We are all in this together - whether we like it or not.

So you may have seen that the EU's plan to the migrant crisis in Greece is to send them back to Turkey in a plan that is controversial on so many levels, including the treatment of Kurdish refugees and what the EU is willing to concede to Turkey in response for this deal. However, for me, the worst aspect of this deal is probably the part that the EU officials feel is probably the best. We can solve the embarrassing humanitarian crisis on our doorstep by getting someone else to deal with it and thus being able to happily turn a blind eye again. Of course some EU countries have taken their fair share of the burden during the past 18 months of the migrant crisis, such as Greece, Germany and Sweden, but too many EU members shrugged off any responsibility for these desperate people.

The past week I have been in the quaint fishing town of Obock in Northern Djibouti. For those who don't know, Djibouti is a small ex-French colony tucked in between Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia in the horn of Africa. It has long been a strategic point for Western powers, and was France's answer to the British port of Aden across the Red Sea in Yemen, with both powers trying to control this crucial shipping lane and the route to the Suez Canal. However, more recently Djibouti has been a major conduit for refugees fleeing the Yemeni civil war, with Obock being the town where these migrants first land after escaping the dire situation in their homes. Some of the refugees I met this week may eventually end up in the UK, where they will be most likely greeted with a cold reception and no-one will really want to take responsibility for their protection. 

Cameron on a recent visit to Saudi Arabia - from The Independent

If we decide to put the moral arguments for why we should protect fellow humans aside, you could quite rightly ask, why should we take any responsibility for fleeing Yemeni's? This week we learnt that the UK government may have to answer this very question as it is being held accountable for selling billions of pounds worth of arms to Saudi Arabia who are a major player in the continuation of this particular crisis. So, yes we are partly responsible here, as we are in the continuing Syrian crisis, where various foreign powers are at loggerheads allowing the the civil war to continue. And of course, lets not forget the long history of European influence in the Middle East and Africa from colonial times, cold war political meddling and numerous unfair trade deals, which continue to deprive these countries of their resources and destabilise their societies. 

Of course the Saudi's and others are also to blame as well, but pointing fingers doesn't solve problems. And getting back to my issue with the EU's most recent policy, shelving the problem onto someone else and looking the other way doesn't solve the issue either. Turkey is suffering some hard times at the moment, with today's suicide bombing in Istanbul being another worrying sign as the country destabilises with its ongoing issues with Kurds, the Syrian war on its doorstep and increasing religious radicalisation in its politics and civil society. What will the long term implications of this deal be? Will Turkey really be able to cope with such a high concentration of migrants? I don't think anyone really knows, but until we all start to take collective responsibility for current issues and try and solve them with that attitude, I have feeling that history will repeat itself. We need to stop pretending that these issues are not our problem, because we really are in this all together, whether we like it or not.

 

Sunset over Obock, where thousands of refugees are arriving from war-torn Yemen

No borders in Europe

In the 1950s, Europe looked at the rubble and devastation that had been caused by two world wars and decided to form a union in order to prevent such atrocities happening again in the future. Over the following years the EU grew in peace and prosperity as the people laid aside their differences and worked together for a fairer, safer and more just society. An important component of this process was the signing of the Schengen agreement over 30 years ago, which guaranteed the free movement of people across borders within the Union. The lack of borders in the EU gave people the freedom to live and work where they wished and as a result trade and economies grew with free movement across the continent.

'No Borders' is the name of a pro-migration movement in the UK and in Europe, which recognises the benefits and the right of individuals to choose where to live. This is a concept the UK as a whole has never been particularly good at, as we opted out of the Schengen agreement and maintained our border controls. However the recent border closures we are witnessing in South-East Europe in response to the ever growing number of migrants in Greece is a worrying sign. Recently Austria and several Balkan states had a summit to agree on these border controls, to limit the flow of migrants, leading to an ever growing problems at various points along the migrants' route in the Balkans. In disgust, Greece withdrew its foreign minister from Vienna, accusing the Austrians of breaking EU rules. The reaction of certain EU members and especially the UK to the migrant crisis has been a shameful failure to live up to many of the ideals of the Union and now seems to threaten its very existence.

Refugees continue to arrive at the closed border crossing in Idomeni, Northern Greece. 

