AIBU to be worried about the next Refugee crisis

[Gin96]

The numbers are starting to accelerate again, the poor people stuck in Greece camps but people from the EU have lost interest, I wonder how this is going to end? Will the EU open the borders again?

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jan/16/catastrophic-conditions-greet-refugees-arriving-on-lesbos

[Forestwitch]

David Attenborough really made me feel angry today. Maybe because he's right.
Too many people, so why help these? Why even bother with third world aid? So depressing

[IndecentFeminist]

That article said 40% were children.

[Harpingon]

Africa's population is about to skyrocket (at least doubling by 2050). There has been no planning for this and resources are stretched already.
There could be famine, war (especially over water rights) and mass migration.
We need to act now, as David Attenborough has pointed out. Migration is not the answer (although I would be one of the people sending my son to a better life if he was starving). We have to tackle the problems at the source, access to contraception, education for women, not 'brain draining' developing countries by taking all their graduates (especially in healthcare and education).

[iswhois]

@silverysurfer what a ridiculous thing to say.

I dread to think how the rest of the world would treat the UK if we were in such a crisis we had to flee our homeland in fear of our lives. Our attitudes to world aid and refugees is shameful.

[MangoFeverDream]

Refugees should ideally be housed close to their place of origin so they can easily go back once the conflict subsides. That so many try to rush to Europe makes me suspicious of their motives.

[Writerandreader]

Hi I'm the journalist who wrote that story. (am a regular on here but have set this account up so I can say who I am!)
I was in Lesbos for several days and have reoported on this subject for many years

Happy to answer any questions

By the way. It's not mainly men on Greece as some have said. It's mainly families with women and children.

[5zeds]

I think we should open our borders to all refugee children, immediately and any parent who doesn’t agree should consider how they would feel if their own under 18 was dropped the other end of the uk without support or resources.

[leckford]

Sadly, the human population on this planet is too large, it has doubled in my lifetime. Many of the places they come from are not at war, they are corrupt and therefore poor. Aid should be used to persuade people everywhere to stop reproducing.

No country wants these migrants, they already have enough problems with the results of past immigration.

[Kay1341]

@BettyJean

Can’t see the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar or Saudi on that list. They are wealthy and should take some

Not to say that the responsibility shouldn't be more evenly distributed, but all of the above are countries with a record of severe human rights violations - so not exactly my the top choice.

[Writerandreader]

Most of the arrivals in Greece are from Afghanistan at the moment. They are fleeing either taliban controlled areas or severe bombing as taliban fight the US. I also met Syrians from idlib which is being bombed daily.

Of course the line between economic migrant and refugee is not always clear but this movement of people are mainly fleeing war.

[Writerandreader]

It's also not just about offering everyone a house etc it's about the political reasons why these families in Greece are being left in absolute squalor with no schools or medical help.

[thedancingbear]

It didn't take long for people to wade in with 'not my problem', did it?

Really depressing.

[MangoFeverDream]

but all of the above are countries with a record of severe human rights violations - so not exactly my the top choice

They aren’t warzones though

[5zeds]

it's about the political reasons why these families in Greece are being left in absolute squalor with no schools or medical help.
Surely it’s predominantly because the Greeks can’t afford to house them better. Lesbos is hardly rolling in cash itself and has been housing and feeding enormous numbers for many years.

[thedancingbear]

refugees trying to blow us up.

Yes, this has happened a couple of times now in the past 15 years. All the same these brown people aren't they?

[5zeds]

Too many adult men posing as children
That’d be the Arab boys who shave a bit earlier than the ave white Brit. How very dare they still call themselves children.

[JaneyCartmel]

People are now suspicious of grown adults posing as children, terrorists posing as refugees. The authorities don’t seem to be able to get a grip on who they are letting in, causing attitudes to harden.

[theseaisbrightfromhere]

writerandreader - thank you for writing that and coming on here to answer any questions.

It's absolutely heartbreaking - as is the commitment of some people to frame the story in a way that allows them to ignore it.

What do you think needs to be done? Is there anything that individuals can do - are there genuine charities that you would support and suggest?

[Reginabambina]

I am always amazed at how little thought Europeans have given to this until 2016. Large scale displacements have been going on for decades. The best policy is to set up regional processing centres (not detention centres, very different!) where people can apply to asylum in refugee camps close to but safe from conflicts without need to make dangerous journeys. However, this would require (in order to truly work) a degree of international collaboration which is unlikely and the return of any refugees what move from regional processing centres to actual boarder which would be politically unpalatable. But it would mean those who need asylum visas most would be able to access them (as it is the poor, elderly, sick and, children are far less likely too succeed in the journey than young healthy males) and countries can take a more organised approach to asylum processing again ensuring that those who need help most get it in an efficient manner. It would also save thousands of lives.

[5zeds]

No country wants these migrants, they already have enough problems with the results of past immigration. do we? What “problems” have uk immigrants been causing you?

[MaxNormal]

That so many try to rush to Europe makes me suspicious of their motives

Most are in neighbouring countries in the Middle East (and Pakistan in the case of Afghanistan). It's not "so many" relatively speaking. Far poorer countries than US take vastly more, I'm talking millions.

[thedancingbear]

That so many try to rush to Europe makes me suspicious of their motives

No, that'll be racism making you suspicious.

[Rosehip10]

Refugees should seek asylum in the first safe country they arrive at as stated in the Geneva convention. So why aren't all the "refugees" sitting in France claiming asylum there, or indeed the countries in Europe they have transited through to get to France? Wanting to come to the UK is essentially for economic reasons only.

[5zeds]

are there genuine charities that you would support and suggest?

I know not aimed at me but these guys do amazing things providing sanpro, food, tents, and clothes

ohob.org.uk/

www.attikahumansupport.org/

Fantastic sensible help.