Is there incontrovertible evidence that European publics and elites have become increasingly hostile to multiculturalism? Can the rise in electoral support for anti-immigrant parties be explained as support also for their implied anti-multicultural policies? Just as worrisome, why have most mainstream political leaders in Europe discarded the term ‘multiculturalism’ in their discursive practices and opted instead for scepticism, critique and rejection of a multicultural model for managing diverse societies?