Xenophobia is the rejection, fear or hatred of foreign people or of what is perceived as foreign or unknown (culture, language, appearance, customs). This feeling can be influenced by historical rivalries, social problems during economic crises, and the upbringing in the family and social environment of certain ethnic groups that seek to reinforce their identity and belonging to their group.

But we must distinguish between what was the root or generating cause of xenophobia and what is currently its opportunistic use in the context of class struggle. Xenophobia has very deep roots in the long period before the appearance of agriculture, about 10,000 years ago, when hunter-gatherer peoples competed for limited resources such as food, water and hunting territories. This competition inevitably generated tribal wars, but currently xenophobia is a factor used in class struggle.

For millions of years, human groups depended on the control of specific territories to survive through hunting, fishing and gathering. The arrival of an external group was perceived as an invasion, an aggression, which in reality it was, since the immigrants needed a new vital territory. This constant inter-ethnic struggle for existence involved genocide and the extinction of defeated groups in inter-tribal wars, a dynamic that continued until the appearance of agriculture.

The implementation of agriculture was a slow and not simultaneous process everywhere. With the cultivation of land, private ownership of productive land appeared, something that could not exist among hunter-gatherer populations. This gave rise to differences between those who owned land and those who did not. Wars also underwent changes: they stopped being about extermination and became about conquering territories and serfs. The defeated became slaves of the victors and had to work for them. Thus social classes and class struggle were born.

In the new context, xenophobia became meaningless, as the real enemy of the oppressed classes is the oppressor classes, not the immigrants. However, xenophobia remains an important political component because it is exploited by groups in power to divert attention from the real causes of social tensions, such as economic inequalities and neoliberal policies. Fostering hatred or fear of immigrants creates a scapegoat and weakens the capacity for collective action of the working classes.

The ruling class controls the media and the educational system, manipulating information and teaching to keep the subordinate classes unaware of their situation and prevent questions about the status quo. This manipulation includes the demonization of social movements and the censorship of dissenting voices, as well as the lack of critical education that makes it difficult to identify and challenge oppressive power structures. In addition, they encourage fragmentation and rivalry between subordinate groups to prevent unified resistance.

The exploitation of xenophobic sentiment is a strategy used throughout history by the ruling class to maintain and reinforce its control. This tactic deepens social divisions and promotes injustice. To combat it, it is essential to overcome the roots of xenophobia by promoting solidarity and equality among all human beings.