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

@theseaisbrightfromhere that's kind of you to want to support the charities. There are small volunteer groups who help the boats when they arrive and ensure people don't drown. One is called the lighthouse.

But probably best is Msf who are the only ngo at the camp doing anything worthwhile

In terms if an answer... It's so difficult to know. The Greeks don't want to allow a huge permanent settlement on lesbos because they know if they do Europe will keep its borders closed. In Turkey there are 3 million syrian refugees

The vast majority of Syrians are in Turkey and Lebanon. Not Europe. But Turkey and Lebanon are poor countries and Europe needs to take a share of people fleeing war.

Personally having seen it first hand the thing I found beyond belief is the lack of proper shelter and medical care. There is just no excuse for it. European countries need to start large scale resettlement and relocation in order to support the Greeks

People I met had tried to stay close to home. Syrians for example had left their cities to villages then left the villages for camps on the border. Each time violence followed them and they were pushed forward again.

And ultimately to stop this crisis we need to fight for a world without conflict. And that includes stopping our governments supplying weapons and arms around the world.

If they are from Afghanistan their nearest safe country is probably Pakistan. Is there any reason they don't go there first as that probably makes more sense and they will be closer to home or could try bits of Afgahnistan where the Taliban would perhaps not be so likely to hurt them?

Many people in the UK are not well housed or fed and we just do not have the resources to house more. The UK already gives huge amounts of foreign aid for £300m to Pakistan I think in a recent year which could have been spent on people in the UK or lowering my massive tax bills but instead we donate it to the people of pakinstan. We do a lot already.

We need to get the message through that Pakistan is a better place for Afghans to go to rather than living in the open in Greece.

Thank you both for the charity suggestions. It's the least we can all do - and I think the sanpro one is a great idea.

Do you have a blog writerandreader where you could maybe put a longer piece? I'd be keen to know more, and keep up to date.

Many thanks again

@Rosehip10

I am also waiting for a satisfactory answer to your question.

Thanks writerandreader

What can we do? (Not rhetorical)

On a practical level? Donate to one of the many organisations helping refugees such as the British Red Cross, CARE, or Refugee Action. Woolly Hugs run a project providing hats, gloves, and other items to help keep refugees warm. Services in your area may have collection points for items that have been donated to refugees living locally (e.g., toys, clothing, household items). Write to your MP asking them to support aid measures and relevant legislation about refugees.

We don’t do enough @Xenia and while there are still children sleeping outside on the floor to escape bombs we help supply I think your “tax bill” is very far down the list of things the world needs to address.

If you are doing something to help, please do a little more. If you haven’t done anything yet, do one thing.

@5zeds

You are in a minority. The electorate have just voted in the Conservatives to get Brexit done, mainly due to immigration.

I read that Saudi took a lot, bt don't class them as refugees, so they don't show in statistics. I am not sure of the validity of that claim, obviously.

My unpopular opinion is that the UK contributed to the Middle East (and Africa) being unstable. We reap what we sow.

@Xenia, your reputation precedes you on MN and from what I can gather you’re a very successful woman. Props to you.

However I am slightly amazed that someone who manages to elevate themselves So successfully can be so willingly dense regarding the world around them. ‘Just move to a bit of Afghanistan where the taliban aren’t’. Really?

Xenia Pakistan is not a better place for some Afghans. The Taliban are also active in Pakistan. Refugees everywhere are vulnerable to being sold into slavery or exploited. A better solution would be for Afghanistan to be stabilised, but sadly I can't see that happening for some time.
Even if cut the aid budget to 0 tomorrow, your tax bill won't be reduced, by the way.

Many of them do lie about their age. I have a family member who works in young people's services and sees it first hand. Some of these '15 year olds' are attending school in the UK despite being in their twenties.

I agree that more needs to be done about the situation, but denying facts just makes the 'pro refugee' lobby look partisan.

It’s ok @JaneyCartmel I know lots of people who are appalled at the treatment of refugees and even more who are not scared of immigrants.

JaneyCartmel judging by your fervour on this thread, you must really hate immigrants. What is it that bothers you about them so much? I'd be interested in an honest answer if you're willing to venture one.

I agree about population control. European birth rates are in steady decline. The best way to avoid having an impoverished family is to limit the size of that family, surely.

We didn’t contribute to their refusal to use contraception and subsequent population explosion did we?

Lets see. We forced most of Africa to become Christian and then the pope banned contraception. We made them so poor by stealing their resources and destabilising their countries that they had (and some still have) no practical access to health care. So yes. Yes we did.

(that applies to all colonial powers, by the way, not just the British, in the interest of fairness).

@5zeds

You and your friends aren’t going to change anything though. The public have just voted in a government who will be taking a hard line on immigration.

But ARE they facts @MorrisZapp ? I remember a thread on here when some “children who looked too old” arrived in the UK. Some of the crap being spouted about how much hair/muscle bulk etc a pubescent boy could have was ridiculous.

@AlwaysThinkingOfNames

Good because Britain stopped being Catholic in 1558, so a papal ban on contraception would have no impact on what the British did.

Note - large scale contraception wasn’t invented until C20.

I’m already helping @JaneyCartmel what are you doing?

It didn't take long on a thread like this for the closet racists to appear... No one has a 'right' to live where they do; it's the luck of the draw. Taking in refugees is not the answer though. The only way to curb immigration from war-torn and poor countries is to improve the living conditions there and to bring peace to these regions. For this to happen we need to vote for governments that support these changes.

Where are all the women and children?

A couple of years ago a Syrian family joined my DD's school. Only the eldest DD spoke any English at first, she was about 6 at the time, I think. She told my DD they had seen much bombing, but had not wanted to leave at first. Then, one day, her "school got bombed & they had to run away". They ran for a long time. They were all very thin. Those children must seen such awful things on the way here. They are such sweet little girls.

They are not the only refugee family locally.

@5zeds

For the refugees? Nothing, as I don’t think they are my responsibility. I help out in my local community in lots of ways.

there are about 5 million catholics in the UK