A far-right debate in the European Parliament, which sought to stir up xenophobia, went unchallenged by the European Commission and the Council, representing member states.
The title of the debate, "After 10 years, time to end mass migration now - protect our women and children", was introduced by French far-right MEP Jean Paul Garraud.
Garraud told the plenary in Strasbourg on Wednesday (10 September) that migration posed an existential threat to Europe. He also attacked civil society.
"This is an existential threat for our civilisation, for our people and for our daughters," he said, blaming migrants for rapes and other crimes in Paris and Germany.
The Ifo Institute for Economic Research, a Munich-based research institution, says migration to Germany does not lead to higher crime rates at the places of immigration.
In a study out earlier this year, it also found that migration and refugee arrivals had no systematic influence on crime in the host country.
"Foreigners are overrepresented in the crime statistics compared to their share of the population. This is due to factors independent of origin: Migrants tend to settle in metropolitan areas, where the general risk of crime is higher – also for natives," said the study.
Meanwhile, Garraud's four-minute-long screed and misleading claims were immediately followed by speaking points from both the EU Council and the European Commission, neither of which challenged him.
Commissioner Andreas Kubilius instead pointed out that irregular border crossings have decreased some 23 percent this year, amid a sharp drop in asylum applications.
And Marie Bjerre, Denmark's minister of European Affairs, speaking on behalf of the Danish EU Council presidency, spoke of shoring up external borders and making more cash-for-migrant deals to keep people out of the EU.
But for part, Ana Catarina Mendes, a socialist MEP from Portugal, said: "This debate this afternoon runs counter to the European project, to European values. The title, as we can see, is provocative."
Similar comments were made by French liberal Fabienne Keller of the Renew Europe group.
"This item has been placed on the agenda by the far right. It is a smoke screen, weaponising fear, manipulating statistics," she said.
Feminist civil society organisations have also spoken out against the debate.
End FGM EU, a Brussels-based non-profit that campaigns to eradicate female genital mutilation, described title of the parliamentary as dangerous.
"Behind this rhetoric of protection ['protect our women and children'] lies a paternalistic way of thinking that denies women their autonomy and agency," it said, in a statement along with other NGOs.
The European Parliament press office did not respond when asked if it also saw the title as racist.
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Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.
Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.