The death of a Greek politician’s mother from arson attack wounds is not simply a tragedy. It is a flare illuminating the darkening skies of European civility. We are told this is an isolated incident, the work of fringe extremists.
But let us not kid ourselves. This is a symptom of a deeper rot, a cultural sickness that has been festering for decades. Europe, once the cradle of enlightenment, is now a tinderbox of tribal hatreds.
The far-right violence that spirals across the continent is not a spasm but a slow, grinding shift. Compare this to the late Roman Empire, where the loss of civic virtue and the rise of barbarian fervour paved the way for collapse. Today, we see the same signs: a cynical elite, a disenfranchised public, and a turn to violent tribalism.
The Greek politician’s mother is a symbol, a sacrifice on the altar of our collective failure. We have abandoned the cosmopolitan ideal in favour of identity politics, and now the flames are literal. The question is: will we douse them with reason, or let them consume what remains of our European home?
I suspect the latter, for we have grown too decadent to defend our own civilisation.
