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Anders Behring Breivik said he killed 93 people in Norway to spark a “revolution” against the multiculturalism he believed was sapping Europe’s heritage, and experts say a frank debate about immigration may be the best way to prevent more attacks.

In some Nordic countries, and elsewhere in Europe, political parties have fed on rising public concern over immigration as economic conditions worsen and Islamist attacks stoke fear and suspicion of new arrivals.

But experts argue that overly aggressive political rhetoric and scare tactics have inflamed passions rather than address the many complex, underlying problems.

“If the twin attacks in Norway fail to trigger an honest discussion of the issue, exposing often scare-mongering arguments used by the extreme right, this may marginalize the radical groups and worsen the situation, which in turn could bring more similar attacks in the future,” said Lilit Gevorgyan, Europe analyst at the IHS Global Insight think-tank.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Nicolas Sarkozy have all said in recent months that multiculturalism has failed, in speeches that were otherwise careful to highlight the contribution of immigrants.

But critics say such statements at best do little to offer solutions to tackle the economic and societal pressures that stem from increasing immigration and globalization. At worst, they say such comments risk victimizing immigrant communities and souring race relations.

“What has clearly emerged from recent speeches and ensuing public national debates on multiculturalism is a sense of confusion, malaise and often contradictory messages,” said Sara Silvestri, a lecturer in religion and international politics at London’s City University, in an article dated June 8. “So we look for easy answers presented as simple choices e.g., moderate vs. radical Islam, multiculturalism vs. assimilation.”

A number of Scandinavian political parties have tackled immigration head-on, but the inflammatory tone used by some politicians may have fueled Breivik’s anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic hatred. Many far-right European groups have shifted away from overtly racist rhetoric and have instead stressed what they see as the incompatibility of Islam and European values.

In a 1,500-page manifesto published by Breivik, the 32-year-old expressed his admiration for Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, and the tome included reported anti-Islamic comments Wilders made to the Dutch parliament.

Wilders denounced Breivik’s actions over the weekend.

Anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic parties have gained traction in Scandinavian and Nordic countries in recent years, tapping public anxiety over the relatively recent phenomenon of mass migration, particularly of Muslims, to their region.

The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats were elected to the Swedish parliament for the first time last year despite the party’s roots in neo-Nazi movements of the 1980s and 1990s. The party has criticized Muslims and Islam as being un-Swedish.

Swedish anti-fascism magazine Expo, where the late best-selling novelist Steig Larsson was highly active, says while there may be no direct link between violence and comments by politicians, the rhetoric creates a fertile environment for ethnically motivated attacks.

“It has become more and more accepted to speak about Muslims this way,” said Expo reporter Johannes Jakobsson. ”

Harald Stanghelle, political editor of Norway’s Aftenposten conservative newspaper, said it was unfair to accuse Norway’s anti-immigrant Progress Party of inflaming the passions of individuals such as Breivik, who was once a member.

Stanghelle says Breivik left the party because its views did not go far enough, highlighting a dilemma for those who say parties that drive away fringe members risk creating militant underground groups.

“A few smaller, anti-immigration groups, anti-multicultural groups, have broken from the party because they believe it is too polite, too mainstream,” Stanghelle said.

Stanghelle painted Breivik as a lone extremist with little link to Norway’s wider immigration discourse, pointing to his desire for an open court meeting.

“Most criminals fight for a closed court meeting, but he sees himself as a crusader,” Stanghelle said. Reuters