comments in sections of the print media across our region, as well as some radio talk shows, point to sad examples of the politics and culture of intolerance and opposition being spawned by opponents of free movement of CARICOM nationals under their arrogant claims of protecting ‘national values’ and ‘economic gains’.
Some CARICOM leaders, among them President Bharrat Jagdeo and the Prime Ministers of Jamaica, The Bahamas and  St.Vincent and the Grenadines, are usually quite forthcoming in speaking out against the lingering obstacles to free movement of CARICOM nationals  
Unfortunately, with every passing half-yearly, inter-sessional meetings and annual summits of our Heads of Government, intra-regional free movement of Community nationals continue to be a non-priority for a number of member states, despite the repeatedly official  claims of commitment to the realization of ‘One Community for One People’.