Politicians wielding a toxic, dehumanising "us vs them" rhetoric are creating a more divided and dangerous Europe, Amnesty International has warned.

2017 will see ongoing crises exacerbated by a debilitating absence of human rights leadership on a "chaotic" world stage.

"The politics of 'us vs them' is also taking shape at the international level, replacing multilateralism with a more aggressive, confrontational world order. The world faces a long list of crises with little political will to address them," Amnesty said.

Launching its annual assessment of human rights around the world, the report says the rhetoric is fuelling a global pushback against human rights and allowing the perpetrators of mass atrocities to act with impunity.

Its international annual report documented war crimes committed in at least 23 countries in 2016.

European politicians are using demonising language that echoes the dark times of the 1930s

"European politicians are using demonising language that echoes the dark times of the 1930s. We are demanding that political leaders stop scapegoating migrants and minorities in a cynical attempt to win votes, and instead focus on real long-term solutions," said Iverna McGowan, director of the Amnesty International European Institutions Office.

Seismic political shifts in 2016 exposed the potential of hateful rhetoric to unleash the dark side of human nature. This rhetoric is having an increasingly pervasive impact on policy and action.

Donald Trump put his "hateful pre-election rhetoric" into action.

Amnesty's annual report documents how 36 countries violated international law by unlawfully sending refugees back to a country where their rights were at risk. 

The EU made "an illegal and reckless deal" with Turkey to send refugees back there, even though it is not safe for them, and looked away while the asylum-seekers trapped in Greece because of the deal suffered.

Most recently, President Donald Trump put his hateful pre-election rhetoric into action by signing an executive order in an attempt to prevent refugees from seeking resettlement in the US. Despite the difference in form, the overriding goal of EU and US policy is the same - block people fleeing conflict and persecution from war-torn countries such as Syria from seeking safe haven.

"It has become clear that we cannot look to the EU to stand up for human rights, we the people have to take action, and be champions for human dignity and equality. It's individuals standing up that make a difference in dark times,” said Ms McGowan.