In recent years the EU has been had to endure a number of challenges, including financial crashes and instability on our doorstep, and thus far the Union has remained in one piece. No-one can deny that the migrant crisis of unprecedented magnitude and severity and will no doubt put strains on our resources, however, if there is any political unit able to cope with trans-boundary issues as big as this surely it should be the EU? We need to remember the history of the Union from its war-torn beginnings and the prosperity that can be brought by the free movement of people. We need to engage with this issue and search for solutions as a whole. If we do, our Union will more resilient and stronger as a result, and better able to cope with the future challenges we will face.

Thanks to the anonymous comment on the last post with the link to this fantastic TED talk. Lets keep the discussion going and keep pushing for justice.

Where do you stand?

The world is a pretty turbulent place right now, with the war in Syria and Russia’s growing animosity and of course the nutcase with the blonde toupee preaching hate across the pond. More than any of these issues the migrant crisis is weighing heavy on my heart. Images of burning shelters in Calais were the final straw for me and I needed to get some thoughts down on paper and so I’ve started this blog to discuss this unique time for Europe and our society. I am quite unashamedly nailing my colours to the mast and stating I am (almost) a no borders advocate, but if you don’t feel the same I encourage you to comment and discuss below. I want express my position and have discussion, because the scariest aspect for me, amongst the numerous challenges and problems the current wave of migration presents us, is the response of so many of my fellow citizens. Let’s examine some of them below;

1. These are not really refugees, but economic migrants coming to England to take advantage of our resources.

The war in Syria is an example of diplomatic messiness as confusing and seemingly pointless as World War 1, as explained in this excellent summary. After 5 long years of war, over half of the country’s 20 million people have been displaced and 4 million have left Syria altogether, many heading to Europe in desperation for stability and peace. In addition to Syrians, the migrants are made up of Iraqis, Afghanis and Eritreans, also suffering from long-term instability and crazy governments, desperate to find some peace and quiet in order to get on with their lives. Of course economic migration is a thing; I’m considering moving to the US to find more and better paid opportunities in my field. However, in this case surely it’s obvious that the majority of these people are fleeing for their lives? Which makes it so much worse when you see the images coming out of Calais recently.

2. They are not really refugees; they are criminals and terrorists.

This one I guess is triggered by the horrendous terrorist attacks in Paris last month and general Islamophobia in the UK. Yes much of the recent terrorism we have experienced in Europe was caused by individuals claiming to be Muslim and yes, there are some pretty scary people running around Syria at the moment, but how does this equate to more crime and terror by letting the migrants in? Terrorism plagued our society long before this migrant crisis began and going back to my response to no. 1, clearly these people are desperate for peace and stability, so why would they be trying to create havoc?

3. We have no room for these people.

Yes I accept, housing and public services are stretched to the brink right now and taking yet more people wouldn’t aid this problem. However, Germany has managed to take in ten times the number of refugees compared to the UK and found some ingenious ways of doing it. The issue here is not the resources available but the will to use them.

As I write my rebuttals to these viewpoints it feels pointless trying to explain them in great detail, because to me it seems obvious that these arguments hold absolutely no weight. Do people really believe this crap? Maybe some do, but I also think that perhaps people are holding these views in order to bury their heads in the sand and not have to deal with the crisis, because its scary and its not going to get better any time soon. I certainly believe this is our current government’s position demonstrated by some of their crazy policies such as sending NATO ships to turn migrants back or pledging millions of pounds to build bigger walls in Calais.

Pro-Refugee graffiti in Southern Germany I saw last month

Last summer for a week or two, the whole nation realised that these people are really human and in desperate need, as pictures of the boy on the beach flashed across the media. Somehow, it seems we quickly forgot that they are in need or just decided that we didn’t want to help after all. I realise that the destruction of the jungle in Calais is not a UK policy, and I realise that not everyone in government is against taking more migrants, even within the Conservatives. However, the general lack of response and shunning of migrants in much of the popular opinion is deeply worrying. Until various powers involved in Syria (including the UK) and other war-torn areas of the world cease to make life a living hell for millions of people, they will continue pouring into which ever area seems the safest. We have a choice; we can either welcome these destitute, abandoned and grieving people with open arms, or live with growing tension and chaos as the problem continues to build. How would you like history to remember our actions at this time?