I think he understands what a phobia is W_Y. A phobia is an irrational fear of something - it can be of spiders, but, in this case, he is referring to the creation of scapegoats ie. the classifying of a whole group as 'dangerous' or as a cause of our problems. Or the use of a negative stereotype successfully applied to a whole group, normally producing fear (and racism is always a result of fear, and an inferiority complex). In my life I have seen many groups used as scapegoats in England - the blacks, the Unions, the lefties, the EU. immigrants in general, the Irish, Rumanian fruitpickers, and, more recently, Scotland. The only good thing about Brexit is that the English might run out of scapegoats.