For the Love of Humanity

Europe as a region seems to have a short memory span. Around seventy years ago at the end of World War Two, it asked for clemency as millions of its citizens began migrating for many reasons; looking for loved ones, a new chance at life, or as a result of ethnic cleansing and redistribution of borders. They tried to go mostly to North America, Australia, and South America. Now Europe is being asked for clemency by millions from the Middle East and Africa escaping from bloody civil wars, uprisings, and meteorological devastation. But Europe has become deaf.

These days we are seeing news about the island of Kos, in Greece, just off the coast of Turkey. Thousands upon thousands of refugees from the Middle East, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, all the way to Pakistan, are arriving each day on boats. But it's not just Kos, it's all the other Greek islands that are right up against Turkey's coastline. In the month of July, about fifty thousand people arrived in those islands. In the entire year, which is only eight months old, over a hundred fifty thousand have ended up in Greece. And, with the lack of money it has, the government is trying to do what it can. So far, this year in Europe 340,000 migrants have been detected entering Europe. God knows how many have made it without being noticed. Last year only 123,500 were detected in the same time period. 

They also arrive in Italy from Libya. They arrive aboard leaky, rusty, ancient ships, some of which have gone down. The worst tragedy was in April off the island of Lampedusa, when 800 died in the hold of an ancient ship. If there is racism once they have made it to land, there is also racism among the mafias that help them reach it. On that ship those that were put into the hold were from sub-Saharan African countries. The ones that were on deck and had a better chance for survival were mostly from Libya and Syria. After that fiasco European leaders got together and debated how to stop migrants from reaching Europe. One of them, I assume a crony of Donald Trump, even went so far as to suggest bombing in Libyan ports the old ships the mafias use. I don't think he'd ever heard of something called an "act of war". Despite the danger (over two thousand have already drowned in the blue Mediterranean) over 90,000 refugees have already come to Italy across the sea from Libya.

Why are so many coming? For some of the same reasons Europeans left seventy years ago. Some have family members here illegally so they can't just get on a plane. Others are escaping from wars that have left nothing but death and desolation in their countries. Places like Somalia, Sudan, Libya, or Chad. Others from regimes that can be dangerous if you open your mouth, such as Iran or Eritrea. Still others from poverty. Those that come from Afghanistan and Pakistan are avoiding the still-present Taliban. And we all have seen what the so-called Islamic State has been doing in Iraq and Syria. Many are running for their lives, only to find death as they reach the Promised Land. When they reach the points in Turkey, Libya and Morocco where the people traffickers work, for an inordinate amount of money which many migrants have worked months to accumulate along the way, they are stuffed into any boat that will take cargo. Some of them will carry double the amount of people they can take. That just means more money for the mafias. It doesn't matter whether the vessel is seaworthy or not.

And that's after enormous treks many have survived. Those who reach the ports are the lucky ones. They will have had travelling companions who died in the desert or who were killed by those "guiding" them. Many women who finally reach salvation are pregnant or arrive with babies. Most of those women were raped. There was a Somali woman seven months pregnant who was raped and then tried to hang herself. Her fellow travellers stopped her from doing so. Others have been shot along the way, survive, and arrive in Europe with bullets lodged in their bodies. Or with broken bones. A doctor working in Sicily with rescued immigrants described it as treating people from a war zone, but worse, because some of the injuries were old and had gone untreated for weeks. And many remember friends and family that died in the desert from dehydration or exhaustion. Their odyssey will have lasted for maybe more than two years, from the time they leave their homeland, to the time they are rescued, or die, in the Mediterranean.

And what is Europe doing? Precious little. A quota system was set up. It allocated so many refugees to the different European countries according to economic standing and amount of population. Everyone complained, including Spain, and eventually the numbers were reduced. There is liberty of movement due to the Schengen Treaty that has eliminated borders within the European Union. But now migrants are stopped at many borders and not allowed to enter different countries. They are stopped at the border of Italy with France and at the Calais tunnel, where many try to hop aboard a train or a truck or even walk to England. In the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the north coast of Africa enormous fences with barbed wire have been set up and, though unconstitutional, devolución en caliente is practiced (police return immigrants immediately back to Morocco even though caught on Spanish soil in the act of crossing the border). Hungary is starting to build a wall along its border with Serbia to prevent migrants from passing through clandestinely. (Serbia is a non-E.U. country.) Everyone is clamoring to the sky about the horrible conditions these people are escaping from and the tragedies at sea. But when the time comes to give them a chance at a decent life no one is available.

Like I said, memories are short. 


Comments

  1. You forgot to mention that at the end of WWII those who wanted to enter USA, Canada or Australia were well screened and had to pass a strict health check unlike those who want to enter Europe today.

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  2. True, Eamon, but once in they were better welcome than today's immigrants to Europe. Those were Europeans living with mostly descendents of Europeans. Today's immigrants are mostly African and Middle Eastern Moslems who come from different cultures. And even with health checks and screens, the intention was to let them in. Most Europeans would prefer to send back those who come today.

